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Queen and Country: Definitive Ed. Vol. 1

QUEEN AND COUNTRY: DEFINITIVE ED. VOL. 1

Greg Rucka (Author), Steve Rolston and Assorted Illustrarors), ONI Press (Publisher)

> Review by Emil J. Novak Sr.

At this point, finding a spy story that doesn’t feel rote is almost a challenge, and the storyteller is always playing the balancing act between reality and fiction that will keep the reader engaged. That is precisely what Greg Rucka’s black-and-white British spy comic does. There is plenty of action to hold the biggest Bourne fan’s attention, but there is also a plethora of almost-too-real behind the scenes political drama that convinces the reader that this is definitely the way spy craft is handled in the real world. The main character of Minder Two, AKA Tara Chace, is wonderfully human and complex, capable of being the perfect spy but outside of the job she’s all-too-willing to fall into self-destructive habits. The other lead character is her boss, Paul Crocker, a chain-smoking, hard-as-nails Head of Section who takes care of his people above all else. This book features the first three stories from the Queen & County comic, published in the early 2000s with plot ripped right from the headlines of the time, including an attack by the Russian Mafia, a Spy in Taliban Afghanistan, and an impending chemical attack. Each one is beautifully illustrated by three different artists that compliment Rucka’s scripts impeccably.

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