"Storm Front" (part 1)
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Carla Speed McNeil
Publisher: Oni Press
Synopsis:
A Russian businessman has been taken captive in the former Soviet State of Georgia. He is being held for ransom by government forces, even though he was in active business negotiations with that countries' leadership. The event comes to the attention of Britain's Paul Crocker, Director of Operations for MI-5, who rallies his team for possible intervention. However, the Minders have a problem of their own to deal with, a tragedy befalls them that no one could have predicted.
Comments:
Writer Greg Rucka does not shy away from controversial or mature subject matter. His Queen & Country stories have dealt with terrorism, corporate corruption and organized crime in such diverse locales as Kosovo, Kabul, Paris and Cairo. There have been scenes of assassination, explicit sex and cigarette smoking - lots of smoking. Needless to say, a non-traditional comic book in every way. Rucka has written tight stories wherein every page presents his characters with decisions that carry immediate life or death consequences. If there was any sentimentality in Rucka's Queen & Country, it was reserved for his central cast of characters: The Minders. Tara, Ed, Tom and Paul. Though incestuous and dysfunctional as they've been, Rucka has portrayed them as a real family that cares deeply for one another, even if they are at one another's throats from time to time. In this newest story arc Rucka jams the brakes on that family dynamic. At the risk of revealing too much, it's plain that things will never be the same. I fear that I may divulge a spoiler below, I apologize in advance - skip to the final two paragraphs to avoid this.
As per the Q&C formula, Rucka depicts an international incident that somehow falls within the purview of the British government and ultimately becomes the responsibility of the Minders to unravel. In this case a Russian businessman is violently kidnapped in the former Soviet republic of Georgia and held for ransom, possibly by the very government officials that he was doing business with. This event comes to the attention of head Minder Paul Crocker, though it is not immediately clear why it should concern him - hence, a multi-issue story arc.
In parallel to these events, a very tragic occurrence strikes the minders. They are forced to deal with the loss of one of their own and must come to terms with the cold reality that defines government service. I won't say more than that. Rucka writes these scenes with terse, believable dialog, which conveys the kind of emotions that might exist between people who've become very close, yet certainly recognize the teetering nature of their vocation. I'd bet that the same dynamic also exists within police departments and firehouses around the world. It takes a very special character to put on a uniform and risk death everyday, which is perhaps why the Army tends to re-assign soldiers every three or four years; maybe its partially in order to limit the depth of personal relationships.
In the Q&C tradition each new arc introduces a new artist. Carla Speed McNeil, of "Finder" fame, has joined Rucka for "Storm Front". McNeil's style is loose and simplified, more wide open and less "inky" than previous artists Leandro Fernandez or Jason Alexander. Which is interesting, because "Finder" relies on lots of ink crosshatching plus contains highly detailed characters and settings. It's clear that Finder is a labor of love for McNeil, whereas the characters and action set pieces in this issue of Q&C are really not up to that same standard. I'm not knocking her work here, because it is effective and often fairly complex, it's just a lot different than I was expecting, which is cool too.
Final Word:
Rucka has taken a big leap with "Storm Front". He has forced change in the most dramatic way possible. I admire his boldness. Rucka is certainly more restricted on his more mainstream super-hero work (Wolverine or Wonder Woman), though he is pushing boundaries on those comics. This story arc is setting up to be one of the most personal for the Q&C cast of characters than any arc to date, which says a lot considering how much time has been invested in each one's emotional make-up. Thank God for collected editions, as their bookstore and Amazon.com listings are allowing Queen & Country to reach a much broader audience than possible as a monthly in the direct market. Q&C deserves to be read by more than just that small fraternity.
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