Steve Rolston

Previous Fables spin-offs have not been successful longterm (even the highly intriguing Fairest series began to lag after the first few collections), so I’m sceptical about the longevity of what looks to be another fantastical spy-themed series. Instead of focusing on a single character (as previously done in Cinderella) they seem to have chosen the Shadow Players as their protagonist - the Fables’ answer to the post-magic era on Earth in the form of a spy network; this gives them a show more bigger range of characters and scenarios to play with, but honestly I don’t think it’s that unique or innovative. They bring back one of the Snow and Bigby’s wolfcubs to give old readers a flashback to the original Fables characters and an intro in the “new generation” of Fables, but this seems like a pretty cheap schtick to make the rather basic spy-caper plot more interesting. I’ll give the second volume a shot when it comes out later this year, but I’m not holding my breath. Nothing can really add up to the original series, so maybe they should stop trying to milk a good thing. show less

This ongoing spy comic is like a gritty TV show about the unglamorous lives of British spies: long periods of waiting around and office politics punctuated by sudden deadly action. The artwork seems to have settled down a bit by this third volume -- I found the changing styles for the first two quite disconcerting. In this book Tara Chace is gradually coming apart. The second part is set after a Tara Chace novel by the same author where apparently Tara has gone AWOL in the Middle East, show more fallen in love with her former number one, and watched him die. All very stressful, and this book shows the consequences. As the psychologist mentions to Tara, drinking and denial are not good cures for PTSD. But her boss Paul Crocker sends her back into the field anyway. Probably not a good call in this case.

Also included was a script for volume one. I normally don't really enjoy reading scripts, but it's always interesting to see how different comic artists work, and this one had some insightful footnotes by the author. show less

Oh my. What a great read. This is a spy espionage thriller in sequential art form. an MI5-like organisation working covert missions. There are three active agents, referred to as Minders - one through to three - with various overseers, and support staff. The stories are intricate, detailed and as readable as anything I’ve ever read. The artwork changes from arc to arc of the series. So each artist gets to put their own slant on the characters. At first this was a shock but once I got into show more the story, it ceased to have any bearing. Particularly enjoyed the final arc, illustrated by Leandro Fernandez. His style was to make the characters darker and used shadow to highlight (if that’s possible) the murky world of espionage. It worked deliciously well as the characters faces weren’t always wholly visible hinting at a half image of a face with the rest obscured by shadow. Just loved this. show less

A graphic novel series about the British version of the CIA (operatives that only work on foreign soil). Even though the novel is very plot driven and doesn't really provide background information on the operatives (unless you count the blurbs in the beginning which I don't because really they only describe people's positions in the organization); I was still really interested in the characters, their interactions with each other and with the shrink. Too bad my library doesn't carry any of show more these. show less