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MIND MGMT #1-2
MIND MGMT Omnibus Part 1: The Mind Management Comprehensive Report 1 of 3
This globe-spanning tale of espionage explores the adventures of a journalist investigating the mystery of a commercial flight where everyone aboard loses their memories
Meru's obsession with Flight 815 leads her to a much bigger story of a top-secret government Mind MGMT program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she hunts down the flight's missing passenger, the man who was Mind MGMT's greatest success--and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?
Collects the first two volumes of the Mind MGMT series from New York Times bestselling and Eisner-nominated creator Matt Kindt--a story that's optioned for film by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner).
Meru's obsession with Flight 815 leads her to a much bigger story of a top-secret government Mind MGMT program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she hunts down the flight's missing passenger, the man who was Mind MGMT's greatest success--and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?
Collects the first two volumes of the Mind MGMT series from New York Times bestselling and Eisner-nominated creator Matt Kindt--a story that's optioned for film by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner).
424 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2019
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338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 19, 2020
I'm reading this series for the second time in the omnibus format, and damn it holds up. Granted, I only read it for the first time in 2016, but that's a lifetime ago in COVID years. I was concerned that the paratextual elements were going to come off as silly schtick this time around, but that wasn't the case at all. I was also still surprised by the turns in the narrative even though I had an inkling from my first reading about how it was gonna all go down by the second arc's end. I wasn't much of a fan of the watercolor art during my first reading, but now it's really hitting especially as I'm better able to see how the medium complements the themes of illusion and memory's malleability in the way that watercolors suggest its own impermanence and suggestibility.
Been thinking a lot about how this would be adapted to film, and I think it'd take a screenwriter like Charlie Kaufman to make it work for the film medium because so much of what makes this book a revelation is the paratext and a film would need an analog for that to have a similar impact. Kindt has since made a vinyl record and more recently a board game set in the Mind Mgmt universe, and it seems like many others are as happy as I am that this world continues to exists. I remember reading somewhere in the past two years he'd be returning to it, but haven't been able to find any updates on it from this year. It's almost as if someone's gone and erased the internet's collective memory of it. hmm....
Been thinking a lot about how this would be adapted to film, and I think it'd take a screenwriter like Charlie Kaufman to make it work for the film medium because so much of what makes this book a revelation is the paratext and a film would need an analog for that to have a similar impact. Kindt has since made a vinyl record and more recently a board game set in the Mind Mgmt universe, and it seems like many others are as happy as I am that this world continues to exists. I remember reading somewhere in the past two years he'd be returning to it, but haven't been able to find any updates on it from this year. It's almost as if someone's gone and erased the internet's collective memory of it. hmm....
March 7, 2025
4.5/5
Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT is one of the most mind-bending, paranoia-inducing, and brilliant comic series out there. It’s a story about a secret organization that has spent decades manipulating reality, controlling minds, and shaping history from the shadows. That’s right-every conspiracy theory you’ve ever dismissed? Turns out, they were all true.
I'll write a longer review once I finish the series.
Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT is one of the most mind-bending, paranoia-inducing, and brilliant comic series out there. It’s a story about a secret organization that has spent decades manipulating reality, controlling minds, and shaping history from the shadows. That’s right-every conspiracy theory you’ve ever dismissed? Turns out, they were all true.
I'll write a longer review once I finish the series.
May 9, 2021
I liked it a lot... but there was something sort of confining and claustrophobic about the way it was presented. The concepts were interesting (if not a bit head scratchy,) and the characters were mostly interesting. Liked but didn’t love, although I can’t quite place why.
Could have been the art; it was cool, beautiful, and in many ways, fitting... but sometimes the lack of detail made me feel disconnected from the events and moments.
I still recommend it. You could do worse. I’ll probably keep reading and see if the next volume is the one that hooks me.
Could have been the art; it was cool, beautiful, and in many ways, fitting... but sometimes the lack of detail made me feel disconnected from the events and moments.
I still recommend it. You could do worse. I’ll probably keep reading and see if the next volume is the one that hooks me.
December 14, 2023
A lot has been said about the a-typical drawing style of the artist for this series, and I have to say, the artwork did keep me at arms-length for most of this volume. However, the concept and storytelling is pretty amazing, and once you get hooked, you’re in it until the end. MIND MGMT is a gripping tale, which, years after its original publication, remains unique and incomparable to anything else on the market.
4/5
4/5
August 29, 2023
How do I even begin this book is mind-bending, at least. Each page has so much detail. Love the use of the comic book format. Pages have secret messages, I think I'll have to reread to find them all. My favourite comic so far can't wait for the other volumes. Everyone should check this one out. :)
October 14, 2019
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
It isn’t too far-fetched to think that the world we live in is only what others want us to perceive. It suffices to imagine the hands of a secret organization on all the information we obtain through the Internet to understand that the idea of objective facts is just as subjective as opinions. But how deeply-rooted could some secret organization be in our sources of information to accomplish such a feat? Maybe by incorporating weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, and talking dolphins, to our reality, we’ll be able to understand the lurking manipulation we’re all witness of. Matt Kindt offers us an espionage tale exposing governmental corruption and psychological manipulation with his creator-content series: MIND MGMT.
What is MIND MGMT: The Mind Management Comprehensive Report 1 of 3 about? Collecting the first two volumes of this comic book series, the story follows Meru, a true-crime writer obsessed with Flight 815’s mysterious incident where all but one passenger was diagnosed with a serious case of amnesia, coincidentally occurring at the same time as the improbable disappearance of one passenger. As she investigates this case, she uncovers a government agency of immortal spies with psychic abilities who can manipulate the world and its history. Her leads thus help her track down that missing passenger, an incredibly talented ex-agent of the MIND MGMT program who is on the run following one of his greatest failures. Together they unravel a conundrum far bigger than their own lives.
