World Famous Comics: Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 3 (v. 3)
Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 3 (v. 3)
By: Greg Rucka Publisher: Oni Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Oni Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 264 Publication Date: October 22, 2008
Product Description: Queen & Country, the Eisner Award-winning and critically lauded espionage series from acclaimed novelist and comic book author Greg Rucka, is back in a new series of definitive editions collecting the entire classic series in just four affordable soft covers. In this third collection, readers are sucked into the thrilling and often-times devastating world of international espionage as SIS field agent Tara Chase is sent all over the world in service to her Queen & Country all the while Director of Operations Paul Crocker walks a narrow tightrope between his loyalty to his people and the political masters that must be served!
Consistent but not a stand out I got into Queen and Country after reading Whiteout, also created by Greg Rucka. The first two editions set the tone for the series and you felt a connection growing with all of the characters, not just Tara Chace. But by the third volume here, you start to feel frustrated at the change in character line-ups. Perhaps this was the intention of Rucka in order to express the reality of Tara's job and how quickly people come and go but it makes it seem pointless to introduce a character and develop their personality and relationships to only have them gone by the next operation. I also found this volume to be darker than ever with little humor, which I appreciated before as small breaks in between missions and tense situations. I'm holding out that Volume 4 will be consistently good but add a little more flair.
Peerless Greg Rucka's Queen & Country is the best comic book series of the last decade. Gritty and realistic in tone, this series has never failed to disappoint with its smart politics, on-the-dot characterizations of both life in Government and in the field, and the daily lives of its cast. Rucka is great at crafting dialogue that is explanatory, yet not patronizing when it comes to world affairs and the inter-personal back and forth isn't bad either. This volume of the Definitive Edition represents the rather sad end with which the first series culminated. Tara Chace's career reaches several turning points as she grapples, at varying times, with the deaths of three of her fellow minders, the callousness international politics, and her own limits as an operative. Given that this volume ties directly in to the events within the first Queen & Country novel (A Gentleman's Game) some key points could be missed by some readers, particularly those who have not comprehensively followed the series. Mr. Rucka's many other projects obviously did not allow him to bring this series to a smooth conclusion and the last few issues are of emblematic of that fact. Regardless, the stories on their own merits hold up to scrutiny and leave the reader wanting for more. I simply cannot wait for another Queen & Country novel or graphic series to begin anew. These characters remain real, engaging and surprisingly endearing. In terms of comics that seek to engage the reader in an adventurous plotline, within a real world setting devoid of men in tights, this tome and the series it chronicles is peerless.
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