Checkmate #24 - The Rooks

[Shadi]

Didn't see a thread about this. I just read it and I thought it was a very cool issue, if sliiightly fast paced. I can't really imagine what will happen to Checkmate once Bruce Jones takes over...

Anyway, anyone recognize the Rooks? I think GI Robot appeared in Robin a few years ago, and seemed an established character at the time. I have no idea who the other 3 are though.

[marshal99]

Once Bruce Jones take over , there's only one way the title will go and that's down. It will be followed by Cancellation no doubt.

[Lonewolf36]

Didn't see a thread about this. I just read it and I thought it was a very cool issue, if sliiightly fast paced. I can't really imagine what will happen to Checkmate once Bruce Jones takes over...

Anyway, anyone recognize the Rooks? I think GI Robot appeared in Robin a few years ago, and seemed an established character at the time. I have no idea who the other 3 are though.

All are established characters.

Gravedigger (Captain Ulysses Hazard) - Men of War (August, 1977)
G.I. Robot (J.A.K.E/Jungle Automatic Killer-Experiment) - Weird War Tales #101 (July, 1981) This is a new modern version.
Faust (Sebastian Faust) - Outsiders Vol. 2 #1 (November, 1993) - The son of Felix Faust and a former Outsiders member.
Cinnamon (Unrevealed) - Cinnamon: El Ciclo (October, 2003)


It was Tommy Tinker, the Clockwork Commando who appeared in Robin.

[Shadi]

Thanks! That was very informative (:

[Pixie_Solanas]

Awesome use of continuity.

And extra points for naming one of 'em "Cinnamon". Holy crap, I damn near sharted myself, doubled over with laughter, after reading that one.

[K-DoG7p7]

Cinnamon is awsome..

[Sean Walsh]

This is the same Cinnamon we thought killed a few years ago during the Infinite Crisis hero/villain war, right?

[The Cool Thatguy]

I gotta say, those are some disappointing Rooks. When they had superhumans on ice, I presumed that they'd be bad asses. On the level of Deathstroke or Shiva, maybe.

Instead, we get a team that would barely qualify as a Suicide Squad cannon fodder team. Lame.

Though a funny thought just occured to me, I wonder what happened to Waller's rook. The poor guy or gal got flash frozen and then thawed without ever seeing any action!

[K-DoG7p7]

I gotta say, those are some disappointing Rooks. When they had superhumans on ice, I presumed that they'd be bad asses. On the level of Deathstroke or Shiva, maybe.

Instead, we get a team that would barely qualify as a Suicide Squad cannon fodder team. Lame.

Though a funny thought just occured to me, I wonder what happened to Waller's rook. The poor guy or gal got flash frozen and then thawed without ever seeing any action!
they are noit frozen!
only G.I Robot was "frozen" the rest are most likely sleeper agents

[The Cool Thatguy]

they are noit frozen!
only G.I Robot was "frozen" the rest are most likely sleeper agents

They were all frozen, stored in a bunker until activated. And for all the emphasize given, they're largely a bunch of middle weights.

[Sean Walsh]

BTW, when Jones takes over apparently the focus of the series goes from the "Waller & Sasha & the execs" level to the "basic scrub Checkmate trooper/agent" level.

That and the fact that it's Bruce Jones replacing Greg Rucka (read his Warlord, Nightwing and Deadman runs all in a row and tell me I have no right to complain..... :p )

[The Cool Thatguy]

No more Waller, Sean :(

Which is a shame. I really, really hate how Rucka made Kobra the main Checkmate bad guy, yet never once used Waller's experience with the cult in his stories. Waller's seen through Kobra's plans before and stopped them, that's more than the current crew can say.

[mdg1]

They were all frozen, stored in a bunker until activated. And for all the emphasize given, they're largely a bunch of middle weights.

Or, perhaps, they _were_. I'm withholding judgement until I see #25.

[K-DoG7p7]

i garantee you that only G.I Robot where in a bunker thats why we saw him..

the rest where just "activated" as in call for duty..
after all.. Gravedigger has a day job in metropolis

[PastePotPete]

Cinnamon is awsome..

I have every issue of Rucka's Checkmate Run and I'm excited for the Rooks to be revealed.

I read the spoiler in this thread and it didn't really spoil anything for me because I've never heard of any of them. One of them is named 'Cinnamon'? WTF?

Anyway, Rucka made a lot of D-list characters into A-listers during his run. Much the same way Warren Ellis is doing in Thunderbolts over at Marvel.

[Sean Walsh]

I have every issue of Rucka's Checkmate Run and I'm excited for the Rooks to be revealed.

