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The Prisoner: Shattered Visage
The authorized sequel to the cult TV series, THE PRISONER: SHATTERED VISAGE continues the saga of number six, the British secret agent who was condemned to life in the clandestine prison known as the Village. Years after the Village was destroyed, the infamous agent still resides in its former location, attempting to deal with the emotional scars of his past. But when a luckless female agent is washed ashore on his island, the Prisoner realizes that it is not only his mind that is still imprisoned. Featuring an overview of the entire television series, this book of intrigue and conspiracy offers the final chapter in the life of the most famous prisoner of all time.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 10, 2010
I dug out my old, original issues of this comic after just having re-watched the entire series for the first time in over a decade, so if the collected version I'm posting this under has been changed (did they maybe color it better or clean up the art a little?) I'll never know.
This is an official, comic book sequel to the amazing, influential, much-loved original television series from the 60's THE PRISONER. All rights have been retained for all likenesses and imagery (except for the estate of Angelo Muscat, who played the mute, diminutive butler - so while the Butler DOES appear, you never see him clearly - only a couple of panels, and his face is always in shadow. You could even argue that the character isn't there at all, just a hallucination of Number 2's mind) so everything looks as it should.
But is it any good? THE PRISONER is a difficult show to add to or continue in any way (I don't have high hopes for the new remake version, coming this Winter) and is notorious for starting off as a very real-world, if odd, scenario and ending more as a symbolic allegory (to the delight of some, like me, and the consternation of others, who wanted a more definitive answer to just what was going on). Go check it out yourself, if that sounds intriguing (you're in for some fun!)
This sequel follows the travails of a woman, Alice Drake, who has just divorced her husband and left her job. Unfortunately, she and her husband were both British Intelligence agents and, as she sets off on a round-the-world yacht trip, her craft is waylaid (deliberately?) and she finds herself washed up at the ruins of The Village, the strange community (rest home/torture chamber for spies) from the television show, now abandoned after the last episode of said show. Well, not completely abandoned. Number 6, Patrick McGoohan's character, resides here alone, spending twenty years doing nothing much but presiding over the ruins. As Alice's husband works with another friend (or is he?) from Intelligence to find/rescue her, a book is on the bestseller charts. It is a memoir (THE VILLAGE IDIOT) of a Government spook (Leo McKern's Number 2) just released from jail - a heavily edited expose of government secrets (or is it all just lies, with anything true edited out?). There is consternation in the higher levels of intelligence, people are set to follow people, old contacts are re-established (Mrs. Butterworth, the mysterious woman from an old episode, puts in an appearance), assassinations are carried out and eventually a lot of people converge on the Village, where Number 2 and Number 6 meet for the first time in 20 years to settle an old score.
To be honest, my initial reaction to this when it was originally published was a feeling of being underwhelmed. And, to be honest, re-reading it now, that's still my reaction. The art is very problematic - sketchy and ugly at times, it gets better as the book progresses, enhanced by some nice digital photo images captured from the original show (although the use of photos for background's is distracting and cheap looking - unless the intention was to portray the Village as some kind of cheap simulacra/virtual reality prison, and I don't think it was) but still seems a very odd choice. The coloring, at least in the originals, is atrocious, by turns lurid and ugly (only a few scenes, one lit by early morning light, seem to capture the colorists intentions). Alice's daughter is a hideous mustard when she first appears, looking like some pulp-style "heathen chinee" bad guy from the 30's. This was during a terrible period in the comics industry where better paper was being used but the coloring systems had not been re-calibrated for the whiter stock and so many late 80's comics share this attribute (check out an early collection of Alan Moore's SWAMP THING, or early issues of HELLBLAZER, for more examples).
But really, how is the story? I give Motter and Askwith credit for doing a great job capturing the "voice" of the characters, especially Number 6's short, zen-koan like statements (you can almost hear his puckish smirk) and for taking on the enterprise at all, seeing as how difficult it would be (Jack Kirby originally wanted to do a PRISONER comic book back in the 60's, examples of prep art from which can be found online). But still....
I guess, I just don't feel like THE PRISONER needed a sequel, and especially one that has to reconcile real-world events with the symbolic ending we were given. Yes, one of only a few "real-world" options you can have for interpreting the ending of the show is that The Village succeeds and breaks Number 6 by capitulating to his ego and letting him "become" Number 1, at which point we should assume he goes mad, given further events. So a sequel starting with Number 6 as lonely ruler of an empty Village seems like a valid extension of that, but then I'm not a fan of a "real-word" reading of the show's ending. The book's decision to have him clash with Number 2, in a fist fight no less, seems awkward, if for no other reason than the Number 2 we are given here (after 20 years in "prison", natch) does not seem like the Number 2 we were left with in "Fall Out", the last episode. What I mean is that Number 2 in "Fall Out" is inspired by Number 6 to reject his masters (he even spits in the "eye" of Number 1), while also tragically realizing that he's sold himself so far into the structure that he can never leave (his realization of his individuality comes too late and he has no choice but to return "home" - or its equivalent - at the end of the series). So his animosity towards Number 6 in this sequel seems wrong, somehow. The "real word" revelation of what the Village was "actually" hiding also seems both perfunctory and on the nose. Only in the final moments of the book are we given hints of a larger idea that would have been more interesting, building off of the series' mention of the Village as a "prototype" for the future of world relations, a future of eternal surveillance.
So, if you've never seen the show, you can skip this comic. If you liked or loved the show, then maybe you should inter-library loan a copy, because it's an underwhelming experience (but you'd be a "Fool" to miss a chance to revisit some of the show's ideas). If you didn't like the show, well, why would you care anyway (and you're probably just the kind of "Rat" that's waiting eagerly for his chance to be the next Number 2, forgetting that there's always another Number 2 waiting behind you)? Be seeing you!
