Checkmate

In a world dominated by men who can see through walls and women who can punch out giant robots with their pinky finger, is there even room for spies and black ops? If so, what is life like for those engaged in the cloak-and-dagger world of international espionage?

That's the premise of Checkmate, in a nutshell. It's an international organization that gets involved where superheroes and governments fear to tread--a combination super-spy and Mission: Impossible type outfit.

This is an area that has been sorely lacking in the DC Universe since the demise of titles like Suicide Squad and the original Checkmate, and it's a milieu (yes, I just said MILIEU) that writer Greg Rucka was born to explore. His work as a novelist and on his creator-owned title Queen and Country mines this world, only with Checkmate, Rucka gets to stir in superheroics.

The first arc on the title, "A King's Game," took a few issues to get moving, and I think Rucka was still getting his legs under him with this cast and the organization's place in the DCU. As it wrapped up, however, you could feel Rucka hitting his stride, and he's maintained it ever since. This is a smart book, with sharp interpersonal dynamics and a general air of unease that makes for a fascinating monthly read. It's also got Amanda "The Wall" Waller, maybe the most kick-ass non-powered character in the DCU, and Rucka writes her just perfectly.