I read the spoiler in this thread and it didn't really spoil anything for me because I've never heard of any of them. One of them is named 'Cinnamon'? WTF?

Anyway, Rucka made a lot of D-list characters into A-listers during his run. Much the same way Warren Ellis is doing in Thunderbolts over at Marvel.

Cinnamon is an old Western gunslinger heroine.

This particular Cinnamon was a new version introduced in a little-read but apparently very-good miniseries a few years ago. She was badly beaten in the Villains United Infinite Crisis Special (which took place just before IC#7) and thought dead, but she's alive and well and about to show up next month in the pages of CHECKMATE it seems.

[mdg1]

Cinnamon is an old Western gunslinger heroine.

This particular Cinnamon was a new version introduced in a little-read but apparently very-good miniseries a few years ago. She was badly beaten in the Villains United Infinite Crisis Special (which took place just before IC#7) and thought dead, but she's alive and well and about to show up next month in the pages of CHECKMATE it seems.

It just occured to me....

Are we _sure_ she's still alive?

[K-DoG7p7]

I have every issue of Rucka's Checkmate Run and I'm excited for the Rooks to be revealed.

I read the spoiler in this thread and it didn't really spoil anything for me because I've never heard of any of them. One of them is named 'Cinnamon'? WTF?

Anyway, Rucka made a lot of D-list characters into A-listers during his run. Much the same way Warren Ellis is doing in Thunderbolts over at Marvel.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/CinnamonElCiclo.jpg

was the first one people guessed when the cover to #25 was solicited..

mostly because his wife wrote that mini pictured above/ created the modern Cinnamon

[The Cool Thatguy]

It just occured to me....

Are we _sure_ she's still alive?

Why wouldn't she be? Thunder and Lightning got knocked out in that Villains United Special too, and they're still alive (albeit exiled to the Salvation Run planet for no reason).

[mdg1]

Why wouldn't she be? Thunder and Lightning got knocked out in that Villains United Special too, and they're still alive (albeit exiled to the Salvation Run planet for no reason).

Oh, I'm not saying she couldn't have survived... I'm just considering the possibility that she _didn't_. And Checkmate recovered her body, and has turned her (and Gravedigger, and maybe even Faust) into "mortality-challenged" operatives. :evilsmile

It would explain why Gravedigger is still around (he was active in WW2, and I don't think the Team K version is involved) as well.

[K-DoG7p7]

Gravedigger in Checkmate is Percival Hazard.. the leader of Squad K..

Why is he a rook?

because he is the guy who the wold will turn to if Superman turns bad.. and if he can (maybe) take down superman .. he has the balls to be a rook :P

[Matt K]

Wasn't Faust seen earlier in checkmate? If so I doubt everyone is on ice.

[Grazzt]

Though a funny thought just occured to me, I wonder what happened to Waller's rook. The poor guy or gal got flash frozen and then thawed without ever seeing any action!

I don't think that any of the rooks belongs to any of the executives. They all have Greek letter designations, rather than being designated White Queen's Rook, Black King's Rook, etc.

[mdg1]

Gravedigger in Checkmate is Percival Hazard.. the leader of Squad K..

That's possible... but by no means certain.

[Draconomicon]

BTW, when Jones takes over apparently the focus of the series goes from the "Waller & Sasha & the execs" level to the "basic scrub Checkmate trooper/agent" level.

That and the fact that it's Bruce Jones replacing Greg Rucka (read his Warlord, Nightwing and Deadman runs all in a row and tell me I have no right to complain..... :p )



Jones takes over???
Oh crap.. well, the book is dead.
This guy is incapable of writing a coherent story... Warlord, I was absolutely confused by issue 4, Nightwing I didn't even know why people did what they did, and the whole monster-eating-people just left me flabberghasted, and deadman I gave up after issue 1. Lets not even talk his confusing and all over the place Hulk.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Oh, I'm not saying she couldn't have survived... I'm just considering the possibility that she _didn't_. And Checkmate recovered her body, and has turned her (and Gravedigger, and maybe even Faust) into "mortality-challenged" operatives. :evilsmile

It would explain why Gravedigger is still around (he was active in WW2, and I don't think the Team K version is involved) as well.

I doubt it. For a spy book, Checkmate outright rejects anything that's morally questionable.

[mdg1]

I doubt it. For a spy book, Checkmate outright rejects anything that's morally questionable.

I said morTality-challenged, not morality-challenged. As in "undead". :D

[Lex]

Wasn't Faust seen earlier in checkmate? If so I doubt everyone is on ice.
I'm not sure if he's shown up in Checkmate or not. I know he's been mentioned several times on the Gideon II (http://www.gideonii.com) website as helping with Checkmate's defenses against magic.