Writer: Peter Milligan

Artist: Colin Lorimer

Titan Comics, out now

Having orchestrated his stay in The Village to liaise with Carey, MI5 agent Breen finds himself questioned about mysterious project Pandora.

A lot of the criticism aimed at the opening instalment of Peter Milligan and Colin Lorimer’s new comic book adaptation of the 50-year-old TV show was its focus on set-up rather than actually feeling like an episode. It more closely resembled an episode of star Patrick McGoohan’s previous show Danger Man, and it was only in the closing pages that we actually reached The Village.

Luckily, issue 2 is right on track from the opening  pages, with Breen being tortured by a blazer-and-penny-farthing-badge-wearing No. 2. Then we’re in a court room like the one in Fall Out, complete with hooded jury members and military police. Another member of the secret service appears and we’re made to wonder whether he’s part of the plan to get Breen to talk.

Walks past Portmeirion’s Bristol Colonnade, a human chess game (straight out of Checkmate), an attack by a swarm of Rovers and an apparently successful (and all too easy) escape tick the boxes on The Prisoner checklist. And what a great cliffhanger, although we have a pretty good idea why the drastic action needed to be taken.

Verdict: “We’re all pawns, m’dear”. A far more confident extension of The Prisoner after the opening issue’s slow-build. With all the players on the board we can now sit back and see what cat and mouse games ensue. 8/10

Nick Joy