This is an official, comic book sequel to the amazing, influential, much-loved original television series from the 60's THE PRISONER. All rights have been retained for all likenesses and imagery (except for the estate of Angelo Muscat, who played the mute, diminutive butler - so while the Butler DOES appear, you never see him clearly - only a couple of panels, and his face is always in shadow. You could even argue that the character isn't there at all, just a hallucination of Number 2's mind) so everything looks as it should.
But is it any good? THE PRISONER is a difficult show to add to or continue in any way (I don't have high hopes for the new remake version, coming this Winter) and is notorious for starting off as a very real-world, if odd, scenario and ending more as a symbolic allegory (to the delight of some, like me, and the consternation of others, who wanted a more definitive answer to just what was going on). Go check it out yourself, if that sounds intriguing (you're in for some fun!)
This sequel follows the travails of a woman, Alice Drake, who has just divorced her husband and left her job. Unfortunately, she and her husband were both British Intelligence agents and, as she sets off on a round-the-world yacht trip, her craft is waylaid (deliberately?) and she finds herself washed up at the ruins of The Village, the strange community (rest home/torture chamber for spies) from the television show, now abandoned after the last episode of said show. Well, not completely abandoned. Number 6, Patrick McGoohan's character, resides here alone, spending twenty years doing nothing much but presiding over the ruins. As Alice's husband works with another friend (or is he?) from Intelligence to find/rescue her, a book is on the bestseller charts. It is a memoir (THE VILLAGE IDIOT) of a Government spook (Leo McKern's Number 2) just released from jail - a heavily edited expose of government secrets (or is it all just lies, with anything true edited out?). There is consternation in the higher levels of intelligence, people are set to follow people, old contacts are re-established (Mrs. Butterworth, the mysterious woman from an old episode, puts in an appearance), assassinations are carried out and eventually a lot of people converge on the Village, where Number 2 and Number 6 meet for the first time in 20 years to settle an old score.
To be honest, my initial reaction to this when it was originally published was a feeling of being underwhelmed. And, to be honest, re-reading it now, that's still my reaction. The art is very problematic - sketchy and ugly at times, it gets better as the book progresses, enhanced by some nice digital photo images captured from the original show (although the use of photos for background's is distracting and cheap looking - unless the intention was to portray the Village as some kind of cheap simulacra/virtual reality prison, and I don't think it was) but still seems a very odd choice. The coloring, at least in the originals, is atrocious, by turns lurid and ugly (only a few scenes, one lit by early morning light, seem to capture the colorists intentions). Alice's daughter is a hideous mustard when she first appears, looking like some pulp-style "heathen chinee" bad guy from the 30's. This was during a terrible period in the comics industry where better paper was being used but the coloring systems had not been re-calibrated for the whiter stock and so many late 80's comics share this attribute (check out an early collection of Alan Moore's SWAMP THING, or early issues of HELLBLAZER, for more examples).
But really, how is the story? I give Motter and Askwith credit for doing a great job capturing the "voice" of the characters, especially Number 6's short, zen-koan like statements (you can almost hear his puckish smirk) and for taking on the enterprise at all, seeing as how difficult it would be (Jack Kirby originally wanted to do a PRISONER comic book back in the 60's, examples of prep art from which can be found online). But still....
I guess, I just don't feel like THE PRISONER needed a sequel, and especially one that has to reconcile real-world events with the symbolic ending we were given. Yes, one of only a few "real-world" options you can have for interpreting the ending of the show is that The Village succeeds and breaks Number 6 by capitulating to his ego and letting him "become" Number 1, at which point we should assume he goes mad, given further events. So a sequel starting with Number 6 as lonely ruler of an empty Village seems like a valid extension of that, but then I'm not a fan of a "real-word" reading of the show's ending. The book's decision to have him clash with Number 2, in a fist fight no less, seems awkward, if for no other reason than the Number 2 we are given here (after 20 years in "prison", natch) does not seem like the Number 2 we were left with in "Fall Out", the last episode. What I mean is that Number 2 in "Fall Out" is inspired by Number 6 to reject his masters (he even spits in the "eye" of Number 1), while also tragically realizing that he's sold himself so far into the structure that he can never leave (his realization of his individuality comes too late and he has no choice but to return "home" - or its equivalent - at the end of the series). So his animosity towards Number 6 in this sequel seems wrong, somehow. The "real word" revelation of what the Village was "actually" hiding also seems both perfunctory and on the nose. Only in the final moments of the book are we given hints of a larger idea that would have been more interesting, building off of the series' mention of the Village as a "prototype" for the future of world relations, a future of eternal surveillance.
So, if you've never seen the show, you can skip this comic. If you liked or loved the show, then maybe you should inter-library loan a copy, because it's an underwhelming experience (but you'd be a "Fool" to miss a chance to revisit some of the show's ideas). If you didn't like the show, well, why would you care anyway (and you're probably just the kind of "Rat" that's waiting eagerly for his chance to be the next Number 2, forgetting that there's always another Number 2 waiting behind you)? Be seeing you!
July 26, 2017
Supposed to be a sequel of the brilliant late 60's TV show, this book doesn't live up to its model.
I'd read it already more than to decades ago and didn't like it much. My hopes of a better opinion so many years later just crashed.
Cryptic spy-vs-spy plot with huge holes (why in hell did number 6 spend 20 years in an abandoned Village and why did number 2 did the same in prison? And why let him publish a book on the Village? Etc.), totally bland characters you don't care for and let's face it, visuals as ugly as sin, that's too much for me to endorse this poor excuse of a sequel.
I'd read it already more than to decades ago and didn't like it much. My hopes of a better opinion so many years later just crashed.
Cryptic spy-vs-spy plot with huge holes (why in hell did number 6 spend 20 years in an abandoned Village and why did number 2 did the same in prison? And why let him publish a book on the Village? Etc.), totally bland characters you don't care for and let's face it, visuals as ugly as sin, that's too much for me to endorse this poor excuse of a sequel.
