Review: The Prisoner #1

Over the years, I don’t think that there has been a TV show that possessed such a high level of surrealism, such a high level of “what the frak is going on?” as The Prisoner.  Now, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of its first US transmission, we take a step towards floating bubbles, secrets upon secrets and the numbers that inhabit The Village!

Taking its premise directly from the show, the comic has even more resonance in todays everyone know everything world that has become the super information highway.  Now another agent is on the run, listed as a traitor it’s not long until the subversive elements start cropping up, “check” the dude in the suit!  With that in mind, it should come as no surprise as to what happens next.

Peter Milligan is one of those famous British writers that seemed to invade DC comics some years back.  Starting off on Shade, Milligan moved across the Vertigo universe before hanging his hat on Batman and Detective Comics for a while.  Possibly not as appreciated as his contemporaries, Milligan has carved out a niche for himself with quality writing, covering the familiar elements of each relevant genre.  Milligan has a hard job on his hands with The Prisoner; there has been a TV reboot that failed; the show is so eccentrically British, with an almost Alice in Wonderland feel.  Who is who? Who is Number One and what is the purpose of The Village itself?  The peculiarity of tone is hard to demonstrate in the first issue, but enough is made to give the reader some hope for future issues.

Colin Lorimer provides the art for the book, with a style that seems to hold elements of photo references.  I am not sure if this is a way to give the art the kind of disassociation that fans of the show would probably want to expect.  The thing is, whilst the unusual elements look the part, the rest can come across as quite nondescript.  Hopefully, things will improve as the focus falls within its most famous landmark.  Joana LaFluente delivers the colors in a Technicolor scheme with a 60’s, brighter than bright manner, again albeit when focussed on the out of the ordinary elements.  Simon Bowland completes the issue with his usual excellent lettering job.

The Prisoner, as a phenomenon, is one of those shows that carries with it, its own weight of expectations.  It’s eccentricities may well be a step to far for a comic book, but if anyone has half a chance of escaping the ballooning weight of expectation, it’s Peter Milligan.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by; Peter Milligan
Art by; Colin Lorimer
Colors by; Joana LaFluente
Letters by; Simon Bowland
Published by; Titan Comics