"The End" Week: Chase #1,000,000!

Six years back, we checked out a favorite, Creeper #1,000,000; in June we saw the previous issue of this series: from 1998, Chase #1,000,000, "Don't Believe It!" Written by D. Curtis Johnson, pencils by J. H. Williams III, inks by Mick Gray.

In the 853rd century, people can wear and trade "totemic power icons," emblems that give temporary super-powers. The way they're described, they're mostly for play; but there's a black market for unregulated, illegal icons. A secret organization polices those unauthorized powers: the DEO, descended (and perhaps bastardized) from the Department of Extranormal Operations of the present. It's not immediately clear if they have more than three field agents, or if they'd need more: three women in Judge Dredd-like uniforms, designated Lead, Snare, and Chase. They're bringing in an illegal icon dealer, who is killed when he tries to escape with a defective Ambush Bug app.

Working the case, Chase begins to have questions, particularly when visiting the home of a convicted criminal, now living on Mars in a home without net access: she reacts like he had been deprived of a basic human right. Lead and Snare come down hard on the old man, but the icons had been from his daughter, who claims she didn't know they would be resold. Although she could surrender, the daughter fights her way out, since she figured the DEO's computer bosses would want someone to go down for the crime. Suspecting the same, Chase lets her escape; and is called on the carpet before her superior, Skull. She assumes it's to be fired, but Skull has been where she was, and together they begin to plan for the future...

Man, J.H.Williams draws the living bejeezus out of this; to the point that it's impossible to imagine anyone taking this book after him.

Read more!

I have to wonder if they got a better Green Lantern movie than we did...

When last we saw Cameron Chase, Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, helped Batman and Nightwing cover their secret identities; today after watching the Green Lantern movie she tells a friend about when she and her pals met him, in her second-to-last issue: from 1998, Chase #9, "In Darkest Night" Plot and script by D. Curtis Johnson, plot and pencils (1, 22) J.H. Williams III, pencils and inks (2-22) Charles Adlard, inks (1, 22) Mick Gray.

Cameron and company had another run-in with the Cult of the Broken Circle, who they describe as "always getting mixed up with the wrong sorts" like Klarion the Witch Boy or talking gorillas--it's tough to narrow down the specific one of the latter, from that description. This time, the Cult appears to be worshiping, and making sacrifices to, an ATM machine. Which sounds nutty, but they see a cultist seemingly disintegrated by "Atem"!

Green Lantern shows up and helps mop up the Cult, then his 'friend' Hal Jordan goes to Cameron for help finding his cousin, also Hal, whom we know as Air Wave. Kinda seems like he might have something to do with "Atem," huh? After the story, one of Chase's friends wonders if they shouldn't have seen GL was going bad (I didn't realize his Parallax turn was public knowledge) but she feels the good outweighed the bad. Also, if GL came back from the dead, it would make that movie seem pretty silly...

Like the Creeper, Chase would end with the #1,000,000 crossover issue; but unlike the Creeper, I don't think the regular Chase would even appear in her last issue!
Read more!

Today, the Unmaskerening! Wait, that's not right...

Even by conservative estimates, there are probably dozens of people in DC continuity who know Batman's secret identity. Today we check on someone who at least thinks she's on that list: from 1998, Chase #8, "Shadowing the Bat, part two: Truths" Co-plot and script by D.Curtis Johnson, co-plot and pencils by J.H. Williams III, inks by Mick Gray.

The Department of Extranormal Operations' Mr. Bones sets up the premise for this one: the shadowy government agency is going to have Agent Chase test a theory. They know Batman is real, and want to use her as a snare to expose his real identity. (Bones's explanation makes it seem like the DEO could expose a great deal about Batman, but can't or won't do so without the name to hang it on.) Having little love for caped types, Chase is more than up for it, and takes a drug case in Gotham: it's a legit case, but a better cover.