July 15, 2025
The Prisoner TV show of the late 60s has developed a cult following (deservedly so) for its intelligent scripts and the way it deconstructed the spy genre. Also, because there really wasn't a conclusive ending - it really did leave a lot unresolved.
This graphic novel, a compilation of the mini-series from a couple of years earlier - does provide some of those answers. It gives a brief precis of the original show, and a rundon on the intervening 20 years - in which not much happened.
The story starts off promisingly, with a very British style spy story, but it doesn't really maintain its early promise, and in the end the author doesn't seem to really know how to finish the story. I found the ending to be somewhat rushed and not living up to its earlier promise. And, whether deliberate or not, it also left a lot of questions unresolved.
This graphic novel, a compilation of the mini-series from a couple of years earlier - does provide some of those answers. It gives a brief precis of the original show, and a rundon on the intervening 20 years - in which not much happened.
The story starts off promisingly, with a very British style spy story, but it doesn't really maintain its early promise, and in the end the author doesn't seem to really know how to finish the story. I found the ending to be somewhat rushed and not living up to its earlier promise. And, whether deliberate or not, it also left a lot of questions unresolved.
January 16, 2024
2.5 Stars!
Originally published in comic form between 1988-89, there’s an understated charm to this graphic novel from back in 1990. It’s alive with a rich helping of psychedelic, sweetie paper wrapping colour, with some lovely old-school artwork, but I have to say in terms of the story, I’m not really sure I could make head nor tail of what was actually going on.
Originally published in comic form between 1988-89, there’s an understated charm to this graphic novel from back in 1990. It’s alive with a rich helping of psychedelic, sweetie paper wrapping colour, with some lovely old-school artwork, but I have to say in terms of the story, I’m not really sure I could make head nor tail of what was actually going on.
August 20, 2015
The Prisoner: Shattered Visage is a 1988 comic book sequel to the 1967-1968 British TV series The Prisoner. I was first exposed to The Prisoner in the 1980s, and the show then still seemed not only ahead of its time, but ahead of our time. I recently watched the whole original series and found that it now seems very dated. I understand why it has devoted fans, and I enjoyed elements of it, but I don't think it holds up. To the extent that it touched on important themes, it really failed to go the distance and take any stand stronger or more specific than "the rights of the individual are sacrosanct."
So how about this 20-year-later sequel? It allows that 20 years have passed, so it's set in the late 1980s with The Village in a state of decay. Old characters play their parts, and new characters are introduced who go through motions similar to the old characters in the old series--as often happens in relatively uninspired sequels. It is a little interesting to see how the events of the late 1980s--particularly the Iran-Contra revelations set the tone and inspire some of the dialogue. But the flip-side of that is that this comic book comes off as being at least as dated as the show. The show's ending did not tie things up with a tidy bow, but to the extent that this comic tried to add clarity, it failed. Also, the show's humor was one of its saving graces, but was largely absent here. The art is not great overall, but it does a good job of making callbacks to imagery from the TV series.
Perhaps if you like The Prisoner (and not just a rose-tinted memory of it), you will like this. I found both to be muddled, obtuse, and more self-important than revelatory.
So how about this 20-year-later sequel? It allows that 20 years have passed, so it's set in the late 1980s with The Village in a state of decay. Old characters play their parts, and new characters are introduced who go through motions similar to the old characters in the old series--as often happens in relatively uninspired sequels. It is a little interesting to see how the events of the late 1980s--particularly the Iran-Contra revelations set the tone and inspire some of the dialogue. But the flip-side of that is that this comic book comes off as being at least as dated as the show. The show's ending did not tie things up with a tidy bow, but to the extent that this comic tried to add clarity, it failed. Also, the show's humor was one of its saving graces, but was largely absent here. The art is not great overall, but it does a good job of making callbacks to imagery from the TV series.
Perhaps if you like The Prisoner (and not just a rose-tinted memory of it), you will like this. I found both to be muddled, obtuse, and more self-important than revelatory.
August 24, 2024
Bumping this up to five stars probably because I'm still riding the high of rewatching the series. Not so much a sequel or conclusion as it is a love letter to The Prisoner that touches on the themes of (and is chock-full of references to) the show while still refusing to give any definitive answers. And that's kind of perfect?
December 21, 2021
Not as bad as some reviews make out, this sequel is affectionately done. The art is basic but Number Six retains his pithy dialogue and it pays tribute to the iconic scenery of Portmeirion. Sadly the first half is much stronger and the second is hastily concluded.
December 11, 2017
The Existence of this comic is kind of pointless. Obviously, one does not want to make the original series clearer. And this comic doesn't. In the same time the plot of this book is not really ever surrealist like the ones of the show were at times. Actually, it's pretty straight up, a female Agent from the same agency as Number 6 resign and go for a trip around the world and than cast away at the village, meanwhile her husband, also an agent tries to find the secrets of the village.
We didn't really need a continuation of the plot, so this comic also doesn't really try to offer that. Most of all it tries to give the same Atmosphere of the original. it somewhat succeeds at that, but it lacks some of the uniqueness of the original.
At times keeping the mystery doesn't make sense. number 6 and one of the number 2's are named as such in a briefing even though those are village names, the agency should know at least number 6 name, the show went for length to not have a situation where one would be to use his actual name, this comic just acts like he has non. it is also probable they could find a name for number 2 that differentiate him from the other. actually, the original was pretty clear number 2 is a title and there are multiple individuals filling it, but the comics treat him like *the* number 2.
I said that the plot was clear but actually big parts of it are pointless. to be fair the original also had this problem.
