Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League 1-6 miniseries

Writer: Greg Rucka

Artist: Nicola Scott

Colors: Annette Kwok

Letters: Troy Peteri

Just the title sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Let’s face it, when you think of major villains in DC Comics, neither Cheshire nor Cheetah jump in as A-listers. But I’ve been a fan of Cheshire since she first appeared back in New Teen Titans Annual 2, and she’s been a recurring villain with a very complicated relationship with one Titan in particular ever since. And Cheetah, in one version or another, has been around since the Golden Age. I also like a good heist story, so I decided to check this series out.

The two titular characters put together a crew of lesser-known villains (and a new one), to do the impossible. Once they have everyone assembled, they reveal the target: the Power Bank created during the Absolute Power mess (I have some very strong feelings about that story) that could potentially give anyone any power from any hero or villain. It’s certainly a hell of a prize. The crew assembled is: Hazard, granddaughter of the Golden Age villain the Gambler, who has developed probability power (she appeared on the Flash tv show a few times if she sounds familiar); Klarion the Witch Boy and his familiar, Teekl; Lian Harper, teenish (?) daughter of Cheshier and Roy Harper (Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow); and new character Featherweight. They develop a plan to infiltrate the Justice League Watchtower and seize their prize, and a few subplots are introduced, including Cheetah losing control of herself to the god that powers her.

It’s a clever scheme, and, of course, there are twists and betrayals and surprises. I was impressed with the plan; this was some Batman level plotting at times. The small team plays off cleverness, abuses a few existing relationships to get what they want, and some set up really well-done distractions to keep the heroes busy. But still, it seems like a really foolish idea, doesn’t it?

While enjoying the story and art, I had my doubts about this right up until the last half of the final issue. There were a few very well executed “No, THIS is what we were really doing” moments that really impressed me. The final scene was impressive, and possibly changed a well-established character for good (or until the next writer forgets about this). Those last few pages took me from “Ok, but seriously, how is this going to work?” to “Damn, that was good.” I’m sure many stores will still have run, and if not, it will likely be collected into a trade paperback soon. It’s worth the read.

What I Liked: Rucka is a great writer, and I have always thought Scott’s art was absolutely gorgeous. The series is worth it just for those two things. The plan is clever, and the twists at the end were brilliant. Featherweight is an intriguing new character with connections to already known characters, and a rare trans and bi character, two parts of LGBT+ that often lack representation. There was no reason for several of the characters to be in costume, so they never were, which was a good choice. These are not A list villains, and they even discuss that very thing in the story.

What I Didn’t: I think there needs to be some kind of executive decision made about Lian, and who she is. Yes, I get it, she has both a hero and a villain for parents, but in the last few years she’s been a supporting character in Green Arrow, very much a hero, and has now switched to helping villains without batting an eye. It’s a bit jarring. In one of the battles that takes place in the final issue, considering some of the characters and power levels that were involved, the team got away a bit too easily.

I rate this one at a 4 out of 5. I loved some of what they did, and I think all that’s holding me back from the 5 are the two points I mention above. I hope this story gets remembered and not just glossed over the next time these various characters appear.