It’s a sight to behold when a creator takes the comic book medium and attempts to reimagine the ways it could be used to tell a story. With this first omnibus, Matt Kindt utilizes narrative tools, such as flashbacks, in an incredibly inventive fashion to tell his story. While sparingly utilizing a nonlinear narrative, the story moves in a relatively fast pacing that keeps you enthralled till the end. The addition of some intriguing characters, as well as a balanced exploration of their history, also allows Matt Kindt to present the mysterious yet powerful nature of the top-secret government program. With a touch of science-fiction, he also plays with the reader’s ability to foretell the events to come up with some clever ideas that add an underlying layer of whodunnit. The comic book’s one fatality is in the illustrations, while it doesn’t deter me from continuing on with this series, it remains a hindrance in my overall appreciation.
Sometimes, the artwork is only meant to be the vessel to deliver a story. To think more of it would diminish its purpose and send it whirling into irrelevancy, wreaking havoc on the story’s potential. I told myself that maybe by the end of the first volume within this omnibus I’ll have gotten acclimated to the visual style, absorbing the watercolours, rough penciling, awkward character designs, unconventional panel structure giving it a dose of meta, subliminal coded messages within full-page publicity advertisements, and stories within the margins. The visuals do fit the bill and offer a very surreal scenario that accurately portrays the story’s supernatural elements. It’s just unappealing to me, unable to find myself impressed by its less-than-realistic style. It’s only by the end of the second volume that I started to get sort of used to the artwork and what it was meant to achieve to Matt Kindt’s eyes.
MIND MGMT: The Mind Management Comprehensive Report 1 of 3 is an experimental and riveting espionage mystery delving deep into governmental corruption and psychic manipulation.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
September 26, 2023
Not a huge graphic novel fan but this is off the wall and interesting to me. Looking forward to the next volume.
August 17, 2022
Meru a obtenu un joli succès avec son premier livre, une enquête sur le meurtre d’une famille par la mère maintenant en attente de son exécution en prison. Mais les factures s’accumulent et la jeune femme est cons-tamment relancée par son agent qui espère un manuscrit. Elle a alors l’idée de découvrir ce qui s’est passé, il y a deux ans, lors du vol 815, qui a vu toutes les personnes à bord arriver au sol sans aucun souvenir de leur vie passée. Seul un passager, Henry Lyme, semble avoir totalement disparu. Meru va donc interroger les am-nésiques et son enquête l’amène au Mexique où un village est lui aussi touché par un phénomène étrange : depuis des mois, les habitants sont léthargiques et ne sont capables que de fabriquer des poteries avec un seul et même dessin, semble-t-il originaire de Zanzibar. Mais alors que Meru est à l’hôtel, un homme surgit et lui affirme qu’elle est en danger. Elle s’enfuit avec lui, poursuivie par un couple de tueurs sans pitié et elle ignore encore que ceux-ci ont été mandatés par une organisation secrète, le Mind Mgmt qui est capable de manipuler les esprits …
Quand j’avais lu le sujet de cette trilogie graphique, j’ai su tout de suite qu’il faudrait que je la lise. Et quand j’ai vu les trois tomes disponibles à ma médiathèque, j’ai sauté de joie devant tant de chance ! Car il faut bien le dire : c’est le genre d’œuvre où il ne faut pas vraiment faire de longues pauses dans sa lecture car c’est assez compliqué. J’avais découvert l’auteur avec Super spy, qui m’avait bien plu mais qui n’avait pas été une lecture facile non plus ! Tout d’abord, ce qui marque le plus quand on tient cette série en main, c’est son poids : chaque tome fait plus de 300 pages, avec une belle couverture bien solide et un beau papier. Autant dire qu’on se muscle en même temps qu’on lit ! Ensuite, on découvre un graphisme qui pourrait paraitre un peu brouillon parfois mais qui est très vivant, avec des découpages audacieux, originaux et du texte un peu partout sur les pages, qui ressemblent à des comptes-rendus de mission. Donc, il faut souvent tourner le livre pour pouvoir lire le petit texte imprimé le long de la pliure centrale et en plus, vu que c’est souvent écrit en bleu assez clair, il vaut mieux avoir une bonne lumière (ou une loupe éclairante comme ce fut mon cas !). Du coup, il faut développer aussi une technique de lecture comme on le sent (page par page, bloc par bloc ...). J’avoue que j’aime énormément quand les choses bousculent l’ordinaire et là, j’ai été servie ! En plus, le style graphique m’a énormément plu et contrairement à ma première expérience de l’auteur, je n’ai pas eu de mal à identifier les différents (et nombreux) personnages. L’histoire est à l’avenant de l’originalité visuelle : le Mind Mgmt, cette organisation secrète et omniprésente, est bien décrite, effrayante à souhait, avec tous ses agents aux pouvoirs hors normes mais qu’on peut aisément imaginer dans notre monde réel. Au début, on peut être un peu perplexe et perdu mais les choses vont se mettre en place petit à petit, en nous plongeant au côté de Meru, elle aussi perdue dans un monde qu’elle ne comprend pas. Il y a des moments durs, violents, avec des batailles épiques et de nombreux morts mais il y a aussi des moments plus doux, remplis d’émotion, de tendresse et d’humanité. Au final, on comprend mieux les choses mais la dernière vignette m’a laissée un peu dans l’expectative : y aurait-il une suite possible un jour ? Je l’espère car j’ai adoré et il y a encore tant de choses à développer autour de cet univers particulièrement fouillé et prenant !
