John le Carré's world of espionage becomes a comic mini-series: "The Circus - Losing Control"
8.8.2025
Translation: machine translated
The world of John le Carré is making its way into comic format. With "The Circus - Losing Control", a three-part mini-series will be published from November that tells the story in the spirit of the author: subtle, atmospheric and without loud effects.
You know John le Carré as a master of espionage literature. I don't associate le Carré with explosions, but with quiet suspense, moral dilemmas and opaque characters. Now, for the first time, a comic project is officially venturing into the multi-layered espionage universe of the British bestselling author: the mini-series «John le Carré: The Circus - Losing Control» will be published by US publisher Dark Horse Comics from 19 November 2025. You get a new, stand-alone story from the world of George Smiley: written by Matt Kindt and drawn by Ibrahim Moustafa.
The boss is gone and nobody can know
The three-part series centres on the sudden disappearance of Control, the enigmatic head of the British Secret Service, better known as «The Circus». His right-hand woman Maggie stays behind, knowing all the operational plans, communication codes and protocols. But she has to keep up appearances while a covert operation in Vienna is on the verge of collapse. Nobody knows what has happened to Control. What Maggie makes of this initial situation will decide the fate of the mission and perhaps more.
Source: Krimidoedel / Wikipedia
The plot is not an adaptation of an existing novel, but an independent story in the spirit of le Carré. According to author Matt Kindt, it is a «new modern interpretation» of topics such as lies, trust and loyalty. Entirely in the tradition of the literary original. « Nick Harkaway», administrator of le Carré's literary estate, is also involved in the project. Harkaway is the pseudonym of Nicholas Cornwell, one of John le Carré's sons.
Not a comic for on the side
If you associate comics primarily with superheroes or science fiction, you're in for a surprise: «Losing Control» focuses on psychological suspense, understated storytelling and a dense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere. Illustrator Ibrahim Moustafa works with rather muted, atmospheric colours and clear lines, while colourist Brad Simpson captures the cool mood of the 1970s. The lettering by Simon Bowland is also completely subordinate to the calm but precise narrative style.
Author Matt Kindt has experience with multi-layered narrative forms, including series such as «Mind MGMT» or «Spy Superb». For him, in his own words «, it is one of the greatest honours of my life» to be able to be an employee on this project.
Together, the creative team brings high-calibre genre experience from the fields of espionage, crime, drama and visual storytelling to this Le Carré comic project.
Format and publication
The series will be published in three issues, each with around 40 pages. The first issue will go on sale on 19 November 2025, both digitally and in print format. A collected edition has not yet been confirmed, but is likely to follow. It is not yet possible to say whether we will be able to offer the comics in our shop.
If you want to bridge the waiting time, it's worth picking up the original novels by John le Carré. We particularly recommend «Dame, König, As, Spion» («Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy»), «Agent in eigener Sache» («Smiley's People») or the early classic «Der Spion, der der aus der Kälte kam» («The Spy Who Came In from the Cold»). They all offer a perfect introduction to the dark, multi-layered universe of «Circus».
Header image: Dark Horse Comics
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