Favorite Female Characters #16- Tara Chace

Tara
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley.

Queen and Country's Tara Chace might not be as well known as other female characters in comic books, but she is certainly one of the bravest non-metas I have ever read about. No spandex for Tara- she is a Minder for Special Operations of the British Intelligence.

The Minders are special ops' way of having maximum deniability. There are always three, and there is a lot of turnover as the job is extremely dangerous and there are a great deal of fatalities. The Minders are not to use lethal force on British soil, but are to go to foreign countries and neutralize threats and/or gain intellligence. Tara was entering her third year as a minder when I first encoutered her in Queen and Country #1 from Oni Press.

Tara has had to undertake assasinations and covert operations that put her in harms way. She has been mired in alcoholism and ordered to seek psychiatric help from a British Intelligence doctor. She has also been involved with coworkers Ed Kittering and Tom Wallace, and lost both in horrible, strange circumstances. Her mother is a distant party girl, and Tara has not been able to maintain friendships due to the covert nature of her job.

With that laundry list of complaints, how can I love a character like Tara? Is is her sheer humanity and frailty, along with courage and the will to do the right thing that makes her so compelling. Tara is a chameleon of sorts- men fall madly in love with her, or flee her icy stare. She is an enigma and her tenure as minder has been a harsh one to say the least.

I applaud creator and writer Greg Rucka for writing Tara from his heart. I don't think his intentions were ever to make her a number one seller, though it wouldn't hurt his feelings. I think Rucka approached Tara with honesty and an inkling to show the world the injustices occurring through her eyes. He has put her through hell, but with a loving touch.

If you have never picked up an issue of Queen and Country, you are missing out on an outstanding female character. Complex and deadly, Tara is a woman you can't take your eyes off, and you don't want to.

Recommended Reads: Q&C: A Gentleman's Game Novel; Q&C #1-26, Q&C Declassified Volumes 1,2, and 3.