Well here it is, the final issue of Mind MGMT. Frankly this won’t be much of a review in terms of what happens in this issue. That is completely pointless. Instead I will just briefly talk about what I liked about the issue and then continue to give praise to Matt Kindt and this incredible series, because it’s been deserving of praise from the very beginning. For a while now, somewhere around the second or third arc, I began saying that this the next big series that people will recommend. Think of how many people say, “if you’re going to read comics you need to read Y: The Last Man, Planetary, Sin City, Dark Knight Returns” and so on and so forth. The thing is, sometimes a series is so heavily praised that it begins to fall on deaf ears. I hope that that isn’t the case with Mind MGMT because it belongs with the rest of those go-to answers that everyone gives. It’s one of the few “safe answers” that I will whole-heartily recommend because I have enjoyed every page of every issue of this series.
What was particularly interesting to me about this issue was Kindt’s letter at the end. In which he states that this was his last go at the world of comics and that if Mind MGMT didn’t sell he was going to look into another vocation… that just blew me away. It goes to show that the world of comics is crazy fickle and that sometimes your luck can turn just at the right moment. Because if you look at the stands today Kindt’s name is everywhere, in fact, I’ll be reviewing another two books released by him just this week. And to think that Mind MGMT could have been the last we saw of Kindt. But that’s a credit to him and this series because from the very first issue I knew that I absolutely needed to read more of this book. I was beyond thrilled when Dark Horse picked it up as an ongoing and you know what, I was happy when Kindt said it would only be 36 issues.
Why is that? Why would I be happy that one of my favorite series ever was going to end? Because everything needs an ending. Not to go into it too much, but one of the problems with comics today is that there’s no endings. Even things that are listed for six issues are only that way because of sales figures (at least most of the time). So the fact that Kindt had an ending in mind and that it was this ending, was just wonderful. Because in reality he could have continued this until his hands fell off. Look at the other big wigs at Dark Horse and you’ll see that even though they’re great series, they don’t really need to be around. But there they are. Having an ending in comics is a great thing, having a good ending… is a better thing.
In my opinion this was the perfect ending for this series. There’s no big explosions, there’s no hidden messages… no wait there is, but it’s just the perfect conclusion to this story. It shows the potential for the world and sure there’s a lot of happiness, but when you look at how dark and dreary the series has been, Kindt reminds us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is hope for a better tomorrow if you can make it through the tough days. That’s what I liked about this issue, the hope that it gives.
The other thing I like about it, is that it still pushes the medium forward. It still shows that there’s so much you can do with a comic book that people frankly aren’t bold enough to try. I’m glad Kindt did because he’s really pushed other creators to be bold and try something new. I’m glad Dark Horse took a chance on this series and let it be what it is… an incredible comic book.
Here’s the crazy thing… this series could continue. It honestly could, but it works better for it to end here. Now we move on to the film which I really wonder if it can capture the magic of this comic. Frankly, it would take a visionary to do so… We can only hope.
If you haven’t read Mind MGMT, then do yourself a favor a check it out. I have yet to have someone I recommended it to come back to me and say, “it’s not for me.” Every single person, regardless of their reading habits have been hooked on this series from the moment they started reading it. Since this is the end, I think we can all safely call it a classic and leave it at that, but damn… next month is going to feel empty without another issue of Mind MGMT.
Score: 5/5
Mind MGMT #36/New MGMT #1 Writer/Artist/Creator: Matt Kindt Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 8/26/15 Format: Print/Digital