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Queen and Country #5
Queen and Country, Vol. 5: Operation Stormfront
When an agent dies in the field, it's their fellow spies that are always hit the hardest. When the agent that doesn't make it home is an ex-lover, "hard" doesn't begin to describe it. As Tara Chace and the rest of the department reel over the demise of one of their own, a ghost from Director Paul Crocker's past has him sending his minders into danger yet again. But will this operation free Crocker from his ghosts or merely create new ones? Queen & Country: Operation: Stormfront is the latest volume in the award-winning series of espionage and politics and sees creator Greg Rucka united with the Eisner-nominated artist Carla Speed McNeil (Finder).
168 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2004
About the author
Greg Rucka
1,375 books1,858 followersGreg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 23, 2015
Very Powerful Volume. A major character dies, and it appears to be from natural causes, but I have a feeling more may come up about that in later volumes. And that's not the only death in the volume.
Tara Chace is sent to Soviet Georgia to retrieve a kidnapped businessman. The twist is, the victim is the son of someone killed on the watch of Tara's boss years ago. So for him this one is personal. Tara fights fire with fire in this one, and we get to see that sometimes even the good guys have to get their hands dirty.
The art is back to a more cartoony style, but it works. This series seems to work well with many different art styles, probably due to the strength of the stories.
Another great volume, now on to the next...
Tara Chace is sent to Soviet Georgia to retrieve a kidnapped businessman. The twist is, the victim is the son of someone killed on the watch of Tara's boss years ago. So for him this one is personal. Tara fights fire with fire in this one, and we get to see that sometimes even the good guys have to get their hands dirty.
The art is back to a more cartoony style, but it works. This series seems to work well with many different art styles, probably due to the strength of the stories.
Another great volume, now on to the next...
July 25, 2015
Good book. Not quite as good as the other trades but still high quality.
April 13, 2014
...aaaaaand we're back! Back to the rough edges, the basic style and most of all, the hard, grimy, rip-roaring gritty reality that is Tara Chace. Can't believe that Rucka had the balls to end the romance as finally as he did - and that she dealt with it like she did.
Some bits were a level of awesome that a Fleming or a Le Carre dream about, and others were at a level of hilarity one seldom comes across - sardonic, tough and grimly amusing, like the rest of the comic.
In short - balls-to-the-wall awesome.
Some bits were a level of awesome that a Fleming or a Le Carre dream about, and others were at a level of hilarity one seldom comes across - sardonic, tough and grimly amusing, like the rest of the comic.
In short - balls-to-the-wall awesome.
May 30, 2020
Tara Chace is a bad mutha! Queen & Country is a great spy book and this volume is a great example of that. No one is safe. This book shows how remarkably tough Tara is and I can't to see where SIS goes from here. The art was a little too rough at times but overall, not bad. Spy fans should read this.
March 11, 2021
With one of the team found dead, the rest of the team deal with a deadly situation while still reeling from the loss.
This is easily my favorite volume of the series so far. The mystery of the third minder, Ed, dying and getting to the bottom of what caused his death, was a fantastic way to not only up the tension overall, but to throw the team completely off their kilter, so it influences the actual mission of the volume. The mission is closely tied to the mission in the first "declassified" volume, where now the son of the murdered agent has been captured. Paul Crocker, who was the minder back then that held the hand of the man as he died, has a personal stake in getting the son back. However, sending Chace, who she herself is obviously thrown off by the death of Ed - the third minder, and the new "virgin" minder replacement, was probably not the best idea.
The art, while a bit on the cartoony side of things, actually won me over pretty quickly. Carla Speed McNeil's line work gives us a clear look at how the team is reacting to Ed's death, as well as glimpses at their emotional states when nothing is being said. I think McNeil did a great job of storytelling in this book as she knocks it out of the park with not only the slower parts, but the action heavy segments as well.
This was volume was pulse pounding and exciting while at the same time mysterious and entertaining as all hell. Again, easily my favorite so far as it is a culmination of all the volumes before it. Highly recommended for fans of spy thrillers.
This is easily my favorite volume of the series so far. The mystery of the third minder, Ed, dying and getting to the bottom of what caused his death, was a fantastic way to not only up the tension overall, but to throw the team completely off their kilter, so it influences the actual mission of the volume. The mission is closely tied to the mission in the first "declassified" volume, where now the son of the murdered agent has been captured. Paul Crocker, who was the minder back then that held the hand of the man as he died, has a personal stake in getting the son back. However, sending Chace, who she herself is obviously thrown off by the death of Ed - the third minder, and the new "virgin" minder replacement, was probably not the best idea.
