On November 19th, Dark Horse will debut Circus – Losing Control, the latest limited series in John le Carre’s vast spy world of Smiley. Today, The Beat is proud to share a special sneak peek of the first issue written by Matt Kindt, illustrated by Ibrahim Mustafa, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Simon Bowland.
Here’s a synopsis of the series:
Every day, behind closed doors, the men and women of the circus are involved in high-stakes, dangerous acts that the general public would never know about. These agents protect Britain’s most secrets. At the forefront of it all is control. He is an all-powerful puppet master who decides who goes where, who does what, and sometimes who lives and who dies, depending on his needs. But now the control has disappeared.
He doesn’t show up at the office. He will be absent from the meeting. He doesn’t or can’t answer the phone. He’s nowhere to be found. Control’s assistant, Maggie, is the only person who knows he’s gone, the mole’s identity is blown out in Moscow, and the clock is ticking. A member of the “Mothers” (a group of shadow assistants and secretaries who put together the shows behind the scenes at the circus), Maggie knows every protocol, every password, every operative. But we don’t know if something happened to Control or if this is part of his plan. Either way, she can’t trust anyone. No one knows that Control is missing. And can she trust control?
There’s a way to unravel the secrets inside the circus, and Maggie must act fast…or risk the walls coming down around her.
Check out John le Carre’s Interior Art: The Circus—Losing Control #1 below.
“Being asked to contribute a piece to the world of John le Carré’s Smiley is one of the greatest honors and responsibilities of my life,” Kindt said. “I wasn’t looking for this job, but I was called to serve, and like Smiley, my heart is in the right place and hopefully that’s enough.”
Nick Harkaway, on behalf of the John le Carré Estate, said: “Look at this! Just look! As soon as you open the book, Ibrahim’s stunning visuals envelop you in the world. And so begins Matt’s story of lies, damn lies and spies in a captivating modern version of the le Carré mode. We’re delighted to have Circus: Lost Control at our feet, safe from page one.” But speaking as the resident comic book nerd in this generation’s Cornwell family, “I agree. Give me more!”
John Le Carré: The Circus—Losing Control #1 (of 3) will be available digitally and at local comic shops on November 19th.
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