Another problem shared with the original is that most of the allusions and the symbolism is kind of pointless. this comic also like to allude to catch phrases from the original even though in universe they should not have this much of a significance which is to be expected but still irritating.
But in the end, this are pretty minor problem, the comics is entertaining enough. If you liked the show, you could read it, certainly don't have to.
We didn't really need a continuation of the plot, so this comic also doesn't really try to offer that. Most of all it tries to give the same Atmosphere of the original. it somewhat succeeds at that, but it lacks some of the uniqueness of the original.
At times keeping the mystery doesn't make sense. number 6 and one of the number 2's are named as such in a briefing even though those are village names, the agency should know at least number 6 name, the show went for length to not have a situation where one would be to use his actual name, this comic just acts like he has non. it is also probable they could find a name for number 2 that differentiate him from the other. actually, the original was pretty clear number 2 is a title and there are multiple individuals filling it, but the comics treat him like *the* number 2.
I said that the plot was clear but actually big parts of it are pointless. to be fair the original also had this problem.
Another problem shared with the original is that most of the allusions and the symbolism is kind of pointless. this comic also like to allude to catch phrases from the original even though in universe they should not have this much of a significance which is to be expected but still irritating.
But in the end, this are pretty minor problem, the comics is entertaining enough. If you liked the show, you could read it, certainly don't have to.
May 22, 2021
Hmmm... Like the cult television show this is a graphic novel that needs to season in the mind a bit. There is a lot going on here, on different levels, and I think one needs to ruminate and perhaps re-read once or twice to appreciate all the ingredients to this story fully. Yep, number 6 is in it. Both of them. Yep, the village is there, sort of. Yep, there is at least one nuclear missile launch, but what it accomplishes is a little vague. I could go on. I will say that the authors did their homework. There are references to bits that never made it to the screen and all sorts of call-outs to the original series. Die hard fans will not be disappointed in that respect. But, like I said, the story will need some sifting.
On the surface, a disgruntled agent ends up in the village, but it is dilapidated and vacant. Or is it? There is some behind the scenes shenanigans with other agents and what they are up to is not entirely clear. There are mysterious figures in control and others who have, "too much information." Where do Number 6 and Number 2 come into the mix? They sort of remind me of that Star Trek episode where the scientist discovers a way to travel between dimensions, only to meet his doppelganger who wants to kill all the versions of himself and they end up trapped, fighting each other for eternity. So, not best friends.
Overall, a good book that will make you think. And while I started off not being a fan of the art by Dean Motter, I quickly appreciated that it was required in order to set the proper tone for the story. If you liked the program, you are in for a treat here.
On the surface, a disgruntled agent ends up in the village, but it is dilapidated and vacant. Or is it? There is some behind the scenes shenanigans with other agents and what they are up to is not entirely clear. There are mysterious figures in control and others who have, "too much information." Where do Number 6 and Number 2 come into the mix? They sort of remind me of that Star Trek episode where the scientist discovers a way to travel between dimensions, only to meet his doppelganger who wants to kill all the versions of himself and they end up trapped, fighting each other for eternity. So, not best friends.
Overall, a good book that will make you think. And while I started off not being a fan of the art by Dean Motter, I quickly appreciated that it was required in order to set the proper tone for the story. If you liked the program, you are in for a treat here.
June 6, 2019
This is a story of two halves. Unfortunately for the reader, the latter half is the weaker of the two. The first two chapters are brilliant as you are introduced to the new characters and the premise of the tale. This got me hooked. I loved the direction I thought Dean Motter was taking us in... then the third chapter starts to lose cohesion and gets messy.
Though the original TV series was abstract at times and could be confusing, the direction gave it a charm and a particular feel that kept the audience watching. However, the abstract is just confusing and awkward. By the time I reached the last chapter and the conclusion (which felt wrong and rushed), I was already losing interest. This is a shame as it could have been such a good story. What this needed were a couple more chapters to alleviate the confusion and expand on the ending to give it a stronger conclusion.
The artwork is solid and works well with the limited colour palette of the old-school comic books. It works brilliantly with the story and was part of the reason I kept reading though I was losing interest.
On the whole, I wouldn't advise anybody to rush out and buy this book... but if you're a fan of the telly series and find a copy in a thrift/charity shop then pick it up - you may enjoy it...
Be seeing you...
Though the original TV series was abstract at times and could be confusing, the direction gave it a charm and a particular feel that kept the audience watching. However, the abstract is just confusing and awkward. By the time I reached the last chapter and the conclusion (which felt wrong and rushed), I was already losing interest. This is a shame as it could have been such a good story. What this needed were a couple more chapters to alleviate the confusion and expand on the ending to give it a stronger conclusion.
The artwork is solid and works well with the limited colour palette of the old-school comic books. It works brilliantly with the story and was part of the reason I kept reading though I was losing interest.
On the whole, I wouldn't advise anybody to rush out and buy this book... but if you're a fan of the telly series and find a copy in a thrift/charity shop then pick it up - you may enjoy it...
Be seeing you...
December 29, 2019
Twenty years after it ended, the classic 1960s TV series The Prisoner got what is perhaps the closest thing it will ever get to a proper, authorized sequel. It got in the form of Shattered Visage, a graphic novel that collected the four part comic book mini-series published by DC Comics, signed off on by not just the company that owns the series (ITC) but by Patrick McGoohan himself. But given the reputation of the original TV series, how well does Shattered Visage hold up?
Shattered Visage is a sequel to the original TV series and thus features both characters and elements from it. Both Patrick McGoohan Number Six and the Leo McKern version of Number Two appear, and clearly are the same characters played by McGoohan and McKern in both characterizations and in the artwork. Both are men changed by their experiences in the Village and the subsequent twenty years that followed. By meeting them again, we learn not only their fates at the end of the TV series (and with it are given something of an explanation for the oddness that was the series finale Fall Out) but also see a final confrontation between them and see how they tie into the Village's eventual fate. Together they make for an interesting character study and are believable future versions of the TV characters.
