Latest $1 bin find, Amanda Waller uncensored (Checkmate #8 1988)

Well yesterday I found a copy of Checkmate #8 in the $1 bins at one of the comic shops I frequent. I'm afraid of the loot of $1 comics I went home with this was the only one from DC. The first Checkmate series was pretty graphic as far as mainstream DC titles went. Which was part of it's appeal aside from the whole secret service and political back drop for the series. In this issue Waller ties a major internal security breach to a freelance mercenary by the name of Black Thorn.
Waller uses the word bitch exactly three times with a "Goddamn" thrown in toward the end for good measure. Also in the last scene of the issue another character tells a fellow agent at Checkmate "If you ever compromise security like that again I'll kick your ass". Pretty wild stuff for the late 80s you can see more clip art from the issue http://suicidesquadtaskforcex.blogspot.com/2012/05/checkmate-volume-1.html

I gotta tell ya folks. This was one of five back issues I picked up yesterday and I also took the time to browse at some new stuff on the shelves. I've just felt so detached from new comics in recent months. I'm happy to check out some of it online in reviews and what not but when it comes to doling out my money nothing makes me happier then to spend it on stuff like this. I guess I'm just kinda old fashioned that way.

Checkmate agent Roy Harper and the Suicide Squad

So what I did here was find a bunch of Deviant Art images of the utmost quality to see if I could put it together for a cover concept layout. Not only did the art work have to be good but the styles needed to be similar enough so that when it was all together it looked like it could be from a single artist. I think it worked out ok what do you think? This so could have been a Checkmate annual or a double sized one shot special.

The plot: Checkmate is charged with undertaking a mission against Kobra's latest scheme to introduce a mutagenic drug into the international narcotic distribution network. Checkmate needs to an agent who is intimately familiar with the cartels and narcotics underworld for the mission so guess who they turn to? Sasha Bordeaux  (The Black Queen) is mission leader and they get under way along with some Checkmate support agents.
Back at Belle Reve, Amanda Waller learns about the mission and has a vested interest in it not failing. She knows about Harper's past and has always had a rocky relationship with Bordeaux. Feeling both are a liability to the mission Waller orders some members from the Suicide Squad to discreetly shadow the Checkmate task force to insure the mission's success. However, it turns out Kobra has eyes and ears every where and to make things even worse the two teams are not exactly happy to see each other.

 Ok so look I couldn't resist posting this too which I also found at Deviant Art. Rather as the Black King's Knight from Checkmate or a member of the Justice League Beatriz De Costa is code named FIRE for a damn good reason. This illustration is beyond awesome for obvious reason and some not so. For instance, look closely at the parts of her body that or lit up you can see her bones just like an X-Ray. Oh and did I mention that she's huh, ya know . . Brazilian : )

Newly created Plastique heromorph makes me feel "explosive"

So this came about in a rather unique way. There's this artist on Deviant Art who specializes in heromorph fan art check it out: http://daswookofheromorph.deviantart.com/gallery/  I started using his stuff a couple of weeks back for my other blog and from that we started to chat a bit at Deviant Art. About  a week ago he asked me if there's anybody he hasn't done yet I'd like to see for which I suggested Plastique. And wouldn't ya know it this showed up in his gallery just a couple of days ago.
Did you know that Plastique only appeared in the first 3 issues (1987) of the entire John Ostrander Suicide Squad series? Aside from some kind of love triangle she was a part of along with Captain Atom and Nightshade I don't know much about what happened with the character since then.

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That is until 2006 when she turned up in Checkmate #6 (Vol. 2) in which Amanda Waller as Checkmate's White Queen secretly reactivated the Suicide Squad. As you can see from the clip art it was business as usual with things going wrong even before the mission got under way. Would you want to go on a dangerous gig with this group?

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A couple years after that she would turn up in the 8 issue Suicide Squad mini-series "Raise the Flag" (2008). She really kicked ass in that mini check out this posting from early last year: http://suicidesquadtaskforcex.blogspot.com/2010/10/plastique-is-bomb-just-dont-call-her.html Since then Plastique was a regular on the Suicide Squad for almost all their appearances before the old DCU ended.

Bronze Tiger, I dare you to Cross him

Actor Roger Cross as Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger

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Look at those steely eyes, that's actor Roger Cross. Blogging about him being my first choice to play BT was one of my earliest postings for this blog. I found this fairly recent photo of him under an article about Cross being in the cast of the new Green Arrow series as a police officer. Needless to say I made some alterations to the original image here.
Have you ever noticed how the initials BT work for both Ben Turner and Bronze Tiger? Coincidence? Anyways, some of you may remember Cross from one of my favorite shows ever 24 in which he plays CTU (counter terrorist unit) agent Curtis Manning. Check out how the host on this show that interviews him for a 24 special feature practically to jump his bones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSxvxbQoBZ0
Also, check out this newly found awesome commission art by Christopher Ivy. It's pretty bad ass it's got BT squaring off with Black Panther.

