Last edited by Agent Z; 04-26-2020 at 11:48 PM.
Ok... how bad is Event Leviathan? Its not Rucka's Checkmate but are fans up in arms? I dug Bendis' Batman Universe and will move on to Young Justice and Superman
I think a Checkmate line up should avoid high profile superheroes in the cast and focus on superheroes not as well known and characters whose backgrounds, abilities and powers fit in espionage.
So to that effect:
Sasha Bordeaux
Michael Holt
Taleb Beni Khalid
Andrea Rojas
Roy Harper
Steve Trevor
Valentina Vostok
Jessica Midnight
Tommy Jagger
Josephine Tautin
Last edited by Agent Z; 05-03-2020 at 12:13 AM.
DC at least could give us a mini.
The "revival" of this thread (i.e. being on one of the first two pages) prompted a revisit to Rucka's Book 1 & 2. So thanks for that.
Fantastic stuff right from the opening pages.
While I get the that "the only constant is change" and "all good things must come to an end" etcetera; it's books/runs like these that make me wish such concepts didn't exist.
We're getting a mini. Sadly, it's not one I think is likely to give me the pleasures of the Rucka series.
I was inspired to start a reread of the series by Mr. Terrific's appearance in Strange Adventures, and it's just so good.
It has aged very well, though I don't think it could be written today.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
Bad. Bends has never been very good to the internal logic when it comes to his spy thrillers, and yet their very nature requires it.
I fear that what Bendis has done/will do is turn DC's spy game into Checkmate vs. Leviathan, like we have with Shield vs. Hydra at Marvel.
That's a mistake, IMO, because it leaves both unable to grow or move. If one agency stands for everything, it stands for nothing.
I'm kind surprised Rucka's run is so well liked. I wanted to like it, but I had a hard time getting past the poor plotting, and the constant dumping on Waller.
Several times, they botched the natural pay off to subplots. When Fire, for example, gave up her war criminal father, something Waller had used to blackmailed her into committing murder...nothing happened. Without any blackmail to hold over her, Fire should have given Waller up instantly.
Or the Salvation Run tie in, that ended in Waller's ouster. They threaten Waller with 24 hours before doing something about it...and never do anything.
And don't get me started on how underwhelming Kobra is as bad guys.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
Fair enough. Will try and address a couple of things from what I remember.
1. On Kobra, Checkmate wasn't about the "bad guys" but instead, was primarily about the politics, underhandedness, the (pardon the pun) chess game amonst the organization. Kobra was just a framing device for the storytelling. I think not realizing/appreciating this already puts you on the back foot when it comes to the level of enjoyment of the series.
2. Fire gave up her father and was no longer in debt to Waller. Recall she was Black Kings Knight being forced to go against orders having been manipulated by White Queen (arguably the last person who should be influencing the Black Kings Knight). Her giving up her father was the resolution of that particular subplot.
3. Blackmailing Waller, again that was resolution of a subplot i.e. getting her ousted from her position as White Queen/ member of Checkmate. They didn't "do something about the threat" because Waller complied.
You say "dumping on Waller". I can't help but read this as the main reason you didn't like the series i.e. Waller is a character you like and your intepretation of them dumping on her contributed to the "non-enjoyment"? (Of course I may be wrong...
Ironically I think the series was one of the strongest characterizations of Waller showcasing how much of a badass she is and how she operates. The Suicide Squad series around the same time was another example.
Last edited by Mr. White; 06-22-2020 at 02:11 AM.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
Tell you what, we'll agree to disagree. After all, this isn't why we're here.
Saw you also read Strange Adventures. Loved the depiction of Mr. Terrific there. Think he might be a good character that creative team could churn in some good work on.
King tends to craft intriguing stories with characters that have less continuity baggage.
But I digress...