Chase

Chase #Complete

by Dan Curtis Johnson, Doug Moench, Various (Illustrator)

Collecting a cult favorite series from the late 1990s spotlighting the amazing artwork of J.H. Williams III, CHASE stars Agent Cameron Chase. On field assignment for the Department of Extranormal Operations, a government agency with jurisdiction over superhuman activity, she’s looking for a missing boy whose pyrokinetic powers went wild in an Ohio school. But she’s about to encounter some unexpected surprises, as her own mysterious powers come into play – powers she doesn’t fully understand. This spectacular collection includes appearances by many DC heroes, including Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, The Suicide Squad, Teen Titans, the Justice Society of America and more.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fiction, Superheroes

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

D. Curtis Johson (also D.C. Johnson) is a professional comic book writer. He began his career working for DC Comics in 1998 in the title Chase. Later on he started working in JLA and Young Justice.
He is currently retired from comic books and pursued a career in programming.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former P.I. Cameron Chase joins the Department of Extranormal Operations and investigates metahuman activity. But what dark secret is she harboring...

I picked up Chase because Cameron Chase was a supporting cast member of the Manhunter series by Marc Andreyko. Chase has a flavor that's somewhere in between Manhunter and Gotham Central. It almost feels like an ancestor of sorts of both books.

Chase's cases see her interacting with Batman, Clayface, the Suicide Squad, and many others. It's a slice of 90's comic nostalgia for me. Notable guest stars include the version of the Teen Titans led by The Atom, Connor Hawke as Green Arrow, the electric blue Superman, and the greatest Green Lantern to ever wear a ring, the crab-masked Kyle Rayner. Let's see how long it takes Terry to notice that last one. Other guest stars include Alan Scott as Sentinel and a tale of the past featuring the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and his cousin Air Wave. Chase's interactions with Batman were my favorite part of the story. I'm glad she's currently making appearances in one of the Bat-books.

The stories of the main Chase series are very well done, delving into Chase's background as she goes on cases. The various other stories within are fairly unnecessary. Did I really need to read Chase #1000000 or the various secret files issues? I did not. Chase 1-9 were very well done. The rest of the collection dragged it down.

Three stars. If you liked Cameron Chase's appearances in other books, you'll like her here.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a mild dose of nostalgia for 90s DCU but don't want to actually read more than a few panels with Superman Blue, Chase is a good option. Feeling very much like the spiritual ancestor of Gotham Central, Chase follows title character Cameron Chase as a DEO field agent. So she's rubbing elbows, however briefly, with a wide cross section of 90s DC characters, including the aforementioned Superman Blue (God, DC) and a version of the Titans lead by Ray Palmer. It... maybe wasn't the best time for the DCU at large. But Chase, the nine issue series, is pretty spectacular. It's a little hampered by the less than stellar cast floating through the DCU at the time, and the "bonus" stories at the end are underwhelming in the extreme. There was a lot of potential, sadly cut short. Luckily, Chase herself is still around, even in the New 52.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

La breve etapa de Dan Curtis Johnson como guionista de historietas dejó su testimonio en un título fugaz - pero auspicioso e interesante -, donde junto a su amigo J.H. Williams III abordaron los superhéroes desde una distancia más afín a la intriga y los conflictos personales. Precisamente las fortalezas de Chase, que atrapa cuando se centra en esta ex investigadora privada acongojada por poderes que no comprende y aburre al interactuar con justicieros de otro talante (el episodio con los Titanes y Booster Gold, sin ir más lejos); misma razón que la muestra más cómoda junto a los mitos de Gotham, quizás al compartir ciertos claroscuros en su personalidad.

Muy buena propuesta, demasiado corta para resultar satisfactoria.

[Alex Sarll]

I love JH Williams' art, and I love the DC Universe back when it was one of the great fictional ecologies, pre-Johns (there are nods to his early contributions in some of the last stories here, and you can feel the chill setting in). I love this sort of marginal series, following not the superheroes but the Department of Extranormal Operations which keeps an eye on them. I was even charmed by some of the dialogue, like how even in 2000, characters are talking about back when the Internet was smaller. And yet somehow this never quite clicked for me. Williams is already good, but he's still learning his craft, and this never approaches the heights of his work with Morrison or Moore. Chase herself seems inconsistently characterised, her dislike of superhumans fading out more than being changed by character evolution. And the bit where this is terribly ironic because she has latent powers of her own might have made it work were they not revealed too certainly, too soon. It's not awful, by any means, but nor do I understand the esteem in which some of my friends hold it. And how could they not mention that one of her mates is called Knob?

