Product Description

As part of the Special Section of Britain's Ministry of Intelligence, Tara Chace is one of a handful of operatives they call when they need to clean up a mess, or to make a new one. It's a world of questionable morals. For instance, is it better to assassinate a general in the Russian mafia rather than allow him to peddle more guns and drugs in underprivileged countries? Tara's bosses seem to think so. But the Russian mafia ask their own question - once someone has taken the life of one of their officers, can they continue to let that person live? Greg Rucka peels back the lid on the traditional espionage story to see the nastiness inside, and Steve Rolston brings it to life with stunning clarity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #831568 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 120 pages

Customer Reviews

Rucka at his best
Greg Rucka is probably most well known for his work on books such as 'Wonder Woman', 'Wolverine' and especially 'Batman', but it is on his independent books were his talents truly shine (which is no mean feat considering the quality of his mainstream work). 'Queen and Country Operation: broken Ground' is the first book in the 'Queen and Country' series, and introduces us to the world of Tara Chace and her fellow minders in the British Secret Intelligence Service. Rucka delves into a world of political espionage, of bluff and double bluff, creating a gritty, realistic story using real world situations and events as a muse. A world where the enemy is never clearly defined and your allies are never to be trusted. The characters, including Tara, fellow minders Tom and Ed, and their uncompromising boss Paul Crocker, are not your usual comic superheroes but realistic, believable characters who can get hurt, can make mistakes and who's motives and morals are never black and white. The action kicks off with minder 2, Tara, deep behind enemy lines on an unauthorized covert operation for the CIA in Kosovo. The consequences of this mission leads to an attack on the very heart of the SIS headquarters and a bounty on the head of minder 2. What follows is a political cat and mouse game involving SIS, MI5, the CIA and the Russian mob. Rucka never lets the pace of the story drop with sparse snappy dialogue and you feel as though you are living every second of the characters lives as they struggle to live and survive while trying to retain some trace of humanity. Steve Rolston's excellent black and white art may seem cartoonny at first but his crisp clean pencils allow you to see true emotion in the characters, their hopes, fears and pain and the absence of colour emphasises further the shadows that the minders live and operate in. Together they create a truly original, distinctive and entertaining book that deserves your attention.

If you are looking for a modern, intelligent, exciting, amusing, and thoroughly adult story set in a world of intrigue and suspense then I can't recommend 'Queen and Country' highly enough, without doubt one of the best comic series to hit the selves in recent years.