C.H.E.S.S. Aliens Passage #1 - Apogee Comics

C.H.E.S.S. ALIENS PASSAGE No. 1, January 2020

As “action-packed” one-shots go, it is hard to argue that Alfred Paige's narrative for “C.H.E.S.S. Aliens Passage” doesn’t deliver on its promise to take its readership on a high-octane journey packed-full of zinging bullets, roaring hot spurts of flame and sense-shattering explosions. Indeed, the creator of the Command Headquarters of Espionage and Strategic Strikes pens such a ferociously paced piece that doubtless few within this comic’s enthralled audience even managed to pause for breath before the twenty-four page periodical cataclysmically concluded. 

Fortunately however, despite its almost insane commitment to sense-shattering shenanigans, this publication doesn’t simply roll out a seemingly endless series of meaningless fight sequences, but actually spends quite come considerable time building up the relationship between “two of the C.H.E.S.S. Team favourite characters.” These strained interactions, as one can hardly imagine the likes of James Washington and Richard Kincaid truly getting along with one another, adds a palpable sense of tension to the proceedings, which genuinely encourages the book’s bibliophiles to repeatedly question what its sole two protagonists are actually going to do so as to thwart the surprisingly sudden alien invasion of Nevada in America.

Such second-guessing lies at the heart of this comic’s success, and doesn’t just end when Pinpoint’s standard mission goes horribly awry with the revelation that his target quite possibly isn’t human. In fact, the gun-toting maniac’s obsessive desire to successfully complete his assassination of a "scumbag", despite it being substantially belittled in the face of the far more serious threat to the future of the planet, means Blowtorch can seemingly never confidently believe his bald-headed subordinate is going to do precisely as ordered; “Tell ya what, Blow’ -- I’ll flip ya for it. You wanna call it? Loser plays tour guide.”

Adding to this scintillating story’s raw energy is Edson Alves' artwork, which does a great job of portraying the sheer pleasure Washington takes in gunning down row after row of hapless Roswell Greys in his rage-fuelled determination to finally kill his potentially immortal target. Likewise, the illustrator also does an excellent job in depicting the remote landscape surrounding the secret operatives during their difficult 'military operation'. Whether it be a badly-boarded old wooden mine building or a dilapidated brick house, the sheer isolation of the heroes’ situation is perfectly captured by this book’s pencilling.

Writer: Alfred Paige, Edits & Letters: Bernie Lee, and Artwork: Edson Alves

C.H.E.S.S. #2 - Apogee Comics

C.H.E.S.S. No. 2, March 2019

It is hard to imagine how any creative team could better immerse their audience with so relentless an assault upon their senses as Issue Two of Alfred Paige’s “C.H.E.S.S.” does straight from the start. For whilst the twenty-two page periodical momentarily lulls any unsuspecting bibliophile into a false sense of sedentary security with its opening eavesdrop upon a tense dialogue between Avery and his ‘on the ground’ team leader, Deborah Stewart a.k.a. Heart, the action very quickly ramps up a few notches as the comic shifts focus to Infrared and Footpath’s supposedly stealthy night-time investigation of the Conflict Technology Solutions Headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

Dripping in atmosphere and an urgent need to be absolutely quiet as the team’s “killer robot” silently sneaks into Nakadai’s building via its roof’s access stairwell, this sequence’s palpable claustrophobic ambiance genuinely makes it difficult for a reader to breath for fear of alerting the establishment’s authorities, and additionally makes Schafer’s verbal reservations regarding the mission’s roster appear all the more irritatingly loud whenever he speaks to Stewart; “And you’d be surprised how stealthy Infrared can be. Hence the text feed, to save him speaking. Maybe you should follow his example, Schafer.” Fortunately however, for those perusing this publication whose lungs were starting to burst for lack of air, the suffocating silence is reasonably swiftly broken when the villain’s criminal cadre suddenly ambush the so-called failed robotic super-soldier, and literally all Hell is let loose in a staggeringly entertaining fist-fight between Rowan Kelly Moore, Infrared and Nakadai’s group of super-powered assassins.