Quand j’avais lu le sujet de cette trilogie graphique, j’ai su tout de suite qu’il faudrait que je la lise. Et quand j’ai vu les trois tomes disponibles à ma médiathèque, j’ai sauté de joie devant tant de chance ! Car il faut bien le dire : c’est le genre d’œuvre où il ne faut pas vraiment faire de longues pauses dans sa lecture car c’est assez compliqué. J’avais découvert l’auteur avec Super spy, qui m’avait bien plu mais qui n’avait pas été une lecture facile non plus ! Tout d’abord, ce qui marque le plus quand on tient cette série en main, c’est son poids : chaque tome fait plus de 300 pages, avec une belle couverture bien solide et un beau papier. Autant dire qu’on se muscle en même temps qu’on lit ! Ensuite, on découvre un graphisme qui pourrait paraitre un peu brouillon parfois mais qui est très vivant, avec des découpages audacieux, originaux et du texte un peu partout sur les pages, qui ressemblent à des comptes-rendus de mission. Donc, il faut souvent tourner le livre pour pouvoir lire le petit texte imprimé le long de la pliure centrale et en plus, vu que c’est souvent écrit en bleu assez clair, il vaut mieux avoir une bonne lumière (ou une loupe éclairante comme ce fut mon cas !). Du coup, il faut développer aussi une technique de lecture comme on le sent (page par page, bloc par bloc ...). J’avoue que j’aime énormément quand les choses bousculent l’ordinaire et là, j’ai été servie ! En plus, le style graphique m’a énormément plu et contrairement à ma première expérience de l’auteur, je n’ai pas eu de mal à identifier les différents (et nombreux) personnages. L’histoire est à l’avenant de l’originalité visuelle : le Mind Mgmt, cette organisation secrète et omniprésente, est bien décrite, effrayante à souhait, avec tous ses agents aux pouvoirs hors normes mais qu’on peut aisément imaginer dans notre monde réel. Au début, on peut être un peu perplexe et perdu mais les choses vont se mettre en place petit à petit, en nous plongeant au côté de Meru, elle aussi perdue dans un monde qu’elle ne comprend pas. Il y a des moments durs, violents, avec des batailles épiques et de nombreux morts mais il y a aussi des moments plus doux, remplis d’émotion, de tendresse et d’humanité. Au final, on comprend mieux les choses mais la dernière vignette m’a laissée un peu dans l’expectative : y aurait-il une suite possible un jour ? Je l’espère car j’ai adoré et il y a encore tant de choses à développer autour de cet univers particulièrement fouillé et prenant !
February 29, 2024
Mind MGMT: The Mind Management Comprehensive Report 1 of 3 collects issues 0-12 of the Dark Horse Comics series written and drawn by Matt Kindt.
Journalist Meru is obsessed with a story where an airplane full of passengers all mysteriously lose their memories. As she investigates, Meru will be introduced to the world of Mind Management, a covert group of secret agents who have abilities to rewrite the world as we know it.
It took me a month to get through this book. It started off dreeeeeeadfully slow and I couldn't invest myself into the story. But by around issue 7 or 8, the plot finally started clicking after it got through it's initial long set-up. Once it's got going, I was hooked. This is a world full of secret agents who have unique powers that are utilized to keep the world complacent and moving in the direction that the mysterious leaders of Mind Mgmt want it to.
Kindt does double duty as writer and artists in his first ongoing series. Kindt's art style is a cartoony approach, but not as overly sketchy as say Jeff Lemire. It works in this world he has created. Now that pieces are neatly arranged, I am excited to see where the story will go.
Journalist Meru is obsessed with a story where an airplane full of passengers all mysteriously lose their memories. As she investigates, Meru will be introduced to the world of Mind Management, a covert group of secret agents who have abilities to rewrite the world as we know it.
It took me a month to get through this book. It started off dreeeeeeadfully slow and I couldn't invest myself into the story. But by around issue 7 or 8, the plot finally started clicking after it got through it's initial long set-up. Once it's got going, I was hooked. This is a world full of secret agents who have unique powers that are utilized to keep the world complacent and moving in the direction that the mysterious leaders of Mind Mgmt want it to.
Kindt does double duty as writer and artists in his first ongoing series. Kindt's art style is a cartoony approach, but not as overly sketchy as say Jeff Lemire. It works in this world he has created. Now that pieces are neatly arranged, I am excited to see where the story will go.
February 6, 2025
This was very, very good but like the TV show Lost, it's hard to give it a rave review as there are so many questions that you're left with and the writing style is deliberately vague. The central story sees a journalist attempting to track down a missing passenger from a famous flight where everyone on board lost their memory. The answer of why is down to a murky, disbanded agency known as Mind Mgmt, but that's not even half the story.
The first arc finished in a strong manner even if it felt like it was possible to see where it was going, while the second 'series' fills out the world nicely, answering some questions but throwing more into the mix. It's hard to know if I've even understood everything that has been presented. The whole thing is hard to wrap your head around. Regardless, I now need to find the time to read the next omnibus before I forget anything that has occurred in this one. The art style is fine incidentally; there are some nice watercolour segments while others are more obtuse. It definitely adds, rather than detracts, from the story. Onto volume two...
The first arc finished in a strong manner even if it felt like it was possible to see where it was going, while the second 'series' fills out the world nicely, answering some questions but throwing more into the mix. It's hard to know if I've even understood everything that has been presented. The whole thing is hard to wrap your head around. Regardless, I now need to find the time to read the next omnibus before I forget anything that has occurred in this one. The art style is fine incidentally; there are some nice watercolour segments while others are more obtuse. It definitely adds, rather than detracts, from the story. Onto volume two...
May 9, 2024
I'm unsure if I actually like it or am entranced by all the twists. There is so much going on and a ton of it is intentionally vague, so you end up feeling as unsure of things as Meru. It will make you work to follow along with the story and I'm not a fan of that, but it does reel you in until you're so deep that you can't do anything else but keep on reading.
I'm not a fan of the art, but I think it works great with the story being told. It has the feel of an unfit mind relating an unclear memory, where the edges are fuzzy and nothing feels certain. Characters are almost impossible to distinguish at times, but again, it fits the tone of the story.
