Queen & Country, Vol. 1: Operation Broken Ground (Paperback)

by Greg Rucka (Author), Steve Rolston (Illustrator), Warren Ellis (Introduction), Tim Sale (Drawings)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The more screwed-up the protagonist, the better a spy story tends to be, and Rucka (who's also written a series of prose mystery novels) has come up with a memorably dysfunctional antiheroine in Tara Chace, a burned-out, amoral "minder" (i.e., agent) for Britain's Ministry of Intelligence. This volume, which collects the first few issues of the Q&C comic book, opens as Chace carries out an unauthorized assassination in Kosovo to the consternation of higher-ups, her boss orders her to off a former Russian general running arms to Chechen rebels then makes a complicated getaway after being wounded. Chace soon learns she's become a pawn, now with a bounty on her head, in a seemingly endless game of international reprisals and counterreprisals. Newcomer artist Rolston combines bold outlines, expressive body language and clean, cartoonish lines for his characters, with detailed, realistic backgrounds; it's a trick often used in European comics, and he makes it work here. In fact, nearly everyone in this taut and violent drama seems to sag, physically and emotionally, under the psychological and moral weight of their grim profession. Together with Rucka's clipped, spare dialogue, the work offers the sense that espionage is just another job, exactly as grinding and tedious as any other except that interoffice politics can get people killed. The action sequences are fast-paced and exciting, but the truly engaging part of the book is how sharply Rucka and Rolston are able to define even minor characters.Award as best serial.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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 certainly a world of questionable morals. For instance, is it better to assassinate a general in the Russian mafia, to take his life, 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 questions--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 reveal the nastiness inside, and Steve Rolston brings it to life with stunning clarity.

Queen & Country, Vol. 1: Operation: Broken Ground also features chapter break art by Tim Sale and a special short story illustrated by Stan Sakai.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Oni Press (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192999821X
• ISBN-13: 978-1929998210
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #866,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The British "Alias" (without the soap-opera drama), May 29, 2005

By	C. Johnson (Orange County, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a little skeptical at first about this book. Rucka is not a Brit, but he tries writing for English characters. Surprisingly, Rucka deftly handles the dialogue without sounding like he's just sticking in a "bloody" or a "sod off" here and there. He successfully immerses the reader in the world of British black ops.

This book reminds me of the American TV show "Alias," but without the romance and convoluted relationships. This is a straight-forward spy book, with believable action and well-crafted character development.

Many people have complained about Steve Rolston's simplistic artwork style. It doesn't bother me. I wouldn't say he's my favorite artist, but it doesn't get in the way of Rucka's brilliant story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY high quality work, March 24, 2005

By	Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is an "adult" graphic novel, not in the sexual-content sense but because the plot does not involve superheroes, fantasy, or magic. In fact, it's much more gritty and topical than even most adult thrillers I've read. The Secret Intelligence Service, based in London, is (apparently) an MI-6 kind of operation, chartered to carry out assassinations and other operations abroad but whose agents are not even allowed to be armed at home. Tara Chace -- "Minder Two" -- is their best shooter and the story opens with her involved in an unauthorized Special Operation in Kosovo to take out a rogue Russian officer now running with the Russian mafia. Her success, followed by an iffy escape from the scene, leads the Russians to put a bounty on her head -- and to fire a shoulder-launched rocket at the SIS headquarters, just to show they can. Paul Crocker, Director of Ops, wants not just to catch the perpetrators of the attack, he wants them dead. The Kosovo operation was a favor owed to the CIA, who now decline to help in his vendetta. And so on, in a nicely complicated plot that revolves on personalities and the rules of the game in a changed world as much as on action sequences. The art is straight black-and-white line drawing that emphasizes facial expression and body language -- which fits well with the rather talky style of the narration. My only complaint is that the story doesn't so much end as simply stop -- obviously only the first episode in a continuing series (which I haven't seen any sign of).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comic book not for kids, October 1, 2003

By	Dave Lin (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Queen and Country by Greg Rucka is on my short list of Comics you should be reading right now but probably aren't. No super-powers or super-villains bent on world domination (except the ones CNN reports on), just a look at the fictional British secret espionage group the Minders. Protagonist Tara Chace is written like a real person whose job it is to go through extra-ordinary situations.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because some may be slightly put off by the artwork. However, the art team is rotated with each story arc which gives each one its own feel.