Exclusive Preview: See Kindt & Moustafa’s take on John le Carré’s world in THE CIRCUS—LOSING CONTROL

On November 19, Dark Horse will debut the latest limited series in the expansive Smiley world of espionage created by John le Carré with the The Circus—Losing Control. Today, The Beat can reveal an exclusive sneak peek at the first issue written by Matt Kindt, illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Simon Bowland.

Here’s the synopsis for the series:

Every day, behind closed doors, the men and women of The Circus are embroiled in high stakes, high-wire acts that the average citizen would never notice. These intelligence officers protect Britain’s most sensitive secrets. At the head of it all is Control: an all-powerful puppet master who decides who goes where, who does what, and sometimes, if necessary, who lives and who dies. But now, Control has vanished.

He doesn’t show up at the office. He misses his meetings. He won’t—or can’t—answer his phone. He is simply nowhere. Control’s assistant Maggie is the only one who knows he’s gone, and with a mole’s identity blown in Moscow, the clock is ticking. A member of “The Mothers”—the unsung fleet of assistants and secretaries who hold the show together behind the scenes of The Circus—Maggie knows every protocol, every password, and every operative—but she has no idea whether something has happened to Control or whether this is part of his plan. Either way, she can’t trust anyone. No-one can know Control is missing. And can she even trust Control? 

Secrets within The Circus have a way of unravelling, and Maggie will have to act fast… or risk the walls tumbling down around her.

Check out interior art from John le Carré: The Circus—Losing Control #1 below.

“Getting asked to contribute a piece to John le Carré’s world of Smiley has been one of the greatest honors and responsibilities of my life,” said Kindt. “I wasn’t looking for this job but I was called into service. And much like Smiley, my heart is in the right place and hopefully that will be enough.”

Nick Harkaway, speaking on behalf of the John le Carré Estate, said: “Look at this! Just look at it! You open the book and Ibrahim’s amazing visuals immediately wrap you in the world. Then you get Matt’s story of lies, damned lies and espionage in a gripping modern iteration of the le Carré mode. You’re in safe hands from page one, and it’s a pleasure to lay The Circus: Losing Control at the feet of readers and see what they make of it all. But speaking as the resident comics nerd in this generation of the Cornwell family: I’m in. Give me more!”

John Le Carré: The Circus—Losing Control #1 (of 3) will be available digitally and at your local comic shop on November 19.