Review: The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine No.1

Even 50 years on, The Prisoner TV series remains one of the most remarkable and unique programmes in television history. Although only 17 episodes were produced, its combination of spy thriller, satire, and social allegory has never been equalled and is still very relevant. A powerful, screen-dominating performance by its co-creator and lead actor, Patrick McGoohan, added to its appeal. All in all, the mixture won over a legion of fans who remain fascinated by its appeal even today. 

There was never a comics adaptation of The Prisoner back in the 1960s. Perhaps it was considered too esoteric, or perhaps because of its short run it wasn't considered worthwhile. Marvel Comics did intend to publish a Prisoner comic in the 1970s, but the project was abandoned before completion. (The pages will soon be published in a collection from Titan Books. See here for more information.) DC Comics published Shattered Visage, a four-issue Prisoner sequel in 1988, but the concept hasn't returned to comics... until now. 

London based Titan Comics are launching The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine on April 25th, the first issue of an all-new monthly series. It is written by Peter Milligan (from a plot by David Leach, who is also the editor) and illustrated by Colin Lorimer (with colours by Joana Lafluente). My first impression was that I was pleased that this professional comic hasn't followed the route that so many "fan fiction" Prisoner stories have, of presenting "untold" tales of Number Six. Titan have wisely chosen to present us with a new lead character, with a setting that's firmly in the present day. An excellent move because now we have no idea what to expect. There is a hint though that it is connected to the original series.

While the TV series never really clarified what Number Six's profession was, (because he was intended to be an everyman), our new hero is most definitely a spy, and we're given quite a bit of backstory on him. The TV series had a fast paced opening that got the protagonist into the Village within a few minutes. This new comic takes the whole issue to get there, but the pacing is still fast and intriguing, and sets up plot elements that will no doubt be relevant to the whole series. 

Some of the most distinctive aspects of The Prisoner TV show were its satire and humour. That's not really evident in this dramatic and intense first issue, but I hope we'll see glimpses of it in future issues once our hero explores his new surroundings. 

If this first issue is anything to go by, The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine should appeal to fans of the series as well as to new readers unfamiliar with the franchise. Superbly written and drawn, it's a strong debut issue that has certainly hooked me, and I'm eager to see where the story takes us next. We want information...

Issue No.1 will be available from comics speciality shops on April 25th, with a range of variant covers. 

THE PRISONER is released in April

Cover by Colin Lorimer.

British television shows in the 1960s were often reflected in the comics, with strip versions of programmes such as Stingray, Danger Man, UFO, The Saint, Doctor Who, The Avengers, and numerous others. One of the shows that never made it to a weekly comic was The Prisoner, the quirky series starring Patrick McGoohan. (Although Smash! did include a spoof in an episode of Charlie's Choice.) 

Perhaps, at just 17 episodes, The Prisoner just didn't last long enough for it to be considered worthy of appearing in a kids' comic. Perhaps it was considered too strange to adapt? We'll never know for sure. In 1988, DC Comics did publish a Prisoner mini-series, but it was met by mixed reaction (although, fair enough, so was the TV series). Before that, there were moves by Marvel Comics in America to produce a Prisoner comic in the 1970s, but it was never published.  However, those unpublished pages will soon appear from Titan Books in an Original Art Edition, as I reported last year.)

Titan are also soon to publish a brand new comic on the theme, and The Prisoner No.1 debuts on 25th April. The first British comic devoted to the show, with 32 pages in full colour it is written by Peter Milligan, illustrated by Colin Lorimer, and edited by David Leach. 

To quote the TV show, "We want information", but info is in short supply at present. All that has been revealed is: "Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first US transmission, this new series transports readers back to the mysterious village where everyone is a number!"

Fans of the intriguing series will no doubt be eager to see The Prisoner No.1, so place an order with your nearest comic speciality shop to ensure your copy! 

UPDATE: Issue No.1 comes with a choice of five covers. Here are the rest...

Cover art by Mike Allred.

Cover art by Jack Kirby.

Cover art by John McCrea.

Patrick McGoohan photo cover.

