As much as this story is based in fantasy, there is something very human about it. The character’s lives are filled with tragedies and in many cases sadness, showing that their not exempt from the human condition. If ever there was an argument against people in society having powers, this would be the series that shows the downside. It’s a treat to pick apart this series each month as Kindt continues to pack so many panels of story and backstory that from cover all the way to the back page is a total thrill ride. Right now I’m personally enjoying the true crime novel that’s written in the spine and find it to be so unique for a comic book, but even more fascinating is the fact that it ties into the world of Mind MGMT. I usually skip the front cover story because it’s usually short and I hate to spoil it, but Kindt has out done himself with this issue. The story of The Wish was probably the most amazing take on a cat burglar that I’ve ever read. Her ability to find and pick items that she’ll random need for any job was such an awesome twist that I really wanted to continue reading her exploits and sincerely hope that she’ll play a part in the overall story soon.
After that we dive into what’s clearly a story within a story that breaks from the norm of Kindt’s panel layout; it opts for a two by four layout instead. The tale is about two twin sisters with several mental powers. One day at the zoo the girls split up and begin experiencing everything the other is seeing and experiencing; they describe it as having a double experience. Their day ends with them being kidnapped by Mind MGMT, but after testing poorly they’re brought back to their parents that never knew they were missing. From there they continued to develop their talents for writing and art and soon enough are recruited again for Mind MGMT. Our story begins to pull out and we find Meru reading about the Perrier sisters who we’ve already met one half of.
Lyme and Meru talk to the remaining Perrier sister and even though we know that they both know more about her sister’s death, they remain quite (of course in Meru’s case she doesn’t actually remember). She mentions her sister having a map and so they head out to get it when a group of people crash through the windows of Perrier’s office. They begin running and are swarmed by a mob. The three of them make it to the car and drive off, but we see the sniper on the roof of the building and he takes an amazing shot with just a pistol. The bullet kills a bird and continues moving killing a driver of another car and then dipping through grazing Meru’s neck before hitting the back of Lyme’s head rest. It’s intense for sure, but the story only intensifies from there.
There are so many things that Kindt does visually that I know are intentional, but look accidental. They’re there to make you question the story and since the story is basically questioning everything, it’s the perfect addition. To be honest if I didn’t point out the fact that the bullet the sniper shot hit Lyme’s head rest, I doubt you would have noticed it. My first time through the issue I was so focused on Meru that I never even thought of the fact that bullet that grazed her still had somewhere to go. It could very well be that since it’s never mentioned that it’s nothing other than a miss, but it could very well be that Lyme just had the back of his head blown out and has already healed himself. Yet that too would change everything as Lyme has stated himself that he was no good at the immortal training.
I never pick up this series and think that Kindt is going to “phone in” an issue. I’m always excited to see what amazing journey he’s going to take us on and I find myself captivated more each time I read an issue. However long of a run Mind MGMT ends up being, I will be there for it. This is an amazing series and definitely one of the best things to come from Dark Horse Comics, ever.
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Matt Kindt Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/20/13