I'm not a fan of the art, but I think it works great with the story being told. It has the feel of an unfit mind relating an unclear memory, where the edges are fuzzy and nothing feels certain. Characters are almost impossible to distinguish at times, but again, it fits the tone of the story.
January 4, 2022
Everyone in this story is an unreliable narrator, either intentionally or for reasons beyond their control. It’s disorienting and unsettling and extremely compelling. The way that the story is told creates the sensation of living in a world where your memories can’t be trusted and your thoughts might not be your own. It’s a hell of a trick, and Kindt pulls it off incredibly well. Very much looking forward to the next volume.
August 3, 2019
This was brilliant. Creative, exciting, interesting, amazing. One of the top 10 things I have read so far, without doubts.
And all those side stories, backround information, extras- it is a little bit chaotic at the start, but once you'll get into that, you'll gonna love it.
I have nothing negative to say about this, I just can't wait to read more.
And all those side stories, backround information, extras- it is a little bit chaotic at the start, but once you'll get into that, you'll gonna love it.
I have nothing negative to say about this, I just can't wait to read more.
October 12, 2019
Interesting, but a little exhausting. It has the same drawbacks as 100 bullets but has a better sense of aesthetics and a less terrible cast.
November 18, 2020
Reading this for graphic novel book club. It is fun, beautifully illustrated, propulsive, mysterious. The characters feel whole and deeply conveyed. 5 stars!
September 22, 2022
Astonishing really. I'd read some of Kindt's Bad Idea comics last(?) year and picked up the new MIND MGMT Bootleg issues because of the artists.
So I went and found the big Comprehensive Reports. This is just such brilliant comics storytelling - the perfect plotting, design, scratchy artwork, all coming together. It's the whole package.
So I went and found the big Comprehensive Reports. This is just such brilliant comics storytelling - the perfect plotting, design, scratchy artwork, all coming together. It's the whole package.
February 22, 2023
Fantastic
October 4, 2021
This story doesn't miss a beat. Compelling plot. Great characterization and dialogue. Beautiful artwork. I look forward to reading volume II.
September 28, 2023
i forgot how expressive comics could be
April 3, 2022
really good first volume that sets up all the espionage chess pieces for a fun follow-up. Lost me a little bit with the plot for a spell, but that’s probably cuz it took me so long to finish, so that’s on me. Probably the most manic comic I’ve ever read, in terms of ideas splashed onto the page — there are entire short stories written in the margins of the pages that you have to flip the book to read.
June 5, 2021
(Zero spoiler review)
I don't think Matt Kindt is for me. Dep.TH was one of the first comic books I ever read, and to say it disappointed me would be an understatement. I had been hoping this was an aberration, and Mind MGMT would prove a more appealing prospect. It certainly had the reviews to back it up. Sadly, I find myself in a similar boat than I did with Dep.TH. Lets just get it out of the way first and foremost, Kindt's art is very much a love it or hate it affair. As much as I tried to force myself to fall for his scrawled and scratchy water colours, I just can't get over the fact that his art continuously lets the story down. The art and the words are meant to tell a story in tandem. Taking it in turns to do the bulk of the heavy lifting, depending on what the story requires. But Kindt's less polished ability means that frequently the art is just there... giving you something to look at, although frequently coming across as underwhelming and not able to cash the cheques the writing is, well, writing. There is a charm of sorts in his larger, pastoral landscapes, although the rest of his work, the actions scenes in particular, look like the pictures your primary school children would being home. I could labour this fact, but I will move on.
If the writing was outstanding, I would be able to overlook the shoddy art. As you may have guessed, this is not the case. It comes across at times as babies first psychological thriller. Kindt certainly had the ambition to tell a vast and sprawling tale, it's just that he doesn't quite have the talent to pull it off. It's the same old story that kept me from digging Dep.TH more than I did. A compelling idea, averagely executed. I admire Kindt for being able to write and draw his own stories. It's just that he isn't that good at either of them. At least not as good as everyone seems to think anyway. Again, I won't labour the point as his material is hardly offensively bad. It's just not what I would like.
I would suggest checking out Kindt's art style before you invest in his stories. If you can handle staring at his panels for a thousand pages or so, then MindMGMT is worth a look, just go in with your expectations somewhat in check. 3/5
OmniBen.
I don't think Matt Kindt is for me. Dep.TH was one of the first comic books I ever read, and to say it disappointed me would be an understatement. I had been hoping this was an aberration, and Mind MGMT would prove a more appealing prospect. It certainly had the reviews to back it up. Sadly, I find myself in a similar boat than I did with Dep.TH. Lets just get it out of the way first and foremost, Kindt's art is very much a love it or hate it affair. As much as I tried to force myself to fall for his scrawled and scratchy water colours, I just can't get over the fact that his art continuously lets the story down. The art and the words are meant to tell a story in tandem. Taking it in turns to do the bulk of the heavy lifting, depending on what the story requires. But Kindt's less polished ability means that frequently the art is just there... giving you something to look at, although frequently coming across as underwhelming and not able to cash the cheques the writing is, well, writing. There is a charm of sorts in his larger, pastoral landscapes, although the rest of his work, the actions scenes in particular, look like the pictures your primary school children would being home. I could labour this fact, but I will move on.
If the writing was outstanding, I would be able to overlook the shoddy art. As you may have guessed, this is not the case. It comes across at times as babies first psychological thriller. Kindt certainly had the ambition to tell a vast and sprawling tale, it's just that he doesn't quite have the talent to pull it off. It's the same old story that kept me from digging Dep.TH more than I did. A compelling idea, averagely executed. I admire Kindt for being able to write and draw his own stories. It's just that he isn't that good at either of them. At least not as good as everyone seems to think anyway. Again, I won't labour the point as his material is hardly offensively bad. It's just not what I would like.
I would suggest checking out Kindt's art style before you invest in his stories. If you can handle staring at his panels for a thousand pages or so, then MindMGMT is worth a look, just go in with your expectations somewhat in check. 3/5
OmniBen.