The dynamically-pencilled artwork for this lengthy battle royale compellingly speaks for itself, and gains some considerable gravitas due to the combatants predominantly only having enough time to grunt in effort or groan in pain. As a result much of this mêlée’s dialogue actually stems from Avery’s dislocated team who are ineffectively trying to make sense of matters using their mechanical comrade’s badly disorientated text feed, and their resultant confusion as to what is happening wonderfully adds to the turmoil of the chaotic bout itself. Indeed, even after Footpath is knocked unconscious, courtesy of a cowardly strike from behind, it still looks as if the two “C.H.E.S.S.” operatives may yet come out on top until Infrared has an arm lopped off by the ferocious cybernetically-enhanced Stress and logically determines that “the situation was turning in the enemy’s favour.”

Creative Team: Alfred Paige, Alex De-Gruchy, William Reyes and Jesse Hansen

C.H.E.S.S. #1 - Apogee Comics

C.H.E.S.S. No. 1, August 2018

Highlighting the disconcerting dangers of mercenaries being armed with technology which incorporates a manufacturer’s kill-switch, this opening instalment of Alfred Paige’s creation “C.H.E.S.S.” must surely have gone down well with its readers courtesy of its action-packed mixture of pulse-pounding gun-play and the sort of adult-orientated seriousness many mature “Hasbro” fans probably wished the animated adventures of “G.I. Joe” incorporated. In fact, it’s hard not to draw several comparisons between the ever-commanding Avery Davis’ off the grid “covert unit” and the “line of action figures” who continually struggle against the evil Cobra Command, as both feature a plethora of bizarrely-attired combat specialists, code-names and secret headquarters in their bid to thwart terrorism taking over the Free World; “Your mission is to investigate Takashi Nakadai and his operations. At first we observe, and then if necessary we disrupt. And if, based on your findings, I deem it necessary… We eliminate.”

Fortunately however, this Kickstarter funded publication is far more than an imitation of the trademarked “Real American Hero” franchise, replacing the toy-line’s woefully ineffective fire-fights with plenty of gritty, downright vicious close combat which produces the sort of bodily mutilation and head-shots that wouldn’t look out of place within the “militaristic black-ops” adventures of “X-Force” by “Marvel Worldwide”. Supported by its colourful cast’s grim humour, most notably the exchanges between Pinpoint and the disturbingly masked Blowtorch, such pitched battles really do help power this comic through its plot, providing a tense, well-developed meeting between the team’s newly acquired arms dealer and a Kyoto-based information broker with a satisfyingly thrilling conclusion which subsequently raises some significant concerns as to the reliability of their “first visitor to our little mountain retreat”, Errol Schafer.

Perhaps penned somewhat less successfully by Alex De-Gruchy, quite possibly due to the somewhat limited ‘screen time’ this twenty-two page periodical provides them, are Nakadai’s own team of super-powered assassins who apparently are perfectly capable of both infiltrating a private estate across the other side of the world in Minnesota and, quite perturbingly, murdering an innocent mother and child so as to make a statement. Their ninja-like introduction at the start of this book is as welcome as it is truly intimidating, but disappointingly their scene at its end is arguably somewhat confusingly story-boarded, supposedly depicting Yumi throwing a tantrum and endangering her colleagues simply because the child wanted to see her father..?

Indeed, the artwork for Issue One of “C.H.E.S.S.” genuinely appears to be a mixed affair which at certain points, such as JC Fabul’s deadly depiction of thirteen CIS contractors who “were carrying out a mission in Ramada when they became surrounded by local insurgents and slaughtered”, provides some sense-shattering visuals. Whilst some of the other sketched sequences, most notably the aforementioned disagreement involving Takashi’s daughter “almost one-hundred feet below ground-level” appear to be of a debatably dissimilar quality. Such discrepancies are though perfectly understandable when one realises that the freelance illustrator Hakan Aydin laudably stepped in at the last minute so as to ensure the comic met its publication deadline when its Manila-born penciler fell ill.

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Creator: Alfred Paige, Writer: Alex De-Gruchy, and Artist: JC Fabul