Checkmate #3

Part three of "The Game of Kings" arrives with a cover by Lee Bermejo that crackles with cold-war tension — a masked sniper crouches at the ready, a fierce young woman levels her pistol in a combat stance, and a grim-faced figure looms large in the background, all framed against red star imagery and chess-piece silhouettes that reinforce Checkmate's spy-thriller atmosphere. Greg Rucka scripts, with interior art from Cliff Richards and Bob Wiacek bringing the intrigue to life, as military tanks bearing red stars drive home the geopolitical stakes of this DC espionage series. If this cover is any measure, the organization's board is getting very crowded — and very dangerous.