ONCE UPON A TIME

I've always liked to collect original paperback novels of my favourite TV series, and, remarkably, have managed to retain quite a few. And so continuing my week of Prisoner-themed trivia, here's some pulp stuff related to that series.

I picked up these three Prisoner paperbacks at a stationary store in Southport in 1981. It was around that time I first visited the Village in Portmeirion (In fact, 'A Day In The Life' still has a village postcard of The Green Dome I slotted in between it's covers. It was the first time I was able to read some official authorised original fiction based on the series.

These three books were previously published by Ace books in the USA  in 1969/70, while my UK versions appeared in 1980/81. While they are entertaining, stand alone novels dealing with the themes in The Prisoner, they do offer very little insight into questions posed in the series. However, 'Who Is Nunber Two? does begin with the line , " Drake woke. Automatically, naturally, without  an alarm, he came to conciousness." perpetuating the notion that I'm happy to agree with that, The Prisoner is , indeed Dangerman,  John Drake

This second item of original Prisoner fiction is the four-part graphic novel, The Prisoner: Shattered Visage.  published by DC in 1989, and written by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith, Artwork is by Dean Motter.

This intriguing read takes place twenty years after the original series' events. A young girl is shipwrecked off an uncharted beach. She finds an abandoned Village, and it's one last remaining inhabitant!

I must admit I find the artwork an acquired taste, but I have to say the authors' really know, and like their subject.

"Wir sehen uns!"