April 24, 2024
4.25/5 Stars
This was a really unique read. It scratched that itch I've had for espionage, secret organizations, and hidden identities. The art style will be very divisive but I personally found it compelling and different in a good way.
This was a really unique read. It scratched that itch I've had for espionage, secret organizations, and hidden identities. The art style will be very divisive but I personally found it compelling and different in a good way.
May 17, 2020
Excellent concept executed well. The art style allows for fluid action sequences and the use of margin notes adds an extra element to the overall story. Will definitely be continuing the series.
July 11, 2023
LOVED this. Gotta grab the next 2 omnibus volumes, I think.
August 27, 2022
An unusual (part of a) graphic novel. The way it's written is pretty experimental in multiple different ways, which I think adds something to the experience although also can be a bit of a pita to read as sometimes you'll be reading 2 or 3 different things being told simultaneously (something in the margin, conversation and thoughts/narration). I found it a bit awkward at times and basically opted for reading the sideways margin stuff first on both pages before reading the comic once I'd got into it... In parts that worked well but mostly it was to avoid having to turn the book repeatedly!
Whilst the tone is mostly serious and quite dark, there was actually quite a bit of humour in the margin notes and "adverts" so even though it's a bit pretensious it doesn't take itself too seriously.
I enjoyed the artwork and thought it suited the style of the book and didn't find it hard to understand what the pictures were trying to convey.
The story is deliberately confusing and you get a lot of hints about what is going on without really finding out. I feel like a lot of this would slot together on a re read and that going back through it would be an enjoyable experience... However on the flip side I found it a little exasperating at times when it felt like the story wasn't really moving forward. I felt like it started well, got stuck a little in the middle and then improved again towards the end - despite the innovative techniques used I found things a little formulaic at times it seemed to be following a loop for quite a bit of it... However from the meta perspective maybe that is actually quite neat as there are other loops and repetition going on here and that neatly mirrors the repetitive behaviour of the amnesiac protagonist. If you find that sortof meta thing interesting or you like writing where you don't really know what's happening or what is real then I'd say give it a go as it's pretty good and also seems to plotted out and going somewhere (eg not just being made up from episode to episode) - you can tell that from how many things tie together during the different comics in this omnibus and I have to say I found that satisfying (again why I think it would stand up to re reading).
I'd say for me this reads a bit like a light comic book version of a Phillip k Dick book - yes it has some darkness but it doesn't have the hopelessness and claustrophobic horror of madness that he manages to counjour up.
Overall I definitely enjoyed it and will carry on reading the others, however they are pricey so I will probably leave it for a while (looks like it's basically going to cost £60-75 to read the entire thing, although on the plus side you could probably sell it on and get a fair bit of the money back).
For me this is only the second graphic novel I've read, the other one being that I read quite a lot of The Walking Dead (which is excellent for a while but got a bit too ridiculous for me after a while). I came across this after watching a Shut up and sit down review of the board game with the same name and thought I'd check it out. I thought this was well executed and whilst the characters are a bit 1 dimensional there's enough going on with the plot to keep it interesting.
Overall very enjoyable, quite silly but also cleverly done and feels like it's going to slot together neatly.
Whilst the tone is mostly serious and quite dark, there was actually quite a bit of humour in the margin notes and "adverts" so even though it's a bit pretensious it doesn't take itself too seriously.
I enjoyed the artwork and thought it suited the style of the book and didn't find it hard to understand what the pictures were trying to convey.
The story is deliberately confusing and you get a lot of hints about what is going on without really finding out. I feel like a lot of this would slot together on a re read and that going back through it would be an enjoyable experience... However on the flip side I found it a little exasperating at times when it felt like the story wasn't really moving forward. I felt like it started well, got stuck a little in the middle and then improved again towards the end - despite the innovative techniques used I found things a little formulaic at times it seemed to be following a loop for quite a bit of it... However from the meta perspective maybe that is actually quite neat as there are other loops and repetition going on here and that neatly mirrors the repetitive behaviour of the amnesiac protagonist. If you find that sortof meta thing interesting or you like writing where you don't really know what's happening or what is real then I'd say give it a go as it's pretty good and also seems to plotted out and going somewhere (eg not just being made up from episode to episode) - you can tell that from how many things tie together during the different comics in this omnibus and I have to say I found that satisfying (again why I think it would stand up to re reading).
I'd say for me this reads a bit like a light comic book version of a Phillip k Dick book - yes it has some darkness but it doesn't have the hopelessness and claustrophobic horror of madness that he manages to counjour up.
Overall I definitely enjoyed it and will carry on reading the others, however they are pricey so I will probably leave it for a while (looks like it's basically going to cost £60-75 to read the entire thing, although on the plus side you could probably sell it on and get a fair bit of the money back).
For me this is only the second graphic novel I've read, the other one being that I read quite a lot of The Walking Dead (which is excellent for a while but got a bit too ridiculous for me after a while). I came across this after watching a Shut up and sit down review of the board game with the same name and thought I'd check it out. I thought this was well executed and whilst the characters are a bit 1 dimensional there's enough going on with the plot to keep it interesting.
Overall very enjoyable, quite silly but also cleverly done and feels like it's going to slot together neatly.
June 19, 2022
Interesting. I had this one recommended to me recently, and thought I’d give it a try. He said to me “as long as you don’t mind reading something that doesn’t have the most fantastic artwork and also is a bit of an abnormal delivery, you’ll enjoy it. Let me know what you think.”
Well. It certainly was different! I did struggle at first as almost every page has a line at the side from the Mind Mgmt Field Guide which was cleverly done and does link to the content of the page in one way or another, but I found it interrupted the flow of the story too much for me. Once I started reading them less and less I was able to get into the actual story itself properly. This wasn’t so much of a problem on days I could spend longer reading it, but on the evenings when I was reading a bit in bed I just felt it chewed into my reading time too much so I was taking in less pages and losing interest.
