Customer Reviews

Checkmate Vol. 3: Fall of the Wall (DC Comics)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Perhaps the most surprising of DC's post-Infinite Crisis and 52 ongoing series' has been Greg Rucka's run on Checkmate, and Fall of the Wall, the third collected volume in the series, takes Rucka's espionage opera to even loftier heights. Amanda Waller finds herself with her back against the wall, and Mr. Terrific and Sasha Bordeaux may prove to be the biggest thorns in her side. Under Rucka's hand, we see just how ruthless Waller, always an underrated and underutilized character in the DC universe, is and can be, and just what lengths she will go to come out on top. Twists abound, and seeds are planted for the final storyarc in Rucka's run that follows this. Joe Bennett provides more very solid artwork, and once again, Rucka's script is compulsively addictive and surprisingly complex. All in all, Fall of the Wall is another brilliant installment in Greg Rucka's Checkmate, and if you haven't checked this series out yet, you are missing quite a bit.

I'm not really spoiling anything when I tell you that the "Wall" in the title refers to Amanda Waller, Checkmate's "White Queen." I mean, the cover image tells you that. And you know she'll be back. That gal always manages to land on her feet.

One of the major B-stories in this arc is the workplace romance between Mr. Terrific and Sasha Bordeaux, which, for my money, wasn't really necessary, but served as a nice counterpoint to the constant threats to life-death-reputation-career that these characters endure. Rucka knows how to torture his protagonists.

This volume ends with a standalone tale focusing on the Black Queen's Knight, Josephine Tautin, a.k.a. "Mademoiselle Marie;" and then there's a coda titled La Vie en Sang, and that alone may be worth the price of the book for some. Stories of heroic sacrifice always get me.

"The OMAC Project" was one of the more interesting preludes to "Infinite Crisis" as it gave a look at the DCU from the perspective of intelligence agencies and espionage agents. Its' spin-off "Checkmate" continued the story and proved to be one of the best books DC has put out in years. While marked as Volume 3, "Fall of the Wall" is actually the 4th collection as it follows the events of the Checkmate/Outsiders crossover, "Checkout". The book compromises the titular "Fall of the Wall" as well as several single stories.

The single stories are character pieces, focusing on the relationship between Black Queen Sasha Bordeaux and White King Michael Holt, a day in the life of the new Checkmate security chief, and the origin of the French agent Mademoiselle Marie. "Fall of the Wall", of course, is a different matter and is the culmination of one of the main subplots that has been building since the first book, "Checkmate: A King's Game".

In the aftermath of "Checkout", Bordeaux and the agency are coping with the fallout from their excursion onto Oolong Island. But the wrath of the Chinese government is the least of their problems. The incident has reinforced their suspicions that White Queen Amanda Waller has been running her own operations in violation of the terms of her appointment to Checkmate. Now, they're ready to go after her for good, but Amanda Waller isn't ready to go down without a fight...

It's fun to see the Waller subplot come to a head as Greg Rucka demonstrates again why he is a master of political intrigue and realism within the DC Universe. His writing, combined with Joe Bennett's crisp artwork, make for another excellent outing in the "Checkmate" series.

This new installment in the Checkmate series continues to maintain the twists and turns readers have come to expect with series writing. A first-rate collection from the DC universe with adequate art work to support the writings efforts.

Name: Checkmate Vol. 3: Fall of the Wall
Publisher: DC
Writers: Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann
Artists: Joe Bennet, Joe Prado, Chris Samnee (pencils), Jack Jadson, Steve Bird, Joe Prado, Chris Samnee (inks), Santiago Arcas (colors), Kalman Andrasofsky (covers)
Collects: Checkmate #16-22
Price: $14.99

OK, this is my last outing with the Checkmate title for the foreseeable future. I've read three trades, now, and the book just ain't doin' it for me. Though I have to say I liked this third trade better than the first two, it just seems there are far better books out there worth my time.

The title of this trade refers to Amanda (The Wall) Waller - a long-time adversarial character to many heroes and villains of the DC universe. Driven by her own sense of morality and patriotism, Amanda's "the-end-justifies-the-means" attitude has caused her and those around her all kinds of grief and trouble. Amanda is continually hunger for more power and she considers all those who do her bidding to be expendable. Fortunately, her fellow agents in Checkmate realize this, and they intend to put her in her place and out of their way as soon as they can. This is the over-arching premise in this story arc.

This book has a bit more action than the two previous ones, and that was a welcome change. I really felt the first tow story arcs dragged along. I also thought this arc featured a bit more character development. Sasha Bordeaux and Michael Holt struggle to have a more personal relationship within the confines of Checkmate while attempting (and failing) to keep it a secret. Sash also faces emotional struggles as her body becomes increasingly more cybernetic due to her infection from the OMAC crisis. Checkmate installs a new Castellan (director of security): Carl Draper - a former villain known as Deathtrap. The Thinker's loyalty to the team is tested as he tries to keep his own criminal nature in check. A forbidden secret about Jessica Midnight is revealed. The origin and background of the Mademoiselle Marie character is laid out - a kind of French secret agent legacy character. Like I said, this was definitely more interesting than the first two books. Seeing the Suicide Squad in action again was also nice.

Artwork in the book was adequate, but not outstanding. Although I can't say that I would have liked this book much better if a superstar like Jim Lee would have been penciling it, either. I'm of the age and maturity that I really need a good story to draw me in, not just dazzling pictures. A lack of both is a sure-fire way to turn me off. While I liked this book better than the first two, I didn't like it enough to give it a recommendation. This book failed to live up to my expectations, and what it did present was not enough to bait me to come back for more. Too bad, but there are plenty of other offering out there to try.


Writing: 6/10
Artwork: 6/10
Cool Factor: 4/10
Overall: 5.3/10