Mind MGMT is Matt Kindt’s opus. It was the series that really, truly caught the attention of a wider audience and for good reason. It’s brilliantly subversive and wickedly intelligent. It casts a spell and never lets up. While telling an incredible story, it also dissects the format of the comic book to put you into the proper mindset: that your brain is about to get effed with. Now, we have Mind MGMT: Bootleg.
The first images we see are the images of the comic book we’re reading being pulled back form the panel. Were we reading it, or was Kito (our young hero) reading it, or were we both reading the same thing, getting drawn into the mindset? For those who haven’t read the original series, I’d be curious to know what you think after this first issue, because… Kito is in for an interesting ride with not all the right truths. But what is truth in Mind MGMT… really…?
The story begins in Zanzibar, a location of great importance to the Mind MGMT mythos, and Kito may be more important than he realizes. He “stumbles” upon Mind MGMT and things get weird, but he also is so over all the shit almost right away. He’s a great character, and, by the end of the first issue, we properly hope and fear for him.
The art in this first issue reminds me of the ’70s and ’80s religious comic books—in the best possible way. It’s gorgeous and a bit off-putting. In a way, Kito is being indoctrinated (Whether that’s a good or bad thing, those of us who have read will know… ), but what do we really know? I know enough not to think that I know anything, and that’s the pleasure of the Mind MGMT world. And I’m so thrilled that it’s back.
Matt Kindt makes everyone on the creative team work for their money in a big way, and everyone does such an impressive job. The design work is very important to this comic book. So, pay close attention to the names below.
Creative Team: Matt Kindt (script), Farel Dalrymple (art and letters), Daniel Chabon (editor), Chuck Howitt-Lease and Misha Gehr (assistant editors), Patrick Satterfield and Matt Kindt (designers), Allyson Haller (digital art technician)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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