The story uses various elements from the TV series, some better then others. The Village itself has long since been abandoned and is in a state of decay when we first arrive at it and thus retains all of its menace from the TV series, if in a different form so to speak. All the familiar hallmarks are still there though: Number Two's office inside the green dome, the marble busts that house security equipment in them, and even the mysterious balloon like security device Rover. Some of the artwork heavily echoes (and at times actually are) iconic images from the TV series itself (especially from the opening credits) Some of the elements aren't quite as well used or even unnecessary such as the mentioning and later cameo appearance of Mrs. Buttersworth (from the episode Many Happy Returns) or the cameo appearance of the mute, diminutive butler (whose never seen clearly) which really distract from the main part of the story. For the most part though, the re-used elements from the TV series are put to fine use and gives this sequel an air of authenticity all its own.
Shattered Visage though, it could be argued, really revolves around a new cast of characters. In particular the story revolves around the estranged married couple of Alice and Thomas Drake. Alice is a former British intelligence agent who, after leaving her husband behind at his job and putting their daughter Meagan in a boarding school, goes off on what she plans to be a computer guided record breaking around the world sailing journey and instead finds herself in the Village. Thomas, on the other hand, still works for British intelligence and has recently finished editing the memoir of Number Two and has begun his own investigations into the Village. Thomas works on this not only for his superiors Ross and the Colonel (who may or may not be the character Colonel J from the TV series) but with the mysterious American operative Lee who heavily echoes Joe Don Baker's character from the BBC thriller mini-series Edge Of Darkness that was aired a few years before Shattered Visage was written though more in characterization then physical appearance. Together they add to the mythology of The Prisoner and offer a new way of exploring it.
Above all, it is the story itself that makes Shattered Visage so compelling. While it is a sequel to the 1960s TV series, it does so while being set in the late-1980s. The story therefore ties in heavily with the late Cold War and the events of the time. Examples include the controversy surrounding Number Two's memoir (based on the controversy surrounding the book Spycatcher, which written by a former MI5 agent, that the British government tried to ban publication of), mentioning of the SDI "Star Wars" defense system and the political climate of the time. There's also references to other pieces of spy fiction as well including a reference to a "Mr. Smiley" (aka George Smiley from various John le Carre novels) as well as appearance's in the artwork of characters such as John Steed and Emma Peel in one sequence. These elements help to ground the story in the "here and now" of when it was written which is both a good thing and a bad thing as it does date the story a bit. Perhaps this is unavoidable, though if you know your stuff it shouldn't be much of an issue.
But it is how the story ties into, and of course acts as a sequel to the TV series, that's more important. Various elements have been previously mentioned throughout the review such as the return of characters, settings and echoes of the iconic pieces from the series. Yet Shattered Visage is much more then just that. It offers its own explanations and theories about the Village, what it was and what it really hid. It also, as previously mentioned, explores the fates of both Number Six and Leo McKern's Number Two and offers up a compelling explanation for the final episode Fall Out, itself perhaps the most controversial finale of any TV series and the source of much speculation over the years. Yet despite doing all this, some things are still left unanswered right up to the twist in the final pages. It is only when these elements are combined with the late-1980s setting the result is a true sequel to the series.
With the passing of many of those who were in the original TV series, and given the lukewarm at best response the recent re-imagined mini-series has received, Shattered Visage is the closest we will ever get to a proper sequel to The Prisoner and it is a fitting one. With its fine use of characters and elements from the original TV series while, all the while, infusing the story with new characters and elements. It helps to explain some things, yet leaves the big questions unanswered and it does all that while be just as entertaining yet thought-provoking as the TV series it was spawned from. What more can you ask of it?
Shattered Visage is a sequel to the original TV series and thus features both characters and elements from it. Both Patrick McGoohan Number Six and the Leo McKern version of Number Two appear, and clearly are the same characters played by McGoohan and McKern in both characterizations and in the artwork. Both are men changed by their experiences in the Village and the subsequent twenty years that followed. By meeting them again, we learn not only their fates at the end of the TV series (and with it are given something of an explanation for the oddness that was the series finale Fall Out) but also see a final confrontation between them and see how they tie into the Village's eventual fate. Together they make for an interesting character study and are believable future versions of the TV characters.
The story uses various elements from the TV series, some better then others. The Village itself has long since been abandoned and is in a state of decay when we first arrive at it and thus retains all of its menace from the TV series, if in a different form so to speak. All the familiar hallmarks are still there though: Number Two's office inside the green dome, the marble busts that house security equipment in them, and even the mysterious balloon like security device Rover. Some of the artwork heavily echoes (and at times actually are) iconic images from the TV series itself (especially from the opening credits) Some of the elements aren't quite as well used or even unnecessary such as the mentioning and later cameo appearance of Mrs. Buttersworth (from the episode Many Happy Returns) or the cameo appearance of the mute, diminutive butler (whose never seen clearly) which really distract from the main part of the story. For the most part though, the re-used elements from the TV series are put to fine use and gives this sequel an air of authenticity all its own.
Shattered Visage though, it could be argued, really revolves around a new cast of characters. In particular the story revolves around the estranged married couple of Alice and Thomas Drake. Alice is a former British intelligence agent who, after leaving her husband behind at his job and putting their daughter Meagan in a boarding school, goes off on what she plans to be a computer guided record breaking around the world sailing journey and instead finds herself in the Village. Thomas, on the other hand, still works for British intelligence and has recently finished editing the memoir of Number Two and has begun his own investigations into the Village. Thomas works on this not only for his superiors Ross and the Colonel (who may or may not be the character Colonel J from the TV series) but with the mysterious American operative Lee who heavily echoes Joe Don Baker's character from the BBC thriller mini-series Edge Of Darkness that was aired a few years before Shattered Visage was written though more in characterization then physical appearance. Together they add to the mythology of The Prisoner and offer a new way of exploring it.
