QUEEN & COUNTRY #6
"Morning Star" Part 2
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Brian Hurtt
Inks: Christine Norrie
Letters: Sean Konot
Editors: Jamie S. Rich & James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Imagine a society built on overt corruption and hate. Imagine a city patrolled by men carrying rather large and intimidating firearms openly in the streets. Imagine a place where your every move is scrutinized. Imagine a place where death is doled out at random and for no apparently reason. I know, I know... I can't imagine such a place either. I needn't imagine it, anyway, as Greg Rucka and Brian Hurtt have brought that harsh reality to life in these pages.
Minders one and three -- Tom and Ed -- arrive in Kabul, looking for the microfilm that was hidden by a British agent slain by the Taliban only a day before. Thanks to the help of an Indian agent accompanying them, they make their way through the city, all the while followed by agents of the regime. Meanwhile, back in London, Tara Chace wrestles with her demons. Booze doesn't seem to be keeping them at bay, so she tries something else.
The Hurtt/Norrie collaboration is unusual in tone, but it tells the story effectively. One might expect the more cartoony elements of the art to work against the grave tone of the story, but that's not the case. They also capture a remarkable level of detail, whether the characters be in Kabul or London. I found that the intimate scene boasts an impressive degree of realism.
Not that much happens in this issue, action-wise, but Rucka is able to establish a thoroughly tense atmosphere. Adding to the tension is Tara's self-destructive behavior, but hope comes in the form of her knowledge of why she feels the way she does.
Part of me wishes I'd never heard tell of the Taliban before reading this story, that I knew as little about Afghanistan now as I did on Sept.10. I want to imagine how powerful this story would have been before Sept.11. Rucka wrote this tale before most of us had ever heard of the Taliban or Osama bin Laden. As I read it now, it reinforces what I've learned and paints a much more vivid picture of the horrors we've been hearing about. It's almost as though Rucka was robbed of the chance to be the one to open our eyes in the first place.
This is a politically charged story that's still quite relevant despite the major changes in Afghanistan today. Rucka is obviously well versed on what's been going on over there in recent years, and he's clearly passionate about his disdain for what was widespread abuse of an entire society.
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