Chase does take care of the drug case, working with Detective Bullock; and stays an extra day to attend a charity party hosted by Bruce Wayne. This was post "No Man's Land" and the earthquake Cataclysm, but not post "No Man's Land? An odd place for a story to fall...still, that's why the party isn't at Wayne Manor, but at GBC, Gotham Broadcasting. Hmm. Who do we know at GBC...?

Alan Scott, whom Chase immediately pegs as "veteran mask," especially in contrast to a couple of "schmoozers" like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Scott even makes a lame excuse about having to leave early, which is just more fuel for her fire. She tries to trail Batman outside of GBC later, but is surprised by the Dark Knight; who confronts her with ballistics evidence from her drug case, suggesting her partner may have murdered a dealer. Oh, and revenging yourself on superheroes won't bring your dad back, 'kay, bye.

Pissed, Chase gives, um, chase; intent on confronting Batman. Chasing him through a condemned area of town, she acknowledges the danger of buildings "too damaged to use, too intact to easily demolish," right as Batman takes a nasty fall off of one. Stunned and helpless, Batman couldn't possibly stop Chase from unmasking him--if she wanted to. Instead, she tells him she doesn't do her job for revenge, but so no one else has to go through what she did. She tells Batman his secret is safe with her, and walks off...

...as Nightwing and Batman help the fallen Dark Knight, a disguised Alan Scott! The former Green Lantern, now Sentinel, wonders what that was all about: they had planned to confuse the issue, and throw Chase off all of their secret identities, but no need now. Which is good, since she probably would've considered it a dick move, and exposed them all to get 'em back.
Read more!

Is it really a Suicide Squad without Boomerang? Or Deadshot? At least they have a Firestorm villain...

From 1998, Chase #2, "Letdowns" Plot and script by D. Curtis Johnson, pencils and plot by J. H. Williams III, inks by Mick Gray. The titular agent Cameron Chase is the one looking unthrilled to be there. She was an up-and-comer in the Department of Extranormal Operations, with an as-yet unknown superpower. Her early successes have put her on the radar of Amanda Waller, who gives her a new assignment: take the Suicide Squad to Peru to destroy the artificial intelligence (and occasional JLA villain) the Construct.

Bolt, Copperhead, or Sledge were never core members of the Squad; but Killer Frost would turn up on the team a few times. She would appear in the animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham with the Squad as well.

I think this may have been reprinted in the DC Comics Presents collection for this series, and I have to dig it up to see what happened the next issue.
Read more!

Hey, Blue Beetle!

Mind if I take the afternoon off?

Oh, like you never.


From DCU Heroes Secret Files #1, "Spies Like Us" Written by D. Curtis Johnson, pencils by Derec Aucoin, inks by Claude St. Aubin. This was a short little Chase story, where she's supposed to be working with Sarge Steel on interagency procedure integration, but it's more a walking tour through DC's B and C-list characters. And 'Sarge Steel' turns out to be the Martian Manhunter...for some reason.

That said, it's a relatively charming little story, although the art and Chase herself seem a little softer than usual for her. I was thinking Chase was a bit more strongly against capes or supers or whatever, but I could be wrong, since she doesn't seem to be having too bad of a time here. She playfully tells Sarge/J'onn that while she's deduced Batman's secret identity, she ain't telling; Sarge/J'onn calls her a terrible liar. Together, they check out Wildcat, Hitman, Anarky, and more.

In another story, a DEO (Department of Extranormal Operations) employee tries to turn whistleblower on the ultra-top-secret hero killer contingency program. It's cute the way DC will try and work new heroes into this sort of thing, but there's no way anyone was sweating on how to kill Inferno. No Wonder Woman defense-slash-murder plan, but if Inferno goes bad the government's ready for her! Well, maybe that's not that far off from how the government would actually work...(Panels from "Above Top Secret" Written by Mark Millar, pencilled by Matthew Clark, inks by Tom Simmons)

All of this, equals an afternoon off? Hmm. Read more!