QUEEN & COUNTRY #9
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Leandro Fernandez
Letters: John Dranksi
Editors: Jamie S. Rich & James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Chemical weapons. Million-dollar demands. Spy-satellite image requests. This is the sort of thing that goes on every day behind the scenes, but it's kind of hard for us regular folks to relate to it all. Wisely, though, Rucka offers as much humanity as he does intrigue and espionage. This title is comprised of shockingly convincing characters and circumstances, and it's brought to life through the delicious darkness and style of Leandro Fernandez.
A greedy Egyptian with ties to a terrorist organization tips off S.I.S. through Tara Chace that his colleagues have established a biological and chemical weapon facility in the Sudan, and that they plan to put those weapons to use within weeks. Tara, Crocker and the rest of the British intelligence staff scramble to verify the information, but soon discover they'll need outside help before they can make any headway. Meanwhile, Ed Kittering continues to ask Tara out, despite a co-worker's objections.
It's quite clear from Fernandez's work that Eduardo (100 Bullets) Risso is a major influence in his art, but what sets Fernandez's work apart is just as clear. He overexaggerates a number of characters' features that reinforces their over-the-top nature. Youssef has a Cyrano-de-Bergerac-esque nose that reinforces his slick and sleazy nature, while Hodgson and Crocker both have long, pointed noses with crevassed faces that brings out their cranky, gruff personalities. Kittering's naive, innocent character comes shining through in his boyish face as well. However, his exaggerated figures are balances by his eye for detail in the settings, reinforcing the realism of the book.
Rucka had me hooked all over again on the first page, with Youssef's cold but convincing description of the business of bio/chemical weapons manufacturing and use. Rucka conveys the business of hidden wars, surveillance and the politics of killing with such a genuine tone. The writer takes us by the hand and guides us into a world that's practically alien, and it makes for an enlightening and rewarding read.
What really serves as the book's main appeal, though, is the characterization. The themes here -- and maybe of the series as a whole -- are compromise and sacrifice. Crocker has to compromise to get the CIA to play ball, and he's essentially forced into a position in which he must sacrifice one of his people. Ed and Tara's burgeoning relationship is touching, but ultimately it's sad. These people have sacrificed the social and emotional stability of normal lives to protect those who enjoy such lives.
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