The story itself was great though! The artwork was very interesting - more line sketches with lovely watercolouring (similar to Harrow County). The story was broken up with little side stories of key characters in the Mind Mgmt timeline including some of the characters in the main story itself.
The story follows an author who is investigating a mysterious event that occurred on a plane one day - everybody including the pilots suddenly forgot who they were and suffered complete memory wipes (apart from the ability to speak and operate a radio of course) and when they landed the plan, everyone left the plane bar one mysterious passenger. The writer goes on the trail of this missing passenger and uncovers the Mind Mgmt (agency?) - a group of individuals that are able to use their minds to control situations as though they have powers. It’s an interesting alternative to mutant superpowers. Very clever.
For example, people who can predict what is going to happen because they can see the actions of everyone around them for the next 15 seconds, people who can create adverts with subliminal messages that force them to make controlled decisions, people that can see how something was created so that they can manipulate the weakness in it’s design and break through it… and people who can control pain and body damage through the power of mind over matter and thus become Immortal.
Very interesting stuff! It was recommended I go for an omnibus rather than individual volumes, and this had the first 3. 400 pages or so to really get into it, and now I’m hooked!
Well. It certainly was different! I did struggle at first as almost every page has a line at the side from the Mind Mgmt Field Guide which was cleverly done and does link to the content of the page in one way or another, but I found it interrupted the flow of the story too much for me. Once I started reading them less and less I was able to get into the actual story itself properly. This wasn’t so much of a problem on days I could spend longer reading it, but on the evenings when I was reading a bit in bed I just felt it chewed into my reading time too much so I was taking in less pages and losing interest.
The story itself was great though! The artwork was very interesting - more line sketches with lovely watercolouring (similar to Harrow County). The story was broken up with little side stories of key characters in the Mind Mgmt timeline including some of the characters in the main story itself.
The story follows an author who is investigating a mysterious event that occurred on a plane one day - everybody including the pilots suddenly forgot who they were and suffered complete memory wipes (apart from the ability to speak and operate a radio of course) and when they landed the plan, everyone left the plane bar one mysterious passenger. The writer goes on the trail of this missing passenger and uncovers the Mind Mgmt (agency?) - a group of individuals that are able to use their minds to control situations as though they have powers. It’s an interesting alternative to mutant superpowers. Very clever.
For example, people who can predict what is going to happen because they can see the actions of everyone around them for the next 15 seconds, people who can create adverts with subliminal messages that force them to make controlled decisions, people that can see how something was created so that they can manipulate the weakness in it’s design and break through it… and people who can control pain and body damage through the power of mind over matter and thus become Immortal.
Very interesting stuff! It was recommended I go for an omnibus rather than individual volumes, and this had the first 3. 400 pages or so to really get into it, and now I’m hooked!
October 20, 2023
I know book lovers prefer hardbacks, but the presentation of the Mind MGMT omnibuses as 'reports' is super cool!
This comic's reputation definitely precedes it. Matt Kindt became comic royalty when it was coming out a decade ago - it was a real dark horse success for Dark Horse, and I'd say it's still a big reason why he's a sought after name in the business. I don't think Mind MGMT is the greatest comic ever written, but I do like what it's doing quite a bit.
At the heart of this story is Mind Management, a secret organization that recruits people with mind control abilities and puts them to work manipulating the world. While a lot of the material in this omnibus looks at the past of Mind MGMT, the organization is dead in the present, and our main characters are out to stop one of its agents from getting the band back together.
It's essentially a spy story of sorts, one with a clever twist and a killer presentation by Kindt. His quirky artwork and concepts breathe life into this comic, and while it isn't a complicated book, he does tell the story in a unique way that makes some of its twists hit especially hard.
The first two volumes of the series do feel a little scatterbrained, though. Kindt wants to tell his main story, but he also wants to talk about all the agents Mind MGMT has had and all the things they did, and he also wants to spin out a mystery about Meru's past, and a lot of emphasis is placed on a true crime book that Meru once wrote. And because of the reputation this series has, it's hard to know which of these things you can safely skip and which ones are essential reading. I do think that this setting has a lot of potential for storytelling, but I'd prefer him to do self contained story arcs rather than shoving everything into a handful of books.
I also wanna point out that this comic has one of my biggest bugbears: Kindt has so much he wants to put on these pages, some of it is written vertically in the margins. It's the English language, dammit, text is supposed to go left to right! I've read one too many books this past year that decided to get funky with this very basic rule of the English language, and these people need to stop!
This omni is a little thicker than volumes 2 and 3 because it has some of the extra stuff that wasn't published in the ongoing. Mind MGMT really was a big deal at the time, and it's nice to see all this stuff in an easily collected format.
This comic's reputation definitely precedes it. Matt Kindt became comic royalty when it was coming out a decade ago - it was a real dark horse success for Dark Horse, and I'd say it's still a big reason why he's a sought after name in the business. I don't think Mind MGMT is the greatest comic ever written, but I do like what it's doing quite a bit.
At the heart of this story is Mind Management, a secret organization that recruits people with mind control abilities and puts them to work manipulating the world. While a lot of the material in this omnibus looks at the past of Mind MGMT, the organization is dead in the present, and our main characters are out to stop one of its agents from getting the band back together.
It's essentially a spy story of sorts, one with a clever twist and a killer presentation by Kindt. His quirky artwork and concepts breathe life into this comic, and while it isn't a complicated book, he does tell the story in a unique way that makes some of its twists hit especially hard.
The first two volumes of the series do feel a little scatterbrained, though. Kindt wants to tell his main story, but he also wants to talk about all the agents Mind MGMT has had and all the things they did, and he also wants to spin out a mystery about Meru's past, and a lot of emphasis is placed on a true crime book that Meru once wrote. And because of the reputation this series has, it's hard to know which of these things you can safely skip and which ones are essential reading. I do think that this setting has a lot of potential for storytelling, but I'd prefer him to do self contained story arcs rather than shoving everything into a handful of books.