Above all, it is the story itself that makes Shattered Visage so compelling. While it is a sequel to the 1960s TV series, it does so while being set in the late-1980s. The story therefore ties in heavily with the late Cold War and the events of the time. Examples include the controversy surrounding Number Two's memoir (based on the controversy surrounding the book Spycatcher, which written by a former MI5 agent, that the British government tried to ban publication of), mentioning of the SDI "Star Wars" defense system and the political climate of the time. There's also references to other pieces of spy fiction as well including a reference to a "Mr. Smiley" (aka George Smiley from various John le Carre novels) as well as appearance's in the artwork of characters such as John Steed and Emma Peel in one sequence. These elements help to ground the story in the "here and now" of when it was written which is both a good thing and a bad thing as it does date the story a bit. Perhaps this is unavoidable, though if you know your stuff it shouldn't be much of an issue.
But it is how the story ties into, and of course acts as a sequel to the TV series, that's more important. Various elements have been previously mentioned throughout the review such as the return of characters, settings and echoes of the iconic pieces from the series. Yet Shattered Visage is much more then just that. It offers its own explanations and theories about the Village, what it was and what it really hid. It also, as previously mentioned, explores the fates of both Number Six and Leo McKern's Number Two and offers up a compelling explanation for the final episode Fall Out, itself perhaps the most controversial finale of any TV series and the source of much speculation over the years. Yet despite doing all this, some things are still left unanswered right up to the twist in the final pages. It is only when these elements are combined with the late-1980s setting the result is a true sequel to the series.
With the passing of many of those who were in the original TV series, and given the lukewarm at best response the recent re-imagined mini-series has received, Shattered Visage is the closest we will ever get to a proper sequel to The Prisoner and it is a fitting one. With its fine use of characters and elements from the original TV series while, all the while, infusing the story with new characters and elements. It helps to explain some things, yet leaves the big questions unanswered and it does all that while be just as entertaining yet thought-provoking as the TV series it was spawned from. What more can you ask of it?
March 17, 2021
A Quick and Tense Comic
The Prisoner is a sequel comic to a 60’s British television show of the same name. I would imagine that the comic makes more sense if you watched the show. I, however, didn’t know that this was a sequel until I read the Author’s note at the end of the book. I read this as a standalone story, and I enjoyed it enough that way. I would imagine it is similar to watching a show like Watchmen without having ever read the original comic. The context helps a lot, but it’s a fine story by itself. There is one strange part where two characters that hadn’t met in the book started fighting as soon as one sees the other. While I now believe that they had history from the show, while reading I just took it as a part of the mystery.
The story is fairly tense, and a bit of a downer near the end. The art is grimy, but in a way that fits the tone. It’s a good read if you want something different and short, and you don’t need to have seen the show to enjoy it.
The Prisoner is a sequel comic to a 60’s British television show of the same name. I would imagine that the comic makes more sense if you watched the show. I, however, didn’t know that this was a sequel until I read the Author’s note at the end of the book. I read this as a standalone story, and I enjoyed it enough that way. I would imagine it is similar to watching a show like Watchmen without having ever read the original comic. The context helps a lot, but it’s a fine story by itself. There is one strange part where two characters that hadn’t met in the book started fighting as soon as one sees the other. While I now believe that they had history from the show, while reading I just took it as a part of the mystery.
The story is fairly tense, and a bit of a downer near the end. The art is grimy, but in a way that fits the tone. It’s a good read if you want something different and short, and you don’t need to have seen the show to enjoy it.
October 13, 2021
Once a decade or so, I come back to this book and hope it'll somehow be better than it is. The Prisoner is The Best TV Show Ever.
For half its length, Shattered Visage makes a game effort - some subterfuge, some philosophizing about the nature of freedom - but 0utside of the first conversation between the protagonist and Number Six on the nature of their freedoms, does it ever really say anything? Motter and Askwith borrow from the show's dialogue liberally, but it reads more like they just want to nod to the catch phrases without adding anything in their usage.
The ending is ... I mean, I guess if you're going to pretend the show was literal and former spies are kept in this remote Village, I guess that's one way to go with it. The Machiavellian layers don't really fit together, but fine - the show didn't spell things out either, so I won't hold the comic to that either. But it still seems so pointless in the end.
For half its length, Shattered Visage makes a game effort - some subterfuge, some philosophizing about the nature of freedom - but 0utside of the first conversation between the protagonist and Number Six on the nature of their freedoms, does it ever really say anything? Motter and Askwith borrow from the show's dialogue liberally, but it reads more like they just want to nod to the catch phrases without adding anything in their usage.
The ending is ... I mean, I guess if you're going to pretend the show was literal and former spies are kept in this remote Village, I guess that's one way to go with it. The Machiavellian layers don't really fit together, but fine - the show didn't spell things out either, so I won't hold the comic to that either. But it still seems so pointless in the end.
April 4, 2025
Now I may be an old fart but sadly I am still too young to have watched the series when it first broadcast however I have followed its many repeats (and yes the attempted reboot too but we wont go there).
Now the style and the imagery of the series were front and centre in every episode and story and that is something that stuck with me through the years and for me made the series all the more memorable as a result.
However there was never a suitable satisfactory ending to it all - in fact I seem to remember the topic has spawned many a discussion and theory. That is until now with the publication of this book. Here we have an ending to it all - one which I believe got as close as possible to acceptance as canon.
Now the style and the imagery of the series were front and centre in every episode and story and that is something that stuck with me through the years and for me made the series all the more memorable as a result.
However there was never a suitable satisfactory ending to it all - in fact I seem to remember the topic has spawned many a discussion and theory. That is until now with the publication of this book. Here we have an ending to it all - one which I believe got as close as possible to acceptance as canon.
