MIND MGMT

MIND MGMT
Cover to MIND MGMT #1, art by Matt Kindt
Publication information
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Genre	Spy
Publication date	May 2012
Main character(s)	Meru, Henry Lyme
Creative team
Writer(s)	Matt Kindt
Artist(s)	Matt Kindt
Editor(s)	Brendan Wright
Collected editions
The Manager (#0–6)	ISBN 1595827978
The Futurist (#7–12)	ISBN 1616551984

MIND MGMT is an ongoing American comic book series created by Matt Kindt and published through Dark Horse Comics with an expected run of 36 issues. The first issue was released on May 23, 2012 to good reviews, and received a second printing in April 2013. The series continued to receive positive coverage into its second year. A film version began preproduction in January 2013.

The story is about Meru, a true crime writer who searches for the truth behind a mysterious airline flight and discovers a secret government agency of super spies, espionage, and psychic abilities. Henry Lyme, the former top agent, has gone rogue and is working to dismantle the organization.

Publication history

Development

The idea for MIND MGMT came from the title, which one of Kindt's friends gave to him.^[1] The final product is almost identical to the original pitch Kindt outlined in a twelve-page synopsis.^[2][3] After initially being approved for 56 issues,^[4] Kindt pruned away some excess material and now intends for the series to run around 36 issues.^[1] Unsure if the series would sell well, he designed the first six issues to be a standalone story if he chose to cancel it early.^[2] When creating the series, he thumbnails and plots six issues at a time.^[3] He published through Dark Horse because "they were the only publisher able to pay me a living wage and also let me do exactly what I wanted no matter what."^[1] Although Kindt was originally assisted by editor Diana Schutz, Brendan Wright was named the series editor. Kindt described their input as "invaluable"^[5] and considers Wright to be a collaborator.^[6]

Kindt said naming his characters was the hardest part during the story's creation. Meru Marlow, the main character, is named after a Webster University student who attended a class taught by Kindt. Henry Lyme, another main character, is a reference to "Henry Lime" from the Orson Wells film "The Third Man" and is visually based on Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover".^[7] Other supporting cast get their names from a mix of real people, film references, and even everyday objects, like the Perrier mineral water.^[8]

MIND MGMT is Kindt's first solo monthly series.^[5] After creating several original graphic novels, Kindt felt the format was becoming too "easy" from a creative standpoint.^[9] He wanted to create a monthly series partly out of nostalgia, and to create a dialogue between readers and himself during publication.^[3] As an incentive to draw in readers who would otherwise wait for the collected edition, each issue includes material which will not be in the collected editions.^[10] Kindt stated he was enjoying the experience and the increased interaction with fans, even to the point of saying he may never do another graphic novel.^[9]

Publication

A six-page preview of the first issue was included with 3 Story: Secret files of the Giant Man, a one-issue continuation of another work by Kindt, in April 2012.^[11][12] Also in April, three short stories were released online for free to promote the series.^[1][13] They were later printed as issue #0 in November 2012.

The first issue was published May 23, 2012, and the series ran monthly through November 2012. In December, a short chapter appeared in Dark Horse Presents #19 as a prologue to the second story arc.^[14] The series returned to a monthly schedule in January 2013. The first issue was reprinted at a discount price in April 2013.^[15] A second short chapter will appear in Dark Horse Presents #31 in December 2013 and will act as an introduction to the fourth arc, "The Magician."^[16]

A 200-page hardcover collecting issues #0-6, collectively titled "The Manager," was released April 3, 2013.^[17][18] A second hardcover collecting issues 7-12 and the Dark Horse Presents #19 short was released October 16th, 2013.^[19]

Kindt has mentioned the possibility of MIND MGMT annuals or additional mini-series exploring the history of the series, but said there won't be any extra issues until the main series has been completed.^[8]

