An Interview With ‘John Le Carré: The Circus — Losing Control’ Writer Matt Kindt

Tinker. Tailor. Soldier. Mother? Move over Smiley. It’s time for the mothers to show who gets stuff done in writer Matt Kindt and artist Ibrahim Moustafa‘s new spy series, John Le Carré: The Circus — Losing Control. With colors by Brad Simpson and letters by Simon Bowland, here’s what Kindt had to share about Le Carré:

Rachel Bellwoar: It doesn’t sound like Losing Control is based on a specific Carré novel but it is set in that world. Why did you want to take on that challenge of creating an original Carré?

Matt Kindt: Well, the alternative would be to adapt one of the existing books … and that seems even trickier. But also I had the blessing and encouragement from the estate — which is his family so I was excited to really express my love of the work however I could … and if that meant adding a little something to the world he created and better yet, bringing new readers to the material, then I was more than happy to do that. These are really the quintessential espionage novels and have always been an inspiration to me since I first picked up The Spy Who Came in from the Cold when I was in high school.

Bellwoar: What sets John Le Carré’s novels apart from other espionage tales?

Kindt: There’s a grounded realness to them that makes sense … they were written from the point of view of someone with the real life experience. But there’s another aspect to the novels that I love and it’s the opaqueness of the characters. The plot is one thing to decipher but the character and motivations are another element that he won’t just tell you. If it’s possible to “show” character in a novel, he does it. Smiley reads like that ultimate anti-James Bond which I also love. He’s the opposite physically and with relationships and with his ability to do actual espionage work. The Smiley universe is the perfect response or, some might say antidote, to the James Bond. Sometimes you want an orange soda and sometimes you want a glass of wine … there’s room in the world for both.

Bellwoar: The title Losing Control can be interpreted a lot of different ways. Is it easy to come up with titles like that or does it take forever to land on the right one?

Kindt: Titles are one thing or the other. Either they’re painful to come up with or you happen upon it right away. There’s no middle ground. That said, this one was easy — it actually came from a prompt from a friend of mine (and Dark Horse producer) Keith Goldberg. He suggested it and I knew right away, that’s it. Problem solved.

Bellwoar: Why did you want to make this series about mothers and, for those who might be thinking maternal, what are mothers in terms of spycraft?

Kindt: The Mothers area team within the “Circus.” Ostensibly they’re the “secretaries” of the secret service. But really they’re the ones that are holding the whole place together. They are the sinew that connects all of the departments and know what’s going on everywhere. I think in the era that the books took place, the woman’s role in the office was a little more traditional I thought there was an interesting angle to be had by telling a story from the point of view of one of the Mothers rather than a field agent. What kinds of skills can she bring to a situation when the boss disappears and she’s thrown into the field. I know, as a life-long comic book writer/artist that I didn’t do it alone. I absolutely couldn’t have done it without my wife and I think a lot of partners say that about their significant other but I know in my case, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without her. I’m just the face of this thing. I can do a few very niche things pretty well but that’s not where the success comes from. I think it’s the same with Control (the head of the Circus). He’s good at certain things but without the Mothers, it all falls apart.

Bellwoar: It doesn’t sound like espionage leaves much room for romance yet it’s something Maggie brings up a lot when introducing new characters. Do you feel she is particularly preoccupied with love or is it just good spycraft to be aware of everyone’s personal lives?

Kindt: I won’t spoil too much of it but her character is best at analyzing everything. She’s constantly assessing other people. So I don’t think it’s romance she’s really caring about. It’s more about, how that romance (or lack of) impacts an agents actions. Is there a danger in having that romantic connection? Can it be leveraged. Her job is to see how it all fits together and how all the pieces connect.

Bellwoar: My favorite spread from the first issue is probably the overhead view of the Circus. What was it like designing a Circus for 2025 and, in terms of the old school tradecraft, was there a lot of nostalgia involved or was it more about getting to play with expectations around how much modern spycraft uses technology?

Kindt: It was tricky and I had a lot of conversations with the estate regarding the Circus and the actual physical building they would be occupying. What came out of those conversations was this idea that with all the modern technology and architecture, sometimes the old ways are more secure. The big new MI6 glass building that they built is an amazing piece of architecture and technology — but they found out that with all the glass — laser-listening devices would shoot right through the glass and listen in on top secret conversations. So they ended up having to move the meeting rooms to interior blocked off rooms to make the place secure. So the Circus is slightly older … a little less up-to-date and 100% more secure. I like the irony of progress pushing us to use the old ways. And I love a good cut-away view. I try to get one good cut-away into every book I write.

Bellwoar: Espionage is all about the details. I loved, for instance, the repeated panels drawing attention to Maggie’s use of alcohol spray. Was it fun getting to come up with ways to reinterpret genre conventions for the comics medium?

Kindt: Maggie has a little bit of OCD so it’s part of her character (and maybe a little bit of me) to be constantly spraying her hands. It’s probably a product of getting sick after comic book conventions and starting to be a little more pre-occupied with staying healthy. When I approach any story I’m really just trying to put myself in the place of the character. What would they do ‘for real’ in this situation. How would it actually play out? What would she be carrying in her hand bag day to day? And when she gets into trouble (issue #3) what does she have in that bag that might actually be useful?

Bellwoar: And on that intriguing note, thanks for agreeing to this interview, Matt!

John Le Carré: The Circus — Losing Control #1 is on sale now from Dark Horse Comics. Issue #2 goes on sale February 11th.