March 20, 2018
An unnecessary yet not entirely unsuccessful attempt to follow up the classic '60s TV series, updated to the end of the Cold War, Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer and the surveillance state, and cynically tying off loose ends while cleverly rendering The Village in new light as an abandoned ruin. Technically, the art is sketchy and for the most part poorly coloured, and the lettering is unpleasant.
(Read as single issues.)
(Read as single issues.)
March 29, 2018
This is a sequel to the sixties TV show The Prisoner, and as such it has two potential audiences: those who know the series, and those who don't. For those who know the series: this is okay. It gives one a chance to visit again, and doesn't particularly ruin anything (though some will dislike its interpretation of the final episodes). I like Motter's art, and enjoyed the long visual sequences with no dialogue. For those who don't know the series: don't bother. This will make no sense.
February 26, 2021
Secuela oficial a la serie televisiva de culto que, aunque respetuosa en lo básico, no busca ser un calco. Dean Motter ofrece, en cambio, una galería de fantasmas visitados por una nueva generación de visitantes cuyas intrigas personales pecan de superficiales, mas brindan el respaldo esperado al viejo enfrentamiento entre libertad y autoridad que encarnan dos rostros conocidos. Amada u odiada si términos medios por los fans de la serie, quienes son en última instancia su únicos destinatarios.
October 3, 2019
Collects The Prisoner: Shattered Visage issues #1-4 (This was a DC Comics miniseries that came out between 1988 and 1989, even though this collection is put out by Titan Comics.)
This is considered an official sequel to the television series, and features some recognizable characters.
Final rating = 3.5 stars
This is considered an official sequel to the television series, and features some recognizable characters.
Final rating = 3.5 stars
March 9, 2021
I just finished watching the tv series and although I loved it, the final episode was a mess.
This story picks up the threads of the last episode twenty years later and tied them together.
I’ve never studied a comic more closely than this before, every panel has a clue or Easter egg from the original show.
This story picks up the threads of the last episode twenty years later and tied them together.
I’ve never studied a comic more closely than this before, every panel has a clue or Easter egg from the original show.
March 23, 2018
fuck
yes
yes
January 31, 2020
I just read for some nostalgia, but it did not work in 2020.
Our paranoias are way more strong now.
Our paranoias are way more strong now.
February 23, 2020
Bleak and interesting continuation of that oh so bizarre series.
April 12, 2022
Um thriller com um grafismo impressionante e que nos deixa a pensar, what did just happen?https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...#
April 25, 2025
I don't know why this book had to ignore the actual ending to The Prisoner. One of the more interesting aspects about The Prisoner is how you can interpret it however you want. For example, I interpret the Village as a stand-in for the interior mind, or for the 'oppressive' nature of the education system, particularly high school (I don't feel it's a coincidence that one episode is about speed-learning and how it makes people only able to regurgitate information rather than process it).
In regard to this book, the missile that blew up the Village could be interpreted to have only blown-up part of the Village. It would have been more impactful, I think, if this book used the gravitas (similar to the Fallout tv show) of having a crater in the center of the Village as an emotional/plot point rather than disregarding it entirely.
The story itself was kind of redundant, but I like the Lewis Carrollian repetition of quotes from the series like 'I am not a number.' The repetition was used so much (also like in the episode 'Once Upon a Time,' in my opinion) throughout this book to the point where it felt repetitive. Bringing back Number 2 and 6 into the story was unnecessary. The entire story felt like it was trying to be more profound than it actually was.
The main thing I liked about this graphic novel were the illustrations. They felt authentic to a 60s time period while using more contemporary styles of illustration.
I still enjoyed reading this. It was surreal and weird, just like the show.
In regard to this book, the missile that blew up the Village could be interpreted to have only blown-up part of the Village. It would have been more impactful, I think, if this book used the gravitas (similar to the Fallout tv show) of having a crater in the center of the Village as an emotional/plot point rather than disregarding it entirely.
The story itself was kind of redundant, but I like the Lewis Carrollian repetition of quotes from the series like 'I am not a number.' The repetition was used so much (also like in the episode 'Once Upon a Time,' in my opinion) throughout this book to the point where it felt repetitive. Bringing back Number 2 and 6 into the story was unnecessary. The entire story felt like it was trying to be more profound than it actually was.
The main thing I liked about this graphic novel were the illustrations. They felt authentic to a 60s time period while using more contemporary styles of illustration.
I still enjoyed reading this. It was surreal and weird, just like the show.
February 14, 2013
Set twenty years after the final episode of the television series, Shattered Visage follows former secret agent Alice Drake as she is shipwrecked on the shores of the Village and encounters an aged, psychologically scarred Number Six. While the decades-old conflict unfolds between Six and Number Two (as played by Leo McKern in the TV series), secret agents in London have their own plans regarding the intelligence mine that is The Village, as well as the secret lying at its very core.
The authorized sequel to the cult TV series, THE PRISONER: SHATTERED VISAGE continues the saga of number six, the British secret agent who was condemned to life in the clandestine prison known as the Village. Years after the Village was destroyed, the infamous agent still resides in its former location, attempting to deal with the emotional scars of his past. But when a luckless female agent is washed ashore on his island, the Prisoner realizes that it is not only his mind that is still imprisoned. Featuring an overview of the entire television series, this book of intrigue and conspiracy offers the final chapter in the life of the most famous prisoner of all time.
The trade paperback included a two-page text piece that explained the surreal final episode, "Fall Out" as drug-enhanced psychodrama designed to break Number Six. However, the story itself regards the episode series as a pivotal point of characterization, as opposed to dismissing it entirely.