Plot

The Manager

MIND MGMT is a government agency of spies, formed during or after World War I, who have psychic abilities.^[20] Henry Lyme is recruited as a child, and becomes their greatest agent.^[21] The work exhausts him, and Lyme is retired to Zanzibar. While there, he has a breakdown and loses control of his abilities, causing the city's inhabitants to murder one another.^[22] Lyme decides MIND MGMT is too dangerous to exist, and flees. In an effort to cover his escape, he accidentally causes everyone aboard a plane with him to develop amnesia.^[20]

Meru, a true–crime writer, investigates the amnesia flight two years later. She finds a lead in Mexico, where she meets a CIA agent named Bill.^[20] They are attacked by two former MIND MGMT agents, but escape.^[23] Meru eventually locates Lyme, who tells her his story.^[21] Meru learns she was a child in Zanzibar during the massacre and was saved by Lyme. He erased her memory of the event and arranged a foster family for her. During her investigative career she has located Lyme several times, but he continuously causes her to forget. She leaves determined to expose the truth about MIND MGMT, but falls asleep instead. Waking in her apartment, she decides to uncover the truth behind the amnesia flight.^[22]

The Futurist

When former MIND MGMT agent The Eraser tries to reform the agency, she tries to have Meru assassinated.^[24] Lyme recruits Meru and fellow former agents Perrier and Dusty to stop the Eraser.^[25][26] At Perrier's insistence, they also team with Duncan "The Futurist" Jones, an agent who can see his own future.^[27] Duncan is aware of Lyme's manipulation of Meru, and insists he will not go along if Lyme continues to lie to her. Lyme agrees, but does not confess the truth to Meru. Believing the best way to stop the Eraser is to prevent her from contacting other former agents, the quintet travel to the MIND MGMT headquarters, Shangri-la, for a master list of all MIND MGMT personnel.^[28] There, Meru finds a library which contains the history of the world and reads the book containing her life. Meanwhile, three of the Eraser's allies engage Lyme and the others. Now aware of how Lyme has manipulated her, Meru helps stop the Eraser's crew but chooses not to remain with Lyme. She instead leaves with Bill, the CIA agent who is revealed to have been a MIND MGMT sleeper agent with whom she was previously romantically involved.^[29]

The Homemaker

After the events at Shangri-la, all parties know the present whereabouts of the sleeper agent Megan, code named "The Homemaker." However, they are unaware she was originally a mole for the Russian MIND MGMT counterpart known as Zero. When Lyme and Duncan try to activate her, they also awaken her Zero training and Megan begins to orchestrate the selfdestruction of her subdivision through subterfuge.^[30] As the groups prepare to recruit Megan for their various agendas, Lyme, Eraser, and Meru reflect on how they arrived at their present position. Lyme regrets his multiple manipulations of Meru, and is currently on a mission of atonement.^[31] Meru is still adjusting to her recently awakened memories of her own training as a MIND MGMT agent.^[32] The Eraser dreams of the night her husband, a former MIND MGMT agent, and the night he was murdered.^[33] As the Homemaker's plan climaxes in a massacre, Eraser, Lyme, and Meru all arrive at the same time. Megan joins the Eraser in order to take revenge on MIND MGMT for leaving her in her undercover status after the agency was dismantled. Meru and Bill reunite with Lyme, Duncan, Perrier, and Dusty. While she is unable to forgive Lyme's previous actions, Meru decides he is the lesser evil in the present situation.^[34]

Critical reception

The series debuted with positive reviews,^[35][36] and the first issue sold 7535 copies in May 2012, making it the 236th best selling issue by units for the month.^[37] Reorders caused the first two issues to sell out at the distribution level.^[38][39] Reviewing for Comic Book Resources, Kelly Thompson gave the first issue 4.5 stars out of 5, and described the quality as "simply sublime."^[40]

Kindt's art style is a common area of criticism for the book.^[41] Writing for iFanboy, Paul Montgomery said "“Kindt’s aesthetic won’t win over every reader, [but] his watercolors lend perfectly to the story’s themes and tone”.^[42] Reviewer Colin Smith initially felt the art was a weak point the good story could not overcome,^[43] but changed his mind after subsequent issues.^[44] Later issues continued to receive praise;^[45] however, sales for subsequent issues fell until bottoming out with