I also wanna point out that this comic has one of my biggest bugbears: Kindt has so much he wants to put on these pages, some of it is written vertically in the margins. It's the English language, dammit, text is supposed to go left to right! I've read one too many books this past year that decided to get funky with this very basic rule of the English language, and these people need to stop!
This omni is a little thicker than volumes 2 and 3 because it has some of the extra stuff that wasn't published in the ongoing. Mind MGMT really was a big deal at the time, and it's nice to see all this stuff in an easily collected format.
May 25, 2020
Nunca había leído nada de Matt Kindt. Aquí en México, hace un año se publicó Spider-Man: Noche de pelea, escrito por Kindt y se ha vuelto una broma recurrente entre los geeks mexicanos para designar una obra malísima que Marvel México nos quiere vender como la obra revelación.
Así que no le entré con mucho entusiasmo a Mind MGMT pero encontré esta bella edición con un gran descuento en Amazon y le di una oportunidad. Sabía que Kindt había sido nominado a Eisners y a Harveys y que había ganado el Eisner en una ocasión, así que un mal autor no era. Mind MGMT es mucho mejor de lo que esperaba.
Esta es una historia profundamente psicológica, incluso a veces parece una parodia a las agencias gubernamentales y a los súper héroes, pero el 80% del tiempo se siente bastante seria. Desde las primeras páginas del primer número, hasta el final del primer arco, entiendes que esta no es una obra cualquiera, y con los giros que da el segundo volumen no pude evitar dejar escapar groserías en voz alta de lo bueno y sorpresiva que era la historia que estaba construyendo Kindt.
Tanto el estilo visual como narrativo me recuerda mucho a Lemire. No sé quién fue antes y quién popularizó esta aproximación a las historias, pero el estilo de Lemire me gusta mucho y aquí sienta muy bien para la historia.
El arte no es lo más impresionante. Los personajes son un poco feos y aunque están hechos en acuarela, no es impresionante como un Descender de Nguyen. Pero funciona.
Los personajes principales, en este caso Henry Lyme y Meru. Wow. Los tres números que narra Lyme me parecieron increíbles. Como nos cuenta su paranoia y su descenso a la oscuridad. Es una parte que me puso la piel china.
Amerita las cinco estrellas por la gran planeación que se ve detrás, los ejercicios de meta narrativa, y la manera innovadora que tiene Kindt para contarnos su historia. En el segundo arco lo vemos contarnos una historia sobre un crimen en el margen de la página (literalmente) y en otro margen nos cuenta con ilustraciones cómo funcionan las "cartas de la muerte".
Me hubiera gustado haberme encontrado esta historia antes porque ahora está probando ser difícil encontrar el tomo dos de esta edición tan bonita.
Así que no le entré con mucho entusiasmo a Mind MGMT pero encontré esta bella edición con un gran descuento en Amazon y le di una oportunidad. Sabía que Kindt había sido nominado a Eisners y a Harveys y que había ganado el Eisner en una ocasión, así que un mal autor no era. Mind MGMT es mucho mejor de lo que esperaba.
Esta es una historia profundamente psicológica, incluso a veces parece una parodia a las agencias gubernamentales y a los súper héroes, pero el 80% del tiempo se siente bastante seria. Desde las primeras páginas del primer número, hasta el final del primer arco, entiendes que esta no es una obra cualquiera, y con los giros que da el segundo volumen no pude evitar dejar escapar groserías en voz alta de lo bueno y sorpresiva que era la historia que estaba construyendo Kindt.
Tanto el estilo visual como narrativo me recuerda mucho a Lemire. No sé quién fue antes y quién popularizó esta aproximación a las historias, pero el estilo de Lemire me gusta mucho y aquí sienta muy bien para la historia.
El arte no es lo más impresionante. Los personajes son un poco feos y aunque están hechos en acuarela, no es impresionante como un Descender de Nguyen. Pero funciona.
Los personajes principales, en este caso Henry Lyme y Meru. Wow. Los tres números que narra Lyme me parecieron increíbles. Como nos cuenta su paranoia y su descenso a la oscuridad. Es una parte que me puso la piel china.
Amerita las cinco estrellas por la gran planeación que se ve detrás, los ejercicios de meta narrativa, y la manera innovadora que tiene Kindt para contarnos su historia. En el segundo arco lo vemos contarnos una historia sobre un crimen en el margen de la página (literalmente) y en otro margen nos cuenta con ilustraciones cómo funcionan las "cartas de la muerte".
Me hubiera gustado haberme encontrado esta historia antes porque ahora está probando ser difícil encontrar el tomo dos de esta edición tan bonita.
October 18, 2020
4.5/5
Matt : okey guys I have an idea for a new series but first let me take these conventional methods and just throw it out the window. Okey now we can start.
Right from the get go you realise this isn't your average comic book, it's unlike anything you've read before,its different and not in a bad way. I see some parallels with Nolans Inception, totems and talismans, using the subconscious to bend reality and so on.
The cliff notes or "side notes " part is a stroke or genius. At any time the reader is reading two stories, at first I found it very intimidating but as I stared to get into the rythm of it, this became a wonderful experience . You may get bogged down by it initially but trust me it gets good. And, spoiler alet, you think at first it's some random thing you are reading on the side (quite literally) and by the end you realise its all part of the bigger picture, it's all connected? Matt, now that's genius. Cramping in all the information you need about the narrative without feeling bored about reading on about some random killer or a very elaborate and fool proof field guide with its endless rules and regulations for any conceivable scenario, an effective way to get the reader to be deeply involved with the story, almost without them realising it, at first.
The art is something you have to get used to because it's not for every one, it's so rudimentary at times that it feels like something an averagely talented 12 year old cooked up (I can't draw for shit). It's more function over form, you either hate it or learn to live with it. It does the job so no need to be overly critical about it.
And as for the story and all the Easter eggs or subliminal suggestions, if you will, we'll I don't know if I was programmed to like it, if Matt really did use all those suggestive techniques in the actual book itself. If you think about it there was a lot of thought put into this book, calling it meta will be an understatement. There are so many things to unpack here, so many layers, and I think reading this book over and over again will only unearth more.
Matt : okey guys I have an idea for a new series but first let me take these conventional methods and just throw it out the window. Okey now we can start.
Right from the get go you realise this isn't your average comic book, it's unlike anything you've read before,its different and not in a bad way. I see some parallels with Nolans Inception, totems and talismans, using the subconscious to bend reality and so on.
The cliff notes or "side notes " part is a stroke or genius. At any time the reader is reading two stories, at first I found it very intimidating but as I stared to get into the rythm of it, this became a wonderful experience . You may get bogged down by it initially but trust me it gets good. And, spoiler alet, you think at first it's some random thing you are reading on the side (quite literally) and by the end you realise its all part of the bigger picture, it's all connected? Matt, now that's genius. Cramping in all the information you need about the narrative without feeling bored about reading on about some random killer or a very elaborate and fool proof field guide with its endless rules and regulations for any conceivable scenario, an effective way to get the reader to be deeply involved with the story, almost without them realising it, at first.
The art is something you have to get used to because it's not for every one, it's so rudimentary at times that it feels like something an averagely talented 12 year old cooked up (I can't draw for shit). It's more function over form, you either hate it or learn to live with it. It does the job so no need to be overly critical about it.
And as for the story and all the Easter eggs or subliminal suggestions, if you will, we'll I don't know if I was programmed to like it, if Matt really did use all those suggestive techniques in the actual book itself. If you think about it there was a lot of thought put into this book, calling it meta will be an understatement. There are so many things to unpack here, so many layers, and I think reading this book over and over again will only unearth more.
February 1, 2024
“-Welcome to the library.
-The what? You live here? What is this place?
-Imagine if you had all of the world’s events recorded objectively. From the begining of written language to the present day.
-Sounds too good to be true.
-Chooce a book, Meru. See for yourself
-If that’s true, then this place is more valuable then…well…anything else.
-Only to those who value the truth.”
Matt Kindt dibuja raro-pero no mal- como lo hace Jeff Lemire, igual. Creo son las acuarelas las que al final dotan sus trabajos con una capa más de expresión que les insufla una segunda lectura.
Mind MGMT es super fluida -pese a los entresijos y trampas que va tendiendo todo el tiempo- o incluso al montón de información que expone en ramas paralelas (como textos en los bordes de las viñetas, en historias cortas al final de cada capítulo, fichas de personajes, informes ficticios de la misma agencia, etc) optando por el maximalismo todo el tiempo. Tenemos mucha información no siempre fiable y es que la serie en si descansa en eso: misterios tramposos y personajes grises con memorias ambiguas.
¿Y de qué va? Los pasajeros de un vuelo en medio de este pierden la memoria para siempre. Bueno, no todos. Uno de ellos desaparece al aterrizar el avión. Volviéndose su paradero en el interés de una escritora ‘one hit wonder’ de true crime. Este punto de inicio derivará en desenmadejar una trama que incluye agencias de gobierno dedicadas a entrenar, reclutar, etc personas dotadas de ciertos atributos particulares (que en si encontré super imaginativos), persecuciones y sobretodo una galería de personajes cuanto menos interesantes.
El mundo de Mind MGMT es sumamente vivo y respetuoso de sus propias reglas, siendo riguroso en ello (al menos hasta acá). Tal vez lo único -que si bien está en formato cómic- no saca tanto provecho del pacing entre viñetas y parece más bien el scriptbook de una serie, más ese punto tiene más que ver con el formato que con el contenido de la historia en si.
-The what? You live here? What is this place?
-Imagine if you had all of the world’s events recorded objectively. From the begining of written language to the present day.
-Sounds too good to be true.
-Chooce a book, Meru. See for yourself
-If that’s true, then this place is more valuable then…well…anything else.
-Only to those who value the truth.”
Matt Kindt dibuja raro-pero no mal- como lo hace Jeff Lemire, igual. Creo son las acuarelas las que al final dotan sus trabajos con una capa más de expresión que les insufla una segunda lectura.
Mind MGMT es super fluida -pese a los entresijos y trampas que va tendiendo todo el tiempo- o incluso al montón de información que expone en ramas paralelas (como textos en los bordes de las viñetas, en historias cortas al final de cada capítulo, fichas de personajes, informes ficticios de la misma agencia, etc) optando por el maximalismo todo el tiempo. Tenemos mucha información no siempre fiable y es que la serie en si descansa en eso: misterios tramposos y personajes grises con memorias ambiguas.
¿Y de qué va? Los pasajeros de un vuelo en medio de este pierden la memoria para siempre. Bueno, no todos. Uno de ellos desaparece al aterrizar el avión. Volviéndose su paradero en el interés de una escritora ‘one hit wonder’ de true crime. Este punto de inicio derivará en desenmadejar una trama que incluye agencias de gobierno dedicadas a entrenar, reclutar, etc personas dotadas de ciertos atributos particulares (que en si encontré super imaginativos), persecuciones y sobretodo una galería de personajes cuanto menos interesantes.
El mundo de Mind MGMT es sumamente vivo y respetuoso de sus propias reglas, siendo riguroso en ello (al menos hasta acá). Tal vez lo único -que si bien está en formato cómic- no saca tanto provecho del pacing entre viñetas y parece más bien el scriptbook de una serie, más ese punto tiene más que ver con el formato que con el contenido de la historia en si.
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