Ala Carte DC Super Heroes Chess Set

Justice League of America

One of the rarest find that I own is this Ala Carte DC Superheroes Chess Set. I bought this at a local toy store here in the Philippines and I think it is the modified version. I've tried to gain some background information on this chess set on the net but unfortunately I couldn't find one. The closest that I could find is a similar set but instead of the Justice League, the opposing team consisted of Batman's rogues gallery. And also upon closer look at the box, a sticker that reads "Special Collection Superman v.s. Batman" (though it should have read as Batman v.s. JLA) is superimposed on the opposite chess pieces. So yes this is indeed a modified version of the original set. The contents of the set are: A 32 piece nicely painted and detailed chess figurine, A chess board made of the same carton material from other board games, and a four page black and white manual of the original chess set but the photos that they featured there are those of Batman's rogues instead of the Justice League. (Photo of the contents below)

Chess Pieces/Figurine

Chess Board

Manual's Cover

Inside Page of the Manual

Photo of Batman's Rogues chess pieces/figurine

The Justice League: I'll start off with these guys. I believe the roster chosen for this chess set is based on Grant Morrison's JLA run because I remember there were a few issues wherein Steel and Hawkman joined the team, if I am not mistaken. I also believe that this chess set was released during that period. In this chess set, Superman is the designated King, Wonder Woman is the Queen, Hawkman is the Bishop, Flash is the Knight, Steel is the Rook, and Green Lantern is the Pawn. It would have been cooler though if they have opted to put the big seven in here. Aquaman in lieu of Hawkman and Martian Manhunter in lieu of Steel. I love the idea that Green Lantern was the designated Pawn. It would have been way much cooler though if they opted to use the Green Lantern corps as pawn. I will be breaking down below each of the Justice League below as well as their roles in the chess set.    

Superman-King 

Superman: Let's start off with Superman as the King. Of course he is the obvious choice because people usually identify Superman as the King of DC comics (sorry Bat fans *wink* *wink*). While current times dictate that Batman is DC's top property, I still believe Superman is way more popular than Batman if we take into consideration his role in the birth of the golden age in the comic book industry. Of course, Batman is on the other end of the chess board where he is also the designated king of the Bat Family. Naturally on this team though, Superman is the king because if you take out Batman from the Justice League, Superman gets sole ownership of the league along with Wonder Woman. The three of them are considered as the Trinity. Superman's designation in this Chess set as King though limits his mobility and attacking opportunities. It's no fun using Superman in this game because he's supposed to be more of a brawler than as a strategist. But for the opposing team, this means that when you take down Superman, the Justice League falls apart. So I guess his role as King means that he's the game changer for the league. You take out the king, the league loses it's luster. And maybe so, if Superman does indeed step down from his throne and decide to join the fray, then the Bat Family might not stand a chance.

 

Wonder Woman-Queen

Wonder Woman: Well it's no surprise that Wonder Woman is designated as the Queen. Despite the obvious fact that she's the only female in the team, she also happens to be the only female in the Justice League's Holy Trinity. His designation as the Queen is also perfect because the Queen has infinite mobility (moves horizontally, vertically, and diagonally from end to end) in chess games. This reflects nicely for the Amazonian Princess because Wonder Woman has always been known as an Amazonian Warrior. More often than not she throws punches first and asks questions later. As Queen, she can be used in a variety of moves and attacks. I believe the Queen is the most powerful chess piece in terms of offense and defense. Her role in the league is very important in order for the player to win the game.

Hawkman-Bishop

Hawkman: Hawkman as the bishop makes perfect sense because the bishop can move diagonally from end to end. This simulates Hawkman's flying capabilities. Hawkman as far as I know is more identified with the Justice Society of America than with the Justice League. It puzzles me why they chose him instead of Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl is more recognized as part of the league due to the popularity of the Justice League animated series. I also think it would have been cooler if instead of using two Hawkmen as bishops, they should have opted for Hawkman and Hawkgirl instead. It won't be confusing for the players because both shares the same profile, most notably the wings.

Flash-Knight

Flash: The Knight's move in a chess game is not hampered by obstructing chess pieces, Flash as the Knight is a good choice. Though a Knight's move is not as far reaching as the Queen, Bishop, and Rook, for someone who does not fly, Flash is a good choice. Being known as the Fastest Man Alive, Flash is an unstoppable force. No obstructions can hamper his speed as he can quickly evade any opposing forces that are blocking his way. This movement can allow Flash to easily reach the other end of the chess board and create offensive moves that can create an opening for the rest of the league to follow. So how's that for the fastest man alive? Two Flashes for this chess set also means that we have Barry Allen and Wally West donning the Flash costume. A little rendering on the costume's colors would also have helped in determining which is which.