On the other hand, I did enjoy the little story catching up with survivors of the Joker's atrocities, because I always like stories which emphasise that Batman is a useless, spineless wanker for not ending the bastard years ago.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The core Chase stories are quite good, with lots of flashbacks, very strong characterization, and a quirky look at the era. The Secret Files stories are nice to have here, but alas don’t offer a very coherent or important story.

[Guido · Rating 4 out of 5]

La corta pero curradísima andadura de Cameron Chase por DC en un tomo único. Listado de personajes en proceso.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde luego, es una lástima toparse con esta clase de personajes de tremebundo potencial pero que quedaron relegados en el tiempo y en la cacofonía de su año de serialización. Y desde luego, la década 90" no pintaba ideal para una historia como la de Chase. Aunque sí que se ampararon bastantes historias y personajes fuera de los márgenes acartonados del género superheroico más comercial, acercando a una nueva madurez el género. Al final, siempre priorizaba el interés de las editoriales y el público a esa clase de historias y personajes que forzaban lo hiperbólico de la "era del antihéroe" o superhéroe extremo al que Image y Wildstorm les llevarían la delantera a Marvel y DC. En el caso de este personaje, Cameron Chase, partimos a priori de que es una mujer (no meta)humana que forma parte de una organización de control de de actividades metahumanas, para lo que ayuda en su trabajo de campo cierta inquina personal a cualquier enmascarado o usuario de poderes y habilidades que les convierten en peligros potenciales. Pero el DEO parece distar de las organizaciones del Universo DC ya conocidas que tratan de poner en jaque a la comunidad metahumana. Si bien Chase pertenece a la división de investigación cuasi criminal de estos accidentes con metahumanos. Las funciones del DEO parecen más "rutinarias" posible, dedicándose a tratar con afectados de algún incidente con estos seres o informar de cómo actuar con ellos. Además de hacerse cargo de los metahumanos más jóvenes que puedan todavía aprender a usar sus poderes de forma correcta en algún centro habilitado a modo de red de Centro de Menores.

Aunque la vida editorial de Chase apenas constó ni de 10 entregas. El guionista principal, D. Curtis Johnson, aún logró hacer pasar el personaje por suficientes historias de interés como esa operación junto a la Fuerza Especial X de Amanda Waller (anda que no sería interesante que Chase formase parte activa de la actual Absolute Power), un encontronazo con una formación primeriza de supervillanos en una juguetería, apasionantes historias de su trasfondo personal como el motivo de su odio a la comunidad metahumana o una aventura donde Klarion parece la inocente víctima... E incluso su historia debut no se dio con un personaje secundario, si no en las páginas de BATMAN, a quien conoce siguiendo la húmeda y pegajosa pista de último retoño de la "Familia Clayface" en una historia del equipo creativo de Doug Moench y Kelly Jones que marca un tono y atmósferas oscuros que Curtis Johnson trata de mantener pero aprovechando esa efervescencia particular del personaje de Chase y sus allegados como su hermana fan de los superhéroes o un ex compañero de primeros casos de su etapa de detective privado que no abandona su "disfraz" de sin techo.

En estas entregas se desperdigaban interesantes detalles para una trama mayor en cuanto al jefe en las sombras del DEO o unas aparentes super habilidades de Chase que la harían enfrentarse a todo su sistema de pensamiento contra los metahumanos. Incluso tenemos un capítulo de un futuro remoto del Universo DC donde parece que Chase dio a pie a toda una brigada de super agentes de control metahumano que en estos tiempos está al acceso de todos mediante un dispositivo movil (sic.) y un sistema de descarga de archivos que potencian al individuo con super habilidades.

Todo llevaba a pensar que Chase podría haber sido una interesante parte activa del Universo DC. Finalmente el personaje ha quedado como una secundaria bastante olvidada pero cuya serie truncada sigue estando presente para que alguien con suficiente poder en las altas esferas de DC comics decida darle la oportunidad que merece y volver a ponerla en activo.

[Scratch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am raising my estimation to 5 stars. Honestly, this was very well written. I don't understand why it isn't longer. It reminds me of "Alias," even though it predates Alias by a few years. Chase is a similar grizzled character, not unlike Jessica Jones.

The tone of this book is smart and relatable, treating superhumans as something to be wary of rather than people to worship. Chase also didn't seem to think of them as inherently evil, because she was willing to work with Batman or Green Lantern if she had to. She was just naturally wary of all superheroes because her father was a minor, forgotten hero who got killed.