The art, while a bit on the cartoony side of things, actually won me over pretty quickly. Carla Speed McNeil's line work gives us a clear look at how the team is reacting to Ed's death, as well as glimpses at their emotional states when nothing is being said. I think McNeil did a great job of storytelling in this book as she knocks it out of the park with not only the slower parts, but the action heavy segments as well.
This was volume was pulse pounding and exciting while at the same time mysterious and entertaining as all hell. Again, easily my favorite so far as it is a culmination of all the volumes before it. Highly recommended for fans of spy thrillers.
August 8, 2024
"Operation Storm Front" is the fifth volume of Greg Rucka's "Queen And Country" series, reprinting issues #16-20 of this increasingly dense, gripping spy-thriller saga. This is the best story line to date, a tense, grippingly violent story that revolves around a kidnapping in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. British secret agent Tara Chase is sent in to settle old scores, but finds herself (and her new partner) overwhelmed by the ruthlessness of the locals. The real action, though, is back home, behind the scenes, as we delve into the office politics of the spook house Chase works in... Things are really heating up for Tara's beleaguered boss: will she be in for a promotion, soon? I'm sure future volumes will tell!
June 23, 2022
The moral conundrum I was wondering about that went unadressed in the last volume (using SIS for personal reasons) is used as the main plot driver in this one. Legitimately wonder if Rucka is playing 4D chess and the reader is supposed to pick up on how dark it is that we only start posing these questions if government resources are used for personal reasons by a guy like Paul Crocker who DOESN'T have a big economic footprint like Tech Billionaire Guy from vol. 4. Or is Greg Rucka simply a bit more of a lib than I think?
EITHER WAY absolutely ripping spy stuff once again. Tara on the ground in Tbilisi is some of the most riveting stuff the series has been.
EITHER WAY absolutely ripping spy stuff once again. Tara on the ground in Tbilisi is some of the most riveting stuff the series has been.
October 21, 2017
Incredible story in this one with the stakes raised and Chase going to a place I think a lot of people would go to in this situation. You know, if you were a professional spy and all.
January 12, 2022
I like the series, but the art went downhill on this volume. I also thing think the story was a bit weak. After her teammate/lover dies mysteriously (but naturally) while on mission Tara is sent off to rescue a business man in Georgia. There is some history with this guy, but it doesn't do much for the story. Tara resolves the situation by kidnapping a crooked cop's young wife. That seemed a bit out of character. Tara is hardcore and gets the job done, but kidnapping civilians to free some schlub seems like an unnecessary risk.
May 29, 2007
I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I read this. It started a bit dry, really geared toward fans of the spy genre. If you like Alias or Bourne Identity, you'd probably enjoy this. It was a tad uninteresting to me, although I could recognize it was well-crafted. Artwork was clean and simple, and interpreted some of the scenes in interesting ways. I'm not a huge fan of this genre, but you should check it out if you are.
October 23, 2011
Ok, so I think it was slightly telegraphed, but finally one of the Minders is dead, and ho-boy the team is not taking it well. After the low-key nature of Blackwall, this mission ramps up the tension. Like the other volumes, this is building on the last few story arcs (be sure to read the first volume of Declassified since it draws directly on next generation of characters from that tale). Really great moments for Tara and Crocker in this volume, good stuff.
July 2, 2015
Ed, the operative with the least seniority whom Tara had a brief fling with, suffers a stroke and dies overseas. There's no indication of foul play, but everyone is suspicious anyway.
Meanwhile, Tara goes to Tblisi to fulfill an obligation of her boss to a kidnapped politicians father.
Meanwhile, Tara goes to Tblisi to fulfill an obligation of her boss to a kidnapped politicians father.
January 29, 2015
good gritty story building on previous volumes, but ended really abruptly. I also didn't love the art, but it also wasn't outright offensive like in v3. still really enjoying being caught up in the adventures of Tara Chace.
September 1, 2007
Classic Rucka grit, but this installment of Chace's adventures was somewhat anti-climatic, if biting realistic.
August 7, 2008
This one was really heart wrenching. It's still hard to get used to a different artist for each volume, but this one was good, although not my favorite.
March 14, 2014
This just keeps getting better.
We start with a plot twist.
One that changes what everone else is doing and saying.
Just good, clean fun.
We start with a plot twist.
One that changes what everone else is doing and saying.
Just good, clean fun.
September 7, 2015
Brutal. But brutally good.
September 1, 2009
Best story yet in this series, worst art yet.
March 17, 2014
One of the best volumes I read, but I couldn't really get into the art as much as others,
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews