Letters to Checkmate #1

I have to admit, it took me by surprise that this series came into existence. But I started using Checkmate in DC2 Most Wanted, and from that, they appeared in the last Justice League arc, and it began to grow into something in my head that I wanted to investigate.

As with a lot of things I write on the site, I wanted to honour what came before, so if you were aware of what came before with Checkmate, be it the organisation’s origins and what happened with it in the aftermath of Justice League Vs America, or the truncated previous series (if only one issue lands, is that truncated, or a different word?), you won’t be surprised by some of the characters and events.

That said, who, in 2018, can be expected to have read a single issue of Checkmate, one of the most esoteric of titles, from 2010?

So don’t worry if this is entirely new to you. This kind of thing is entirely new to me as well!

I’m excited for the first season of this run, which I’ve plotted out to run alongside Justice League for the next year or so. I’ve just wrapped Checkmate #2, and have #3 planned out (I’ll hopefully get a big chunk of it done tomorrow). As discussed elsewhere, I’m interested in the “season” model of writing, and this is designed to run thirteen issues. We’re building toward something, and I hope you take a chance on something new and different, which is what this is planned to be.

The first two arcs are three issues apiece (hopefully), and then I’m going to try and do something that I don’t think has been attempted before on the site, which is tell a reflection of a story occurring in another book in this one. You’ll see the same story from a different angle, and all that entails. It’s a pseudo-sequel to the last Justice League arc, and will have major repercussions for both this title, that title, and the entire DC2, as we move into 2019.

Anyway, bear with me, and we’ll probably see Checkmate #2 post next Wednesday!

Hey Charlie,
It‘s been a while since I last visited this site. Really glad to see you dived into checkmate and created a really great story. Just read the first chapter and I am really looking forward to continue with the rest of the first arc tomorrow.