We were given to understand that Chase has the metahuman power to neutralize, or at least disrupt, other characters' powers. But no one outright diagnosed her as having this power. We also aren't entirely sure where it came from, because her "Acro-Bat" father was never clearly articulated to actually possess any powers. (Even if he had flight, it looked like it might have come from his costume rather than an innate ability, and we were never told either way.)

This was from the exact period when I started reading DC comics. I've gotta say, the sweet spot for me for DC comics was the period between 1998 and 2003. That was my personal golden era. After that... Things started to go downhill.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cameron Chase had such a good chance to be a pretty big component of the DCU. Sadly, it didn't really happen. She had an interesting back story and a great personality. I think she could have been Amanda Waller level. The series is a little all over the place though. The idea that she could be investigating all the hidden elements of superhumans' lives was a great idea but that only happened in two issues. The rest, beside the flashback issue with Terry were all lacking. One of the coolest things here though was seeing a younger J.H. Williams III stretch his artistic muscles. The layouts and creativity are all off the charts. Overall, the series didn't get a chance but its a decent read.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the original series, although it was cut short and never realized its promise, but this collection is weird, because it also includes a bunch of random Chase short stories from other hero's Secret Files one shots, and those stories don't really have the tone of the original Chase series and mostly serve the other hero's overarching story. Of these other Chase stories, this collection also only seems to collect stories J. H. Williams III was involved with (not necessarily drawing, maybe just plotting) but skips Chase stories just by Dan Curtis Johnson even though there are hints here that those other stories connect.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good series that for whatever reason never took off. Cameron Chase works for the DEO, the US government bureau that monitors superhumans. This has her moving through the lives of Batman, the Suicide Squad, Green Lantern and other heroes, helping them but also watching them. And she has her own secrets, like the ability to shut down other people's powers. Regrettably a lot of plot threads didn't have time to pay off (how did the ex-con Bones become head of the DEO? Just where did Chase's powers come from?).
This includes the complete series, plus several shorts from various other DC books.

[Aidan]

The lead character and concept are enticing, but while I usually like Dan Curtis Johnson’s writing, the pacing is all over the place on this book and focus is pretty erratic. I was never locked into Chase as a lead on a journey. JH Williams’ pencils are fantastic even this early in his career, but the coloring and lettering fail to amplify his art the way they will later under Dave Stewart and Todd Klein.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick impressions: I picked this up from my local public library, mostly out of curiosity, and it was worth it. This is one for libraries with graphic novel collections, especially if you already have the "usual" DC Comics fare like Batman, Superman, etc.

(Full review available on my blog soon.)

[Rj Veit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely should have read this sooner

[Sean M Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing character that deserved better from the publisher than she got. Still, worth a read for the good characterization and dialogue.

[Alistair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great series. It's a real shame it got cancelled, by issue #7 it was firing on all firing on all cylinders.

[John Geddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chase is such a good character, and the conceit of a detective investigating the DCU is such a good one. I really wish this series had caught on.

[Index Purga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomo único de Universo DC, edición española. Contenido tomado de ficha de la web Proyecto DC:

1ª Historia
Batman #550 - I/1998
En busca de barro (38 págs.)
Título Original: Chasing Clay
Guión: Doug Moench
Dibujo: Kelley Jones y J.H. Williams III
Entintado: John Beatty y Mick Gray
2ª Historia
Chase #1 - II/1998
Bautismo de fuego (22 págs.)
Título Original: Baptized In Fire
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
3ª Historia
Chase #2 - III/1998
Decepciones (22 págs.)
Título Original: Letdowns
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
4ª Historia
Chase #3 - IV/1998
Recogidas (22 págs.)
Título Original: Pickups
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
5ª Historia
Chase #4 - V/1998
Llora por el futuro (22 págs.)
Título Original: Weep for the Future
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
6ª Historia
Chase #5 - VI/1998
Días mejores (22 págs.)
Título Original: Better Days
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III y Bob Hall
Entintado: Mick Gray y Jeff Gan
7ª Historia
Chase #6 - VII/1998
El día libre de las chicas (22 págs.)
Título Original: Girls' Day Out
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
8ª Historia
Chase #7 - VIII/1998
A la sombra del murciélago Parte 1: Tapaderas (22 págs.)
Título Original: Shadowing the Bat Part 1: Covers
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
9ª Historia
Chase #8 - IX/1998
A la sombra del murciélago Parte 2: Verdades (22 págs.)
Título Original: Shadowing the Bat Part 2: Truths
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray
10ª Historia
Chase #9 - X/1998
Sín Título (22 págs.)
Título Original: In Darkest Night
Argumento: Dan Curtis Johnson y J.H. Williams III
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III y Charles Adlard
Entintado: Mick Gray y Charles Adlard
11ª Historia
Chase 1.000.000 - XI/1998
¡No te lo creas! (22 págs.)
Título Original: Don't Believe It!
Guión: Dan Curtis Johnson
Dibujo: J.H. Williams III
Entintado: Mick Gray

