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Queen & Country Vol 1: Operation Broken Ground

Oni Press

by Greg Rucka and Steve Rolston

If you've ever seen the British television show "the Sandbaggers" (circa 1978-1980) you would see not only a similarity between that show and Greg Rucka's Queen & Country, but, moreover, a blatant rip-off…

Thankfully for Mr. Rucka, nobody has seen the Sandbaggers for decades and it's place in popular culture hasn't quite been found yet. Common knowledge of the show is nil, while Brit spy shows like the Avengers, Secret Agent Man, and the Prisoner have vast legions of followers. The Sandbaggers fell victim to underexposure.

Mirroring the show exactly, Queen & Country is as bureaucratic as it is spy and action… well, actually, more so. It's like tossing James Bond in a pot with West Wing and stewing until all the Kitsch and melodrama is removed. Not to say that it isn't fund, because, oh, it is. It's simply that Queen & Country, unlike your traditional comic-book fare, takes a pretty heavy investment and dedication right off the mark. There's a reason the first page past the intro is the book's character roster, complete with mugshots and a brief description. Take note and keep your finger indexed to that page because, trust me, for the first two chapters you're going to be flipping back and forth trying to figure out whom everyone is. (The Sandbaggers show was the same way, taking two episodes before you got all the characters straight… and no roster sheet was provided). That's not to say that Steve Rolston doesn't do a great job illustrating the story, although getting past the, ahem, cartoonyness seems to be the first obstacle for many people. But his attention to detail and his capability with facial expressions add a key element to the book, a necessary skill for what is, essentially, a "talking heads" book. Rolston keeps you wrapped up, glued to the pages.

The story, in its base form, begins with an assassination, turns ninety degrees into retaliation, takes another one-eighty right in retribution, another ninety degrees in a brilliantly dour 'Sandbaggers' style ending… paving the whole circle with bureaucracy and red tape and government insider hassle too frustrating to not be true.

After first reading Operation Broken Ground I decided (as have many) to seek out (by hook or by crook) copies of the Sandbaggers television program, with success. Upon reflection, Queen & Country, despite myself, acts as a 90's update/continuation and homage to a series too short lived (20 episodes over 3 seasons). While it may not be original (and what idea is these days) Rucka deserves credit for not just emulating a successful formulae but capturing the spirit and creating enticing characters to further an idea.

Read this book, find the show. You won't be sorry.