Some Killer advertisment and Ostrander on Hawkman

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So here are those ice villains fan art pieces I mentioned in my last posting. Between the plunging neckline of Killer Frost's dress and the Captain's freeze ray pistol if these two renderings from Deviant Art don't stop you cold then maybe you outta check your pulse.
Be sure to magnify these, for this fan art bigger really is better.

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In recent months I've been doing some research on comics I used to have. It turns out I had some stuff from John Ostrander I wasn't aware of at the time. As I mentioned before learning about the writers and artists behind the titles I used to read has only been a fairly recent occurrence. One of those titles was the early 90s Hawkman series Volume 3.
I had the first 9 issues. I really liked it a lot at first but I lost interest in it after issue 6. With the benefit of the internet now I can see that John Ostrander left the series and a new writer picked it up at issue 7. It's weird looking back, because if now the writing had taken such a turn for the worst in a series that I liked the first thing I would look for is to see if the same people/person are still working on the script. I suppose it's normal as you get older and somewhat more mature you start appreciating things in a different way too.

Next up, always bet on Bronze!

More fan art! More cosplay! More awesomeness!

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This is by far the best Roy Harper fan art I've ever seen. Although it looks like it could be I don't believe this to be a still frame from Young Justice. All the stuff I have on this posting I found at Deviant Art. You can see the full body version of the Roy Harper piece here: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=Roy+harper#/d3gnslg

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Meeow!

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The following sketches were done by 3 different artists but I just kinda grouped em all together. They're pretty sweet just as they are but I wish there were full color finished versions of them. I'm surprised I've never come across this sort of visual metaphoric interpretation of Bronze Tiger before I really dig it.

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This cosplay image seems to be mostly a Batman rogues gallery but as you can see there's some Suicide Squad and Secret Six characters mixed in the bunch. What attracted me to it in particular is that as far as I know this is the only case of some Plastique cosplay. She's sporting a pretty good looking costume it's a shame that the image quality of the photo wasn't a bit better. It looked even worse before I cleaned it up a bit in photoshop.

Next up in a day or two, fan art of ice villains from the Suicide Squad

Cheshire verses Elektra and what's in Hebrew a name?

As fucked up as Roy Harper's life was there was at least one upside to it. He was getting it on with Cheshire at one point which almost made all that grief worth it. According to her wiki page she's half French, half Vietnamese and crazy as a shit house rat which means she's an exotic looking woman that's garunteed to rock your world in the bed room. Catman might know something about that too by the way. So moving on, Elektra needs no introduction. So here we have two of some of the top Femme Fatales in the Marvel and DC Universe. Which is the deadliest warrior?

 The Hayoth derives it's name from the four living beasts of Ezekiel and revelations.

The Specter # 15 (Left Click to enlarge)

Ramban takes his code name from a great Kabbalist mage of old. He is the leader of The Hayoth and in terms of his powers he's basically the Jewish version of Marvel's Dr. Strange. Ramban has the Hebrew symbol for Aleph on his chest.

Suicide Squad #47 (Left Click to enlarge)

With similar powers to that of Marvel's Sandman, Golem takes his code name from a mythical creature made of clay or mud from ancient Jewish folklore. Typically a golem was animated through magic for a specific cause and possessed great strength and was largely invulnerable to conventional attacks.
Dybbuk is a sentient program that is interfaced with Israel's military and intelligence service computer network. Dybbuk also helps coordinate Hayoth field operations. The code name Dybbuk also comes from Jewish folklore which has to do with a dislocated soul that was able to possess people.

Suicide Squad #60

Judith takes her code name from a name in Hebrew that means "praised". She is The Hayoth's assassin, spy master, saboteur, weapons expert and all around martial arts femme fatale. A hypothetical show down between her and Cheshire or Elektra would also be pretty interesting. Although not on Bronze Tiger's or Batman's level she's been able to hold her own against them in combat for a duration of time. 

Let me go back to Marvel for a moment since I'm giving you all the low down on the code names for these Israeli superheros. I'm sure most of you know the Sabra character. An actual sabra is the Hebrew word for a pear like desert cactus fruit that's bristling with thorns. Aside from superhuman strength and the ability to fly Sabra fires energy quills that are powerful enough to even hurt The Hulk. Sabra works for Mossad which is Israel's version of the CIA (in real life too). Mossad is the Hebrew word for department. The word sabra is also slang for for native born Israelis.

Coming soon, Roy Harper and Cheshire fan art along with more fan art and cosplay.