I loved Checkmate #2. There's a little in-joke with Jessica Midnight calling the Outsiders "Nightwing's little band of goons," which got me thinking: Rucka's basically doing everything Winick's trying to do in Outsiders, but Rucka's doing it about a thousand times better. The issue of casualties is left hazy in Outsiders, but here Rucka attacks it head-on, using the built-in dynamic of superheroes vs. government agents to get the opposing viewpoints across. Amanda Waller guaranteed Alan minimal casualties in the op in #1, so when the op results in heavy casualties Alan is understandably pissed. The political intrigue of Outsiders is decent, but takes a backseat to action--in Checkmate, Rucka tackles the political stuff so well that it's even more exciting than simple action scenes. I'm definitely more interested in how Amanda's plan will turn out and what Alan will do if he finds out about it than I am about the Outsiders blowing up tanks that may or may not be filled with soldiers.
