A new jumping on point for one of the best comics being published today.
This issue sees the start of the third arc of Matt Kindt’s critically lauded MIND MGMT. To begin, there’s an excellent one page, 20-panel comic strip that brings new readers up to speed with what has gone before, so no excuses for not diving in. We then move on to the first chapter where we are introduced to three couples with an apparently ordinary, if slightly paranoid and neurotic, suburban existence.
Within the confines of their domestic arrangements, we are offered little glimpses into some of the characters that suggest all is not entirely well in their minds. They start to discover missing items and suspicions as to the identity of the culprit lead to a sudden escalation of the paranoia into horror, as a strange and violent awakening occurs within some of the characters.
Matt Kindt is one of the foremost indie creators of our time and MIND MGMT is another triumph for him. Anyone who has previously been put off by his indier-than-thou credentials has nothing to fear here. The concept for the series is firmly within recognisable genres such as espionage and thriller. Indeed it bears some similarities in tone to some of the works of the likes of Rucka and Brubaker and is up there on a par with them in terms of quality.
The cartooning and storytelling is first-rate stuff and suits the plot and atmosphere superbly. He generally sticks to a grid system and draws in a deceptively sketchy style to which he adds watercolours. This lends it the feel of a proper old-school indie comic from the early nineties, such as Dan Clowes’ Eightball, but there’s enough mainstream appeal in the storyline and concepts for the likes of Ridley Scott to have come knocking.
This is a fascinating start to a new arc that will stay with you for a long time after you’ve finished reading it and leave you wanting more.
Matt Kindt (W/A) • Dark Horse Comics, $3.99, July 24, 2013
