Oni Press is pleased to announce the sixth trade paperback in Greg Rucka’s ongoing espionage series QUEEN & COUNTRY. Featuring artwork by indy comics sensation Mike Hawthorne, OPERATION: DANDELION sees the Special Section threatened by the most dangerous and vigilant of enemies: bureaucracy and politics. And the challenges are coming from all sides: a new head of S.I.S. who wants to dissolve the Minders; a shadowy high-level government official who wants to use the Special Section for his own personal agenda; and MI5 worried about a jurisdictional turf war.
Things are always the most dangerous during times of transition, and this time has Crocker walking a tightrope between what he knows is right and what he must do to save not only his job, but the entire Special Section. It is also a time of transition for Tara and Wallace as they deal with their profession and the loss of their friends and co-workers.
“QUEEN & COUNTRY often focuses on Her Majesty’s Government’s foreign enemies,” explains Oni Press’s managing editor Randal Jarrell. “I think this arc is one of the most exciting because it shows how the Special Section’s most dangerous foes aren’t necessarily terrorists or foreign armies, but are actually within their own government.”
“The biggest challenge with a series like QUEEN & COUNTRY is finding the right artist to match Rucka’s writing,” says senior editor James Lucas Jones. “It’s a tough book that requires a lot of time, not just at the drawing board but on research as well. We’ve been blessed with some extremely talented fellows thus far, but it’s always hard to find the right person to take on the book next.”
“What Mike brings to QUEEN & COUNTRY is a dynamic energy to the storytelling and pathos to the characters,” commented editor in chief Jamie S. Rich. “In fact, that has always been one of his talents. Just look at his diverse work with Oni. He was the artist for THREE DAYS IN EUROPE and both wrote and drew the hysterical HYSTERIA. Both are good examples that show his ability to energetically propel a story forward.”
“Dandelion is a good name for this story,” explains author Greg Rucka. “The word comes from the Old French phrase dent-di-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth.” In many ways, the Special Section is the S.I.S.’s lion’s tooth. Another cool element to the word is the fact that dandelion seeds are carried away by the wind and travel like tiny parachutes. A strong wind can carry the parachutes miles away from the parent plant. It makes a nice metaphor for the dangerous and disconnected life as a Minder.”
QUEEN & COUNTRY, VOLUME 6: OPERATION: DANDELION is a 128 page black-and-white trade paperback for $11.95. The volume features a new color cover by Mike Hawthorne and contains mature situations. It arrives in comic book stores on August 11th, 2004.
Queen & Country TM & © 2004 Greg Rucka.