Fuente: https://proyectodc.com/ficha.php?item...

[Eskana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review: While I do enjoy stories that feature lower-level heroes or even side-organizations like Checkmate who combine spy action with the superhero world, I think "Chase" was the first time I read a story that was so solidly set in the human side of the DC Universe. Cameron Chase begins as an interesting character, and shows a bit more of what humans- especially ones who aren't already friends with superheroes- would think of the influence of superheroes on government and culture.
However, I personally found Chase kind of annoying. She was very sure of herself, and yet seemed to be constantly in danger or getting in over her head. Also, her dislike for metas was a bit hypocritical, since she seemed to have some powers herself. Overall, I found myself rooting more and more for everyone else in the story as time went on and barely finished the ten issues, just skimming the last ones. It almost felt like the inclusion of batman at the end was trying to grant some support to Chase's floundering position.
The art wasn't that impressive either. It was fine and done well enough, but nothing hugely impressive. Overall, I wouldn't really suggest this series. Not much here.

Issue by Issue review:
#1: Agent Cameron Chase goes on her first mission for the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO.) The daughter of a supervillain, Chase has grown up with a distaste for anyone with metahuman abilities. However, in her first mission, to find a young metahuman in Ohio before he can hurt others, it is revealed that she has some kind of ability herself, to nullify others temporarly.
#2-3: Chase is sent on a mission in collaboration with the Suicide Squad. The mission takes them to South America, where Chase is betrayed by the squad members, runs into Rocket Reds, and is able to escape.
#4- Chas is given a boring mission to "baby-sit" the Teen Titans, who are holding an event at a toystore. Booster Gold shows up, allegedly trying to steal the spotlight, but when Clock King and a gang of newbie villains attacks, it takes the heroes by surprise. The villains, mostly beginners, are defeated pretty quickly, but Cameron is severely injured.
#5-6: These two issues focus on Chase as she recovers and provides us with backstory for her and her backstory. You can read it on her Wikipedia page if you want to know the basics.
#7-8: On a mission in Gotham for DEO Director Bones, Chase begins working with Batman. Bones then sends her on a mission to unmask Batman. Eventually, she has her chance but lets him go, as Batman anticipated.
#9- Chase recounts the time she and her friends met Hal Jordan, before he turned to Parallax.
#10000000- a story set in the future, with DEO operating as a mystery organization in the shadows of societies.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase is, as my girlfriend put it, "X-Files meets X-Men." A lot to live up to, but if you look fondly upon your time spent in the 1990's you'll love this book.
Dan Curtis Johnson writes an excellent lead in Cameron Chase and her supporting cast-- Director Bones in particular has made a such a splash in the super-espionage corner at DC that he's often written just as he appears in this book. It's a damnable shame Johnson didn't get to finish out the story in the mainline Chase book, as he has only worked infrequently in comics since. The comics world is certainly poorer for his absence.
On the other side of the table, the venerable just-before-they-were-rockstars team of penciller/ painter J.H. Williams and inker Mick Gray handle art. This collaboration would go on to even greater acclaim mere months before both artists' star marking turn on Alan Moore's Promethea, deftly showing just how deep their talents run on Chase. While their layouts here are far less complicated than Promethea's, they are far more sensible and easily read. I appreciate that, as the layouts inform Chase's no-nonsense approach to finding the facts in a world full of Batmen and Witch-boys.

Unfortunately, this particular trade seems to be missing at least one Chase story advertised on the back cover, to speak nothing of all the plots left unfinished by the end. However, what is left on the page is still some of the best work produced at DC in the 90's. Unfairly cancelled and unfortunately miscollected here, this book is still absolutely worth reading despite its frustrations.

[Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand why the big comics companies create a new property, only to refuse to let it breathe. Chase could have been interesting -- a large scale, international, big budget version of Gotham Central perhaps, but instead it devolved into nothing more than a tie-in to the rest of the DC universe.

There's potential in Cameron's backstory that's not really taken advantage of. The mysteries of her own superpowers seem to be completely forgotten about halfway through the book. The biggest problem, though, is that Chase is never really given a story of her own. Political intrigue, a traitor at the DEO, some sort of organization working against her ... any of that might have made this compelling, instead of just something floating around the margins of DC's other books.

Take, for example, Cameron's attempts to unmask Batman. It's probably the most interesting part of the book, but for the most part, it's about Batman being able to trick her ... in her own book. There's an attempt to emphasize that she's learned a valuable lesson about herself, but really, she can't even manage to come out on top in her own book. Frankly, I think she was more interesting when she showed up in Manhunter.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice! I was never aware of this series when it was being published, which is a shame, because it seems like it met with an untimely demise. Perhaps this book will spark enough interest to revive it. So Cameron Chase is an agent for the Department of Extranormal Operations. Their mandate is to monitor the various heroes and villains of the DC universe, to aid in bringing evildoers to justice, to identify threats before they get out of control, that sort of thing. The secret agent/private eye vibe is a nice change of pace from superheroics. In some ways, this title seems to anticipate Brian Michael Bendis' Alias series for Marvel years later. There's some excellent writing here, with some fun nods to the continuity of various DC titles. There are also tantalizing hints of future plotlines that never came to pass because of the series' cancelation. Good stuff!

[Colton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other reviewers, I ended up leaving this collection a little unsatisfied. There is NO conclusion to the story of Cameron Chase or any attempt to wrap up loose ties. That being said, I loved Johnson's scripting and William's art, especially when it came to some of the more supernatural and fantastical scenes. The inclusion of stories related to the original arc is great--even if they aren't all illustrated by Williams--and helps to give us some more information about the wonderful D.E.O., which is currently active in the new Batwoman series; this helps the trade to end on a higher note. Chase is certainly a comic that fans of oddball 90s series like Resurrection Man and Hitman will love. I suggest picking it up.

[g026r · Rating 3 out of 5]

A giant tome, but at the same time middling in its inclusiveness. The main series is good, but woefully incomplete due to early cancellation, and the stories culled from elsewhere are of varying quality. (Ranging from the dire Batman one that begins the book, to the rather good selection from DCU VIllains Secret Files #1 that really has little to do with Chase.)

Strangely enough, the book still feels incomplete: DCU Heroes Secret Files #1, referenced by name in the aforementioned VIllains story as being Chase's view of the situation, is missing. An odd, and obvious, omission.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 4 out of 5]

We need to get this out of the way first: Williams' art is amazing. Even at this earlier, rougher, pre-Promethea stage, current artists should still be jealous of what he could do back in the day.

That said, the story's still really good! Chase is an interesting character, and it's sad that so little is seen of Johnson's plans with her. There were quite a few things at the very beginning that were set up as fodder for eventual plotlines down the road that the book was never able to get to. But it's still definitely worth it. Good stuff.

[Wolverina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent art by J H Williams III, weird art in other places.

Great concept with strong stories that get lost as the series goes on. The series is cancelled before there's any resolution sadly. Bit the 'slice of life' style snippets from other series are kinda nice.

Genuinely shocked NOONE recommended this to me when I was raving about Gotham Central. It's not as dark I don't think, but it is a nice sort of precursor.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chase tiene una premisa interesante, un desarrollo algo caótico y desprolijo pero bien llevado y un final espantoso, abrupto, que huele a cancelación por todos lados. No puedo dejar de pensar que con un poco más de fe en la serie, podría haber llegado a ser el "Alias" de DC. Pero bueh, al menos sirvió para que JH Williams III comenzara a ganar pulso y chapa.

[Jacobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm 15 years late to the party, but I'm retroactively bitter that Chase didn't have a longer life. This comic only ran 9 issues (there is also a 1,000,000 issue), but in those 9 issue are the beginnings of a really strong modern comic. I'm thinking this book was a bit ahead of its time, because it really reminded me of books like Alias and Gotham Central.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really. 4 for the Chase series itself and 3 for the collection, which includes a bunch of one-shots that were part of other stories, so really just end up confusing. It would have been nice if Cam Chase had carried her own series for longer; she's a complex, interesting character who had a lot of story potential. Ah, comics.

[Mark Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit uneven. Being a collection of the entire series it was better at some points than in others. The Artwork was excellent all the way through, though, especially JH Williams's work which is always fantastic.