Timala Elliott
Timala Elliott
Checkmate #6
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alek Maleev
Colors by Lee Loughridge
Letters by Josh Reed
The Rundown: Checkmate works to subdue Leviathan and a traitor amongst the group reveals themselves.
Checkmate is attacked in the basement of The Hall of Justice by a previous ally. Afterwards, the group work to remove civilians from the center. Elsewhere, in Metropolis, Lois and her brother battle Shaw. Soon Superman comes to their aide, but Lois quickly sends him to the Hall of Justice.
Meanwhile, in Markovia, Mark Shaw’s team monitors the happenings in Washington, DC. When Shaw returns to the center, he finds himself in an unexpected situation. Soon, Superman travels to the Leviathan complex as their systems come to a halt. Finally, at the Hall of Justice, Checkmate meets with Amanda Waller, Lois and Superman have a conversation, and Talia Al Ghul makes future plans.
The Story: The final chapter in this series quickly wraps up a rather complex narrative. Overall, I felt this story had a cool detective vibe that was refreshing. It was nice to see the focus on a different group of characters. And I appreciate the way they handled dangerous situations. However, as a whole, I felt the series was a bit choppy. I wanted the character’s motivations fleshed out more and I feel this run should have had more issues. But I did like that the ending leaves the door open for more stories involving this group. And it would be nice to see a long running series someday.
The Art: The art in this issue is filled with bold, but cool coloring and the drawing is a traditional comic book styling. I found the action scenes interesting and enjoyable. The attention to detail helped set the tone of the story, and I found myself completely visually engaged.
Checkmate #6
