The Prisoner #1 Cover A: Mike & Laura Allred
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Colin Lorimer
Publisher: Titan Comics
FC, 32pp, $3.99
Out: Now
The Comic: In the 21st Century, the global currency is no longer oil or gold but information. And he who possesses it possesses the world. There is one place on the planet where the most valuable information is mined, a place that prides itself on ‘mental fracking’, promising to extract any secret from any individual using any means possible.
It is perhaps the intelligence community’s darkest secret, aligned to no one political system or state, an autonomous institute, free of state manipulation. The identity of its controller, the mysterious Number One, is unknown. It is a place so secret, some believe it to be a myth. It is The Village…
Cover A: Mike Allred. Colors By Laura Allred
Cover B: Photo Cover
Cover C: Jack Kirby, Mike Royer. Colors by Mike Allred
Cover D: Colin Lorimer. Colors by Joana Lafluente
Cover E: John McCrea. Colors by Michael Spicer
Cover F: Mike Allred Black and White Variant
The Review: The Prisoner TV series had my mind working overtime when I first saw it, and slowly but surely, Titan Comics new The Prisoner comic has done exactly the same, sending my synapses screaming with the twists and turns Peter Milligan skilfully delivers.
Truth be told, just like the original 17 episode, acclaimed 1960s show, it’s quite clear that the reader becomes a prisoner to this story, with plenty of nods to the original while setting up a contemporary mythos of its own, all of which serves to simply heighten an my appreciation of this fast-moving tale. By the end – of Issue One – no spoilers! – you’re as trapped as the central protagonist, a spy with secrets of his own that have attracted plenty of untoward attention. Milligan make the most of the episodic nature of the comic to leave you wanting more, questions fast forming in a by now frazzled brain as he throws numerous concepts into the mix.
It’s almost as if Milligan was born to write this story, a very different kettle of fish to his more recent Dan Dare tale, proving how well he can adapt his storytelling to the character and setting in hand, be it Sci Fi or Spy-Fi.
Colin Lorimer complements Milligan’s storytelling perfectly, as you’ll see from the pages released for preview purposes below. There’s a confidence to his storytelling and some great action sequences, too, all making for a terrific first issue.
I’m eagerly looking forward to The Prisoner #2. Be seeing you!
• The Prisoner #1 is available from all good comic shops and digital comic platforms
[amazon_link asins=’B079236GN7,B07BFK2MHZ,B079VW9MN4,B07C58D3GJ,1785859153′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’downthetubes’ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’7f66ca4c-4c8e-11e8-a21c-e3ccad50a4af’]
The Prisoner #1 Cover B
The Prisoner #1 Cover C: Mike Allred, Jack Kirby
The Prisoner #1 Cover D: Colin Lorimer
The Prisoner #1 Cover E: John McCrea
The Prisoner #1 Cover F: Mike Allred Black and White Variant
The Prisoner #1 – Vice Press Cover by Chris Weston. (See news story)
Sample Pages from The Prisoner (Not Consecutive)
The Prisoner ™ and © ITC Entertainment Group Limited. 1967, 2001 and 2018. Licensed by ITV Ventures Limited. All rights reserved.
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Reviews
In Review: The Leopard from Lime Street – Birthright 
Anna Morozova and Alberto Navajo join Commando ranks 
In Review and In Pictures: The Commando and British Comics Swap Meet, April 2023 
Retro Review: Third World War Book Two: Back to Babylon