Prisoner TV event next Sunday at Elstree Studios

Just a quick plug for an event that old friends of mine are organising for next Sunday, 21st January, that's sure to interest fans of The Prisoner TV series. Guests include Alex Cox, Nicholas Briggs, Ian Rakoff and more. To find out full details and buy tickets visit:
http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk/prisoner50.htm

Preview: INFINITY No.6

Not a comic, but a magazine that will appeal to many of you, Infinity is a British mag that is dedicated to classic film and television (with occasional articles on comics). Here's an advance look at issue No.6, which spotlights The Prisoner TV series in this, its 50th anniversary year. (Cover art by Mark Maddox.) There'll also be many features on other items too, as you can see from the cover. 

You'll find Infinity in WH Smith and selected newsagents. (My local Smiths still insists it's a children's magazine and stocks it with the nursery comics, but most sensible branches will put it next to 2000AD, SFX, etc.)

Infinity No.6 will be out on Thursday 23rd November. The current issue (No.5) is still available in shops and this is the cover to look for...

If you're a fan of The Prisoner, this is the website for you:
https://www.theunmutual.co.uk

The Prisoner, - new comic coming from Titan in 2018

I've known about this for a while but was sworn to secrecy, hoping for an exclusive. Now the news is all over the 'net and I didn't even get the press release. To paraphrase the show, I wanted information... information... but I didn't get it. Anyway, I'm still giving it a quick promo because I know some of you will be interested. In 2018, Titan Comics will launch The Prisoner, a new comic inspired by the classic TV series. The comic will be written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Colin Lorimer. You can read more about it here:
http://www.outrightgeekery.com/2017/10/04/prisoner-returns-new-comic-series-titan/

The Prisoner Original Art Edition

It's way in the future at the moment, but scheduled for March 2018 is The Prisoner Original Art Edition from Titan Books. A hardback collection of the pages produced for Marvel's aborted 1970s comics based on The Prisoner TV series of the sixties.

Jack Kirby produced one issue based on the script for Arrival, the first episode. His rendition of Patrick McGoohan was excellent (but McGoohan looked like a Kirby drawing anyway, which must have helped). Kirby depiction of The Village may not have accurately reflected Portmeirion (the real village where the series was filmed) but that didn't matter as the TV show took liberties with the layout of the place anyway. 

Apparently Marvel were not happy with Kirby's first issue and it was abandoned by the publisher before all the pages had been inked. A new version was embarked upon by Gil Kane (written by Steve Englehart) but that too was never completed. The book will gather together all the pages and publish them officially for the first time. (Bootleg photocopy versions had circulated in Prisoner fandom many years ago, and some pages have also been officially shown in fanzines such as The Jack Kirby Collector. One fan even published a garishly coloured version, best avoided!)

The Prisoner Original Art Edition should be an interesting collectible for fans of The Prisoner and Jack Kirby alike. It's already available for pre-order from Amazon.

If you're interested in The Prisoner TV series, The Unmutual Website is essential reading:
https://www.theunmutual.co.uk

Interested in The Prisoner?

Not a comic, admittedly, but I thought this might be of interest to those of you who enjoyed The Prisoner TV series. The Prisoner, An Essential Guide by Rick Davy, is a brand new 36 page A5 sized guide book to the show, containing a wealth of officially licensed and previously unpublished photos. 

You can order signed and unsigned copies at the publisher's website, Quoit Media:
http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk

To find out more about this cult TV series, follow The Unmutual website:
https://www.theunmutual.co.uk

The Prisoner, - back on TV

One of the most thought-provoking TV series of the 1960s is being repeated on TV in the UK again for its 50th anniversary year. Starting this evening, 9pm, Monday 13th March, The Prisoner is being shown on the True Entertainment channel. The series stars Patrick McGoohan who finds himself abducted to a picturesque but sinister village. Part spy thriller, part socio-political allegory, part daft, the 17 episodes of The Prisoner are unmissable television. (Also worth catching is The Avengers episode that precedes it tonight at 8pm; The Winged Avenger, featuring a bizarre take on comics creators and some exclusive Frank Bellamy artwork.)