Patrick McGoohan and ITC Entertainment subjected the story and art to a thorough evaluation. The likenesses of McGoohan and Leo McKern were featured for their characters’ returns. According to Dean Motter, the notoriously critical McGoohan "didn't hate" the series while McKern was flattered to be a "comic book villain" for the first time.
The authorized sequel to the cult TV series, THE PRISONER: SHATTERED VISAGE continues the saga of number six, the British secret agent who was condemned to life in the clandestine prison known as the Village. Years after the Village was destroyed, the infamous agent still resides in its former location, attempting to deal with the emotional scars of his past. But when a luckless female agent is washed ashore on his island, the Prisoner realizes that it is not only his mind that is still imprisoned. Featuring an overview of the entire television series, this book of intrigue and conspiracy offers the final chapter in the life of the most famous prisoner of all time.
The trade paperback included a two-page text piece that explained the surreal final episode, "Fall Out" as drug-enhanced psychodrama designed to break Number Six. However, the story itself regards the episode series as a pivotal point of characterization, as opposed to dismissing it entirely.
Patrick McGoohan and ITC Entertainment subjected the story and art to a thorough evaluation. The likenesses of McGoohan and Leo McKern were featured for their characters’ returns. According to Dean Motter, the notoriously critical McGoohan "didn't hate" the series while McKern was flattered to be a "comic book villain" for the first time.
January 18, 2016
This is the "authorized sequel" to the Prisoner TV series, taking place some twenty years later. The Leo McKern #2 was apparently imprisoned for twenty years. He wrote a book on the Village, but by the time the book was basically re-written by those in the government, what he wrote and what actually got printed were two rather different things.
Number Six has gone back to the Village and has stayed there. The rest of the story involves other agents, a female agent who resigns, a boat trip, and her being trapped in the village. The former #2 confronts #6 and they basically try to kill each other. Later, other men invade the Village, looking for something or other, and another rocket is set off, supposedly destroying the Village totally.
The whole thing is pretty much absurd. Number Six had escaped the Village in Fall Out. Granted, he had promised he would come back and destroy the Village, but would he come back and voluntarily choose to live there? I don't think so.
The former Number Two was sentenced to prison for twenty years. For what? There was no indication any such thing would happen in the final episode. Also, it is very, very doubtful that the Village would have been left abandoned. Remember that, in Fall Out, Number One was in a rocket. It is logical to assume that the rocket contained a section that would have returned to the earth either from orbit or sub-orbit. Otherwise, why have such a rocket in the first place? The people who ran the Village would have picked up the pieces and gotten going again, in all likelihood, not left the entire place abandoned and opened to anyone who could find it (and presumably any secrets left behind.)Thus, as a sequel, this story just doesn't work.
Number Six has gone back to the Village and has stayed there. The rest of the story involves other agents, a female agent who resigns, a boat trip, and her being trapped in the village. The former #2 confronts #6 and they basically try to kill each other. Later, other men invade the Village, looking for something or other, and another rocket is set off, supposedly destroying the Village totally.
The whole thing is pretty much absurd. Number Six had escaped the Village in Fall Out. Granted, he had promised he would come back and destroy the Village, but would he come back and voluntarily choose to live there? I don't think so.
The former Number Two was sentenced to prison for twenty years. For what? There was no indication any such thing would happen in the final episode. Also, it is very, very doubtful that the Village would have been left abandoned. Remember that, in Fall Out, Number One was in a rocket. It is logical to assume that the rocket contained a section that would have returned to the earth either from orbit or sub-orbit. Otherwise, why have such a rocket in the first place? The people who ran the Village would have picked up the pieces and gotten going again, in all likelihood, not left the entire place abandoned and opened to anyone who could find it (and presumably any secrets left behind.)Thus, as a sequel, this story just doesn't work.
February 16, 2016
This graphic novel is, in many ways, a sequel to the final episode of the classic TV series, The Prisoner. Unfortunately, that episode was chaotic and out of control, and not a good thing to follow up.
Twenty years after the events in the series, a familiar Number Two has written a book about The Village, and a censored version is coming out in published form. This triggers a very strange sequence of events, only some of which make sense in context. Many require experienced agents to act like blithering idiots, which is most unfortunate. Then there is the real fate of Number Six...
Events in the story contradict some of the resolutions in the TV series, and force the reader to assume that the last twenty minutes of the series were at best a hallucination.
The artwork is gorgeous, but I wish the story had been better worked out.
Twenty years after the events in the series, a familiar Number Two has written a book about The Village, and a censored version is coming out in published form. This triggers a very strange sequence of events, only some of which make sense in context. Many require experienced agents to act like blithering idiots, which is most unfortunate. Then there is the real fate of Number Six...
Events in the story contradict some of the resolutions in the TV series, and force the reader to assume that the last twenty minutes of the series were at best a hallucination.
The artwork is gorgeous, but I wish the story had been better worked out.
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December 23, 2009"http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1275371.html[return][return]A graphic novel sequel to The Prisoner, published 20 years later. The Village has been closed for years, but a former Number Two exposes many of its secrets in a Spycatcher-like memoir. Meanwhile Alice Drake, an agent on a sailing holiday from a failing marriage, gets shipwrecked in this place with very weird architecture....[return][return]I generally liked Shattered Visage. It is very true to the original TV series visually and psychologically; the characters are beautifully drawn and entirely recognisable. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which felt both rushed and inconclusive. But basically this is a worthy addition to Prisoner canon."
April 3, 2013
This was always going to be an odd choice for a DC mini-series, as The Prisoner was about as far away from their normal output as you can possibly get. The wordy story meanders along, not really going anywhere, and fails at trying to be obscure, and even the constant quoting from the TV series becomes annoying. The cast of characters don't really seem to do anything, and you really don't care what happens to them. It was good to see the likenesses of No 2 & No 6 put on the page, but unfortunately this story could never live up to the story it was trying to continue. Be seeing you!
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