The novels are fantastic and add a lot of depth that really can’t come across in comics. There’s also some pretty major events in Tara’s life that go down in the novels.

Yep. I actually thought the first novel was better than the first, but they’re both very good. But I do think that the major events that happen in Tara’s life in the novels are a bit much… I know she’s got a tough job and a tough personal life, but I thought Rucka went a bit far in just sort of piling it onto her.

And to chime in on the Brubaker bashing, you’re all mad. Bru is doing the best work of his life on both the mainstream and indy stuff. Cap, DD, and Uncanny haven’t been this consistently good in a long time. Iron Fist is probably one of the best books Marvel’s got going right now.

I’ll agree with you on everything but Uncanny. It has definitely had its up moments, and it’s better than it has been in a while, but that’s just because it was mediocre to awful for so long. I thought the first arc was bloated and a little meandering, and I think Vulcan is a pretty weak adversary for the X-Men and character on the whole.

Plus… dude killed Banshee. And Corsair. That shit ain’t right.

But mostly, if Brubaker has room for an extra book each month, I’d rather it wasn’t X-Men. I’d rather he was writing something else a little more off the beaten path like Iron Fist or Daredevil.

No bashing from me, though… to my mind, Ed Brubaker is the best writer working at Marvel, rivaled only by guys like Dwayne McDuffie and Jeff Parker. Top Marvel writer or no, though, he’s easily one of the top five in the industry at the moment. And he’s teamed with great artists.

Love Q&C, but haven’t tried the Declassified spin-off. Worth tracking down? And I noticed the two novels, but was wondering how it would translate - thoughts?

The novels are fantastic and add a lot of depth that really can’t come across in comics. There’s also some pretty major events in Tara’s life that go down in the novels.

And to chime in on the Brubaker bashing, you’re all mad. Bru is doing the best work of his life on both the mainstream and indy stuff. Cap, DD, and Uncanny haven’t been this consistently good in a long time. Iron Fist is probably one of the best books Marvel’s got going right now. I am by no means a Brubaker apologist in that I don’t follow him blindly and I don’t apologize for liking good writing. Bru has shown that he can write just about anything at this point whereas with the exception of Spider-Man and Batman, Bendis and Rucka have shown repeatedly that they just don’t understand superheroes and should stick to their strengths (crime and espionage).

All I can say about Bendis and Rucka is that I’d like to see more Powers and Q&C than Secret Wars and 52.

Although I see some similarities, I don’t lump Ed Brubaker in with Bendis or Rucka. I enjoy most of Ed’s mainstream work and he and Sean have made Criminal a high priority in terms of their other commitments. Now that 52’s done I hope that Rucka will crank out more Q&C.

And the artist in volume three was crap, he made Tara Chace look like she should be in a Marvel superhero comic.

One nice thing about Q&C is that the overall story kept getting deeper and deeper. The first books are just good spy stories but, as with most books like this, as the series went on, you started to see the larger elements. Then, on top of that, they added the “Declassified” series, exploring other characters in greater depth. Finally, you got the two novels, which gave you a look into what the characters were thinking and feeling. The novels give you a clear sense for character motivations and reactions that you can only guess at in the graphic novels. After reading the novels, I went back to the trades and had to reinterpret a lot of things.

By the way, I don’t think Rucka should hand this over to another writer. I’d rather have it be done and know that it was a great series. Why cheapen it?

If it’s gonna be two years before another Q&C comic that’s pathetic. If he can’t make the book then bring in a new writer until he can get back on the book or maybe have some new Declassified books.

Lets not forget Brubaker, who’s on a bullet train down that track if ya ask me.

I’ll agree with Rucka and Bendis, who both went whole-hog into company owned and let their creator-owned projects just wither away (seriously, the delays on Q&C *and* Powers are ridiculous), but I think Brubaker gets special dispensation.

He didn’t leave behind anything he’d created (Sleeper was done, Gotham Central was running out of gas, etc.) and when he got his clout with Daredevil & Cap and such, he used it to launch a creator-owned crime book. From Marvel. The guys who only publish superhero books, pretty much.

I think Brubaker got it right. One for them, one for you. Works in Hollywood, shame more comic creators can’t balance it. Of course, in Hollywood, the “one for them” is enough to pay for “twelve for you” making no money, and that’s not as true in comics. So I can’t judge too harshly, mostly I just wish the industry was different so that Rucka could get filthy rich writing nothing but Queen & Country and Bendis could have made a mint on his pop culture and crime stuff.

It’s a pity Rucka and other writers who have done great independent work(coughBendiscough) have chosen to go mainstream and their work has really suffered for it.

Lets not forget Brubaker, who’s on a bullet train down that track if ya ask me.

It’s a pity Rucka and other writers who have done great independent work(coughBendiscough) have chosen to go mainstream and their work has really suffered for it. When this book was going strong it was right there with Fables as my favorite ongoing. I can only hope Rucka can get back on track to what really is the best work of his career and that’s this series.