What to Read (in order): Queen & Country 1-24 (Broken Ground, Morningstar, Crystal Ball, Blackwall, Stormfront, Dandelion)
If you want to go further: 25-32 (Untitled, Saddlebags, Red Panda), Queen & Country Vol. 1-3, A Gentlemen’s Game, Private Wars and The Last Run
Creators:
Greg Rucka (Writer)
Steve Rolston (Artist)
Brian Hurtt (Artist)
Christine Norrie (Artist)
Leandro Fernandez (Artist)
Jason Shawn Alexander (Artist)
Carla Speed McNeil (Artist)
Mike Hawthorne (Artist)
Stan Sakai (Artist/ Inker)
Bryan Lee O’Malley (Artist/ Inker)
Main Characters:
How to Read:
Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition (Volume 1) and (Volume 2)
The Run-down:
I want to first thank everyone who has reached out to us about our first episode. The feedback had been so positive that it has completely confirmed our thoughts that this would be a cool idea for a podcast. Please, continue to give us feedback and we will in return continue to work to give you in return content worth listening to. Now on to the spies:
The entry for Oni Press’ Queen & Country won’t be like many of the others because it’s one of those gray areas. This series is technically a complete story and not a comic run, so we can’t discuss the history of these characters prior to Greg Rucka taking over, nor can we talk about their current place in continuity. What we can talk about, however, is where Rucka was as a writer prior to the book’s release.
Rucka began working on Queen & Country early in his career after the success of his Atticus Kodiak novels and his massively well-received collaboration with artist Steve Lieber on Whiteout. Rucka’s main inspiration for the series came from the late seventies British drama, The Sandbaggers. This modern take on the show focused on a balance of espionage action and the drama of secret service bureaucracy.
Those familiar with Rucka’s bibliography will know that he is one of the most respected consistently working comic writers in the industry. He has written for all of the top four major publishers and has such a diverse line of work that it’s impossible to tack on a genre to his body of work. Instead it could be easier to look at common similarities shared among his books; one of which is his talent for writing fascinating female protagonist, which Queen & Country is no different. Tara Chace is phenomenal character that is as strong as she is human, and is well paired with the supporting cast of characters.
While there wasn’t an artist dedicated to the entire series, there were many illustrators attached to the various volumes, the first being Steve Rolston. Rolston would be followed by The Sixth Gun’s Brian Hurtt, Stormwatch’s Leandro Fernandez, Revival’s Mike Norton and Daredevil’s Chris Samnee, among others. In addition to these pencilers Usagi Yojimbo’s Stan Sakai would guest ink a few issues as did Bryan Lee O’Malley before his success with Scott Pilgrim.
What’s Next?:
Friday (1-29-16) – Podcast: Greg Rucka’s Queen & Country
Friday (2-5-16) – Companion Article: Jim Starlin’s Warlock (Strange Tales#178-181, Warlock #9-15, The Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2)
Friday (2-12-16) – Podcast: Jim Starlin’s Warlock
Friday (2-19-16) – Companion Article: Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl (Batgirl(2009) #1-24)
Friday (2-26-16) – Podcast: Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl
Friday (3-4-16) – Companion Article: Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and David Aja’s Immortal Iron Fist (Immortal Iron Fist #1-16, Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1, Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death#1, Immortal Iron Fist: The Origin of Danny Rand #1 and Civil War: Choosing Sides #1)
Friday (3-11-16) – Podcast: Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and David Aja’s Immortal Iron Fist
Friday (3-18-16) – Companion Article: George Perez’s Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman (1987) #1-24 and Wonder Woman Annual #1).
Friday (3-25-16) – Podcast: George Perez’s Wonder Woman
You can listen to our previous episode on Astonishing X-Men here and also on iTunes
Also if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at:
Legendary Runs– @legendarypod
Matt Wood– @Johnnymattwood
Mara Wood– @megamaramon