Steel-Rook

Steel: A Rook is like a castle stone. Steel is made of solid steel. As part of the Superman family, Steel is the natural "castling" partner for Superman. Steel got his origins when Superman died at the hands of Doomsday. Inspired by Superman's heroism, John Henry Irons designed a suit made of pure steel. Equipping himself with a Hammer made of real solid steel, flight boots and gun powered gauntlets to become Steel.  For the uninitiated, think of Iron Man wielding a hammer like Thor, that is Steel for you. Though not really possessing any super powers (same as Iron Man), Steel is a valuable member of the league because of his technical knowledge of creating weapons (sound familiar again?) Steel's possession of the flight boots makes perfect sense for him to be designated as the Rook because like the Queen and Bishop, the Rook can move from end to end (either in a Horizontal or Vertical way). They also should have opted to use Red Tornado for the other Rook piece since Steel and Red Tornado shares the same cape colors, and since Red Tornado is an android, he also is made of Metal.

Green Lantern-Pawn

Green Lantern: Green Lanterns are the space police peace keeping force created by the Guardians of the Universe. The Pawns have the most number (eight) of multiple pieces in a chess set. Having The Green Lantern as the Pawns is a no brainer. Though it is unfortunate that instead of seeing Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern, we are seeing Kyle Rayner as the Green Lantern in this set. Pawns have the ability to upgrade their capabilities once they are able to invade the opposing player's home base. And just the same, Green Lanterns possess power rings that are capable of creating constructs that can be animated to simulate any form of material the ring bearer wishes to use. It would have been cooler though if they opted to use different Green Lanterns as Rooks. I can easily name eight Green Lanterns that can be part of this chess piece. So far we have four human Green Lanterns (not counting Alan Scott), namely Hal, Kyle, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner. The other four can be alien Green Lanterns Tomar Re, Kilowog, (oh wait, I can't name anymore GLs during this Chess set's time period), possibly Abin-Sur?, Sinestro?

The Bat Family: On the opposing side, we have the Bat-Family standing on the Justice League's way. The Bat Family is composed of Batman as King, Batgirl as Queen, Robin as Bishop, Nightwing as Knight, Commissioner Jim Gordon as Rook, and the Gotham City Police Department as Pawns. This team look pretty "human" when fighting against the Justice League invasion but with Batman as lead strategist, a Bat-Family victory is not as impossible as one would think. But I think Ala Carte should have chosen to use the Huntress or the Outsiders to fight alongside Batman instead of Gordon and The Gotham Police. But having the human police force in this chess set makes a great story. I will be breaking down the Bat Family below and their designated roles in the chess set.  

Batman-King

Batman: Batman as King? Now that is a perfect fit. You take down Batman, the Bat Family crumbles. There is no greater strategist in the DC Universe than Batman. Though he possesses tremendous fighting skills, his detective skills is even way more better. He can take down the entire league all by his own if given the proper time to strategize his moves. Batman does not need to be fighting in the streets to be effective (check out Batman Beyond where we see an aged Bruce guiding a new Batman). He'll be directing the fight in the Bat Cave where he can oversee the battle and throw out strategic directives to the Bat Family where they can hit the league. The King's limited mobility is all that Batman needs to evade the league and guide the his team to victory. For the League to win, they need to "checkmate" Batman fast before he can create more damage.

Batgirl-Queen

Batgirl: Nightwing should have been here but since a Queen is a female, naturally Batgirl owns this spot. I surmise this Batgirl is Barbara Gordon as evidenced by her red locks. In the comics, Barbara Gordon hanged her cape when the Joker badly left her a paraplegic. Taking a new role as Oracle, Barbara served as the eyes and ears of the entire DC Universe because of her expertise in intelligence gathering through the web. A Queen's limitless movements can be easily associated with Batgirl/Barbara because the Oracle knows no limits. She's a valuable help for Batman because she can easily locate the whereabouts of the League members. She is also a highly skilled combatant capable of downing any foes with her lethal strikes and blows. She's a valuable chess piece for Batman.

Robin-Bishop

Robin: Well Robin is the assigned Bishop in this team. This Robin I guess is Tim Drake. Tim Drake has always been considered as the better detective compared to the previous Robins. Having him as the Bishop means that Robin can easily move in the Chess board to create strategic opportunities in winning the game. A Bishop's long reach can easily put Robin in a strategic position where the player can corner an opposing team's chess piece or take it upon himself to initiate offense. During this period, Tim Drake was the third person to don the Robin identity. Previously Dick Grayson (now Nightwing) owned this identity followed by Jason Todd (now Red Hood). In the succeeding years Stephanie Brown (formerly Spoiler) became Robin. She was followed by Damian Wayne, Batman/Bruce's Wayne's own son. This chess set has two Robins, though I'm sure at this time the producers of this chess set doesn't have any inkling that in the near future a new Robin will emerge. I would like to think that these two Robins are Tim and Damian.

Nightwing-Knight

Nightwing: The original Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson grew up from his Robin antics and as Batman's sidekick to become a solo vigilante known as Nightwing. His role as the Knight in this chess set means that Nightwing can easily navigate the streets of the battlefield to attack the enemy fortress in the quickest amount of time possible. Because of his years of experience as Batman's sidekick, he has learned the nuances of Batman's stealth operations making it a valuable part of his operations as a solo vigilante. He is also the natural pick to succeed Batman and there are already countless storylines where Dick Grayson became Batman every time Bruce Wayne went missing. And since there are two Nightwings in this chess set, a natural pick for the other Nightwing will be none other than Jason Todd (the second Robin). During this time though, Jason Todd was not yet revealed to be alive. In the succeeding years, Jason Todd for a time wore a variation of the Nightwing suit, instead of the Blue motif, Jason wore Red. Perhaps an ode to his Red Hood character.

Commissioner James Gordon-Rook

Police Commissioner Jim Gordon: When you put a Jim Gordon as the bastion of a castle,  you get an assurance that Batman's war on crime can never go wrong. Jim Gordon has always been Batman's bastion in his war against crime. Unflinching in his belief that you cannot combat crime by becoming one of them. Although he has established a healthy respect and relationship with Gotham's premier vigilante, he has always upheld the belief that you cannot take the law on your own hands. And Batman respects this by still letting the police authorities take care of the criminals once Batman has put them on their place. As the Rook in this team, Gordon's role is to make sure that he can protect Batman from outside forces while also leading the Gotham Police in the battlefield. There are two Rooks in a chess piece, the other one should have been Bruce Wayne's ever loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. While Gordon serves as Batman's Bastion in his War against Crime, Alfred has always been the father figure to
Bruce Wayne. His presence in Bruce's life makes him his bastion to not forget that inside that cowl lies a man named Bruce Wayne.

Gotham City Police Department-Pawns

Gotham City Police Department: If Batman needs an army in his fight, then he can always turn to Gotham's finest. While there are still a number of corrupt police officers in the Gotham Police Department's ranks, their numbers has thinned down ever since Batman announced his presence in the crime world. There are already a number of times when Batman summoned the Gotham Police to help him reclaim Gotham (most notably in the No Man's Land story arc). The GCPD are the designated Pawns because like soldiers they will lead the frontline in the war. And upon capture of enemy base, these Gotham Policemen can easily equip themselves with the enemy's weaponry. They also have the potential to become more than Superheroes themselves if given the chance to be recognized as one.

The Battle

The Invasion of the Justice League

Why the Justice League will win: Of course it's a no brainer. This team is composed of Meta Humans (with the exception of Steel). The League can swiftly win the battle behind the strength of their superpowers. What chances can the GCPD have when pitted against the so called Space Cops, the Green Lantern Corps. Steel can take down ill-equipped forces of Gotham. Flash can do quick work against Nightwing. Hawkman and his Thanagarian fighting skills can prove superior against a young Robin. Wonder Woman, the Princess of the Amazons, can surely beat a human Batgirl. And what chances does Batman have if Superman behaves differently from his Boy Scout persona, if he's willing to cross the line (which means to kill) to achieve his goals. If the League goes rogue and behaves in contrast from what they are used to, what chance does a human population have? Batman can strategize all he wants, but what if the ace on his sleeves (which means betting that Superman still has that Kansas boy scout Clark inside of him) is no longer there? Can he really find a way to beat Superman if he's not given the luxury to re-strategize against a Mad Kryptonian God (I'm using the word Kryptonian here because this is presuming that Superman is being more alien than having a grasp of his human upbringing)?

Batman's Last Stand?

Why the Bat Family will win: Because he's the God Damn Batman that's why. As DC's master strategist, Batman can cook up a plan that can attack the weak points of each League members (see the Tower of Babel storyline). There are already countless of instances in the comic books where Batman has thought ahead of the possibility of the League going rogue. And countless of time these defensive measures fell into the wrong hands (see Tower of Babel and Infinite Crisis), where we saw how the League struggled mightily and it took Batman to destroy his own creations to save the League. The Bat Family and the GCPD can be easily briefed on Batman's strategy in fighting the league. Batman is also capable of utilizing the skills of the Bat Family (most specially Batgirl/Oracle's intelligence gathering) to win the war. Batman can equip the GCPD with Sinestro's yellow ring, fighting the Green Lantern Corps with the same firepower. Jim Gordon can talk sense to Steel to the extent that Steel would be willing to betray the League. Flash will be a big challenge for Nightwing, but a right strategy can turn the tables in his favor. Robin versus Hawkman would be like a David versus Goliath match up, but Tim Drake's resourcefulness will be useful against a brute like Hawkman. Batgirl against Wonder Woman would be quite a challenge but with Batman's help, Batgirl can devise something to make Wonder Woman become a loose cannon for the League. And of course Batman against Superman, see the results of The Dark Knight Returns, the Hush encounter. If Superman does not lose touch of his humanity, Batman can easily take him down. If he does lose touch of his humanity, well I don't see any chances Batman beating Superman (Sorry Bat fans, it's hard to see how Batman can take Superman down if Superman goes out of character. Just see what happened to Batman in the Elseworlds story Superman: Red Son). :)