Checkmate #4

Greg Rucka and Jesús Saiz's espionage thriller continues with this September 2006 installment of "The Game of Kings," part four of a tightly plotted opening arc. Lee Bermejo's cover art frames a striking silver-haired woman holding a pistol alongside a Green Lantern-badged hero gripping a blade, while two additional figures loom in the background — all of them set against the silhouetted chess pieces that define Checkmate's world of high-stakes, shadow-government intrigue. It's a confident, noir-tinged image that captures the series' blend of superhero muscle and intelligence-agency cool.