C.H.E.S.S. #3 - Second Sight Publishing

C.H.E.S.S. No. 3, September 2021

Previously described as ‘G.I Joe meets the Agents of Shield’ it is doubtful that either Don Levine or Joss Whedon’s action-packed franchises ever truly matched the utterly enthralling high-octane shenanigans seen within Issue Three of “C.H.E.S.S.” Indeed, whether the comic’s readers are mesmerised by all the dirty dealings which take place before Yumi and their hit squad strike, or simply ensorcelled by Alex De-Gruchy’s subsequent pulse-pounding punch-up once it becomes clear to Blowtorch’s team-mates that their presence in Philosopher’s Walk is known to their enemies, few within this twenty-two page periodical’s audience will have been able to put the book down until it was completely finished.

Foremost of this hooks has to be the publication’s opening and the writer’s well-paced build-up featuring poor Footpath’s deadly interrogation at the hands of her captors. Marking out the seemingly hapless Rowan Kelly Moore’s demise as a real possibility if their supposedly covert military mission fails, it is not difficult to imagine many a bibliophile actually holding their breath as each of the titular team’s roster quietly confirm their assault positions as a large, cuddly Panda bear carrying a harmless-looking yellow balloon nonchalantly dances its way towards one of the operatives.

Delightfully though, Alfred Paige’s creations aren’t simply concerned with a mass, heavily muscled melee either, due to a couple of subplots prodigiously playing out during the scintillating smackdown. Debatably the most bewitching of these surrounds an assassination attempt upon the man behind C.H.E.S.S. in Avery’s Arlington-based home - which involves a partially snake-faced killer who takes many a sock to the jaw (and stab to the chest) before finally being laid low. However, the notion of masked hoodlums blasting their way into Takashi Nakadai’s headquarters and snatching one of the weapons manufacturer’s armed guards is not to be sniffed at either; especially when the outrageously brave move occurs during Footpath’s attempted escape.

Fiendishly depicting all this slaughter and mayhem with gleeful relish is William Allan Reyes, whose excellent pencils do a great job of highlighting both the painful apprehension on Moore’s sweat-drenched face as she endures Scarlette’s telepathy and some electric shock treatment, as well the determination upon Pinpoint to defeat his opponent and help support his fellow team-mates; “Well, here you go! My head’s not the kinda place you wanna go poking around in, lady.”

The regular cover art of "C.H.E.S.S." #3 by William Allen Reyes