The Spy agency Checkmate has a checkered history of lies, deceit and abuse of power that's left a trail of bodies in its wake. Now reorganised as a U.N. sanctioned force, Checkmate has done it's best to put the bad old days behind it... but one woman can't stop playing the game. Her name is Amanda "The Wall" Waller, and her secrets could bring the entire organisation crashing down...

Fall of the Wall collects issues #16 to 22 of the Checkmate comic book series.

How do you police a world of immensely powerful super heroes - and villains? Checkmate is the answer: a group of government operatives, super heroes and spies, dedicated to keeping the world safe - even if they operate in darkness.

When a new Black King's bishop is appointed, Checkmate gain a master jailer from the ranks of super villainy, and White Queen Amanda "The Wall" Waller plays a dangerous hand as she tries to reinstate her secret black ops team, the Suicide Squad - but will she be able to bring down the other Kings and Queens before they can turn the tables?

As White Queen of Checkmate, Weller has been secretly kidnapping super villains and transporting them to a mysterious location. Now the rest of Checkmate's "Royal Family" is hot on her trail, but nothing is more dangerous than the Wall with her back up against one. She'll initiate a deadly game of cat and mouse that will leave no one's dirty secrets hidden... and may have lasting ramifications for the super heroes of the DC Universe.

If you're not a regular follower of the Checkmate series, then this collection, the third in the series of graphic novels, will probably leave you a little cold. It's not that it's badly written or illustrated - far from it. The main problem here is that it's not easy to jump into and fathom out what is going on. While this means that the plot lines are a lot more engaging for fans, it does alienate new readers.

6

Nick Smithson