Deep Cover main illustration: Kyle Ellingson
Polygon is diving into the world of espionage throughout fiction and pop culture history with Deep Cover, a two-week special issue covering all sorts of spy stories and gadgets. Don’t dust off your Austin Powers DVDs for this one, though — this time around, we’re looking at the grounded worlds of true-to-life spycraft.
We’re talking to creatives about how they designed intelligence operations that feel real — or, at least, satisfying. And we’re diving into the tech that fictional spies have used to get an edge, and how it’s crossed over into real life — as well as how some of the most absurd gimmicks employed in fictional spy stories have sometimes actually been inspired by real-life operations.