The catchprase of The Prisoner series was "I'm not a number, I'm a free man", well, I'm not a number...I'm a free cartoonist. Or at least I was the day I did the drawing above for charity. It was sold at the PM2005 event 12 years ago, a convention for enthusiasts of the The Prisoner TV series. The event took place in Portmeirion in North Wales, where the outdoor locations for the series were filmed. A good time was had by all and all the profits went to the Ty Gobaith Hope House Children's Hospice. 

You can read more about the event here:
http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/pm2005.htm

And if you're a fan of The Prisoner, bookmark The Unmutual Website for information: 
http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/index.htm

It wasn't the first time I'd used The Prisoner as inspiration for my work of course. Some of you may remember this Combat Colin serial from The Transformers comics Nos.244 to 248 back in 1989...

Cutting Edge

Admittedly this has nothing to do with comics but I think it may be of interest to some of you who are interested in film and TV of the 1960s. Cutting Edge: My Life in Film and Television is the autobiography of Eric Mival, a music editor and film editor who worked on popular shows such as The Prisoner, Doctor Who, Strange Report and more. You have a choice of hardback or softback and there's a special pre-order price that ends soon so find out more info at the publisher's website todaty:
http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk

Also available from the same publisher is The Callan File, the definitive book on the classic TV series. Written by Robert Fairclough and Mike Kenwood. More info here:
http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk/callanfile.htm 

The Prisoner of Smash!

  
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, numerous British TV adventure shows had a comic strip version running in one or other of the many weekly comics of the time. From series that are now almost forgotten such as No Hiding Place and Orlando to the ever popular Thunderbirds and Doctor Who, it seemed natural for comics such as TV Express and TV21 to reflect the popularity of the small screen heroes. 

There were exceptions of course. Although The Avengers, The Champions, Department S, The Saint and Danger Man all appeared as weekly comic strips, other shows such as Jason King, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Prisoner never did. It's not too surprising regarding the latter as its quirky, satirical, surreal tone didn't really lend itself to the style of British children's comics at the time. 

Except... there was an instance when The Prisoner appeared in a UK comic strip. The issue in question was Smash! No.109 and the character appeared as a guest star in Charlie's Choice, illustrated by Brian Lewis. 

The plot of Charlie's Choice was simple but intriguing. Every week a different character from a contemporary TV show or historical documentary would emerge from Charlie's magical portable television, with hilarious consequences. (Well, slightly amusing consequences at least.) Brian Lewis was often (but not always) the artist and he skillfully captured the likenesses of the actors. His version of Patrick McGoohan here is excellent. 

With this Prisoner spoof, none of the complexities of the series are addressed. It's just a simple story of Number Six on the run, escaping "that place" (the Village) and eventually returning due to his own error. Nevertheless, Brian Lewis could easily turn his hand to humour and adventure artwork and if there had been a comic strip version of The Prisoner back then I think the more realistic style Lewis used on strips such as Moon Madness would have suited it perfectly.

The Prisoner did eventually appear in comic form of course. Jack Kirby's aborted and never-published version in the 1970s would have been interesting, and in the 1980s, Dean Motter's The Prisoner: Shattered Visage was published by DC Comics in the USA. 

I did a kind of parody of the devices and situations of the series in a Combat Colin serial in The Transformers around 1989/90. Here's part one... 

(This Combat Colin chapter and the rest of the story can be seen in my book Brickman Begins, available here: http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm )

I've always liked the original Prisoner TV series and about ten years ago I created The Unmutual Website as a small news site. However after a couple of years I didn't have time to continue running it so I handed it over to a pal, Rick Davy, who is far more knowledgeable about the series than I and who has expanded the site into a fantastic news and information source. Here's the link:
http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/

Incidentally, here's a couple of comic strips I did for that website. A mixture of traditional cartoon and CGI imagery:
http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/roverone.htm

"Unmutual" was a phrase used in The Prisoner episode 'A Change of Mind' to refer to residents who refused to cooperate with the oppressive rules and establishment of The Village. Likewise, The Unmutual Website has no connection with any fan club regarding the TV series and is an independent news source that is free for all. 

If you're interested in The Prisoner and its themes, or if you've never heard of it and you're wondering what the heck I'm on about,  take a look around that site. You should find a few things of interest.