How do you arrange a meeting with someone who can make everyone forget anything? You can’t trust a public place if none of the witnesses can remember a thing. This is just one of the challenges Meru faces as she prepares to face The Eraser for the final time. The previous sentence should be read in as intense a voice as possible. There should also be several pauses. For dramatic. Effect.
From a storytelling point of view, this issue is a perfect example of why I love Mind MGMT. Matt Kindt (multi-talented writer, illustrator, colorist, and key grip) has written a story where even the most surprising and fantastical things seem grounded and almost inevitable. Every moment of the series has been pulling Meru toward a confrontation with The Eraser, and it’s a great fight. The big picture has finally started to emerge from the complex web of psychic spies and counterspies. Additionally, Kindt has been very effective at showing us what it is like to be on the vulnerable end of a psychic tug-of-war. Keeping the focus on Meru’s point of view, instead of pulling back to show us the fight objectively, makes the reader feel the shifting reality that Meru is facing.
There are some great moments in this issue, especially when redacted is surrounded by redacted and surprises everyone by using a redacted to redacted. What the scene beautifully described above has in common with the inevitable and brutal fight in this issue is an initial surprise, followed by a sense of “well, of course that’s what happened.”
This issue of Mind MGMT does something unusual. It is an absolutely vital and rewarding piece of the amazing story, but it also works as a one-shot. Just looking back a bit, I don’t think there is another issue that stands alone quite as well. Obviously, there is a lot that you would miss if you only read this one, but it should hold up as an entertaining and context-free struggle like the Mortal Kombat movie.
I have been excited to talk about Mind MGMT since I first started reading it two years ago. Now, as it gets closer to the final story arc, everything is changing. The antagonists, who have always been shown in a sympathetic light, have been one of the strongest parts of the series. This issue is great, because you sympathize with the “villain.” There could be another version of the series from The Eraser’s point of view, where we would see her ambition and the personal sacrifices she made to try to build something. We could watch as she slowly betrayed her morals to accomplish her goals, and she would never be anything but a flawed and tragic woman who tried to do something great. In the version we have, it’s easy to see that it would be terrible if this not-at-all-terrible woman gets her way.
This comic is wonderful, and you should absolutely read it. The complex morality, beautiful artwork, and impactful action are just a few of the reasons why this is my favorite comic series.
Five Redacted out of Five
