Writer: Peter Milligan

Artist: Colin Lorimer

Titan Comics, out April 25

When an MI5 agent’s cover is blown, he goes on the run, recalling how his romantic liaison with an operative has put both of their lives in danger. He suspects that she has been taken to the Village, a mysterious prison for those who know too much.

Coming in at the tail end of The Prisoner’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, a new comic book is a big deal not least because the last one we had was a four-part sequel 30 years ago with Shattered Visage. Writer Peter Milligan (Bad Company) and artist Colin Lorimer continue the story with a contemporary (to now) tale that for its most part focuses on an espionage story with multiple disguises, flashbacks, scenes in Whitehall offices, etc.

The story cracks along at a fair old pace, but for its most part doesn’t feel immediately like The Prisoner and owes more to Spooks. And that was was clearly a decision intended to ground this series in the now rather than flashing straight back to the psychedelic tropes of the 60s series. The Village is mentioned in broad terms, and there’s a couple of references, but it’s only when our protagonist reaches the enigmatic Shangri-La location that things take off.

For me, The Prisoner has always been as much about the setting (filmed in Portmeirion in North Wales), and so it’s a great joy to find the final three pages dedicated to the iconic colourful buildings used so effectively across the 17 TV episodes. It even looks like the Mini Moke Village taxis have some new livery. Collectors will no doubt be delighted to hear that there’s eight variant covers for this comic – gotta catch them all!

Verdict: Like the iconic human chess game that will forever be associated with the show, the pieces are on the board, ready for their opening moves. Who will be Number 2, and how much has life in the Village have changed in the intervening 50 years? I can’t wait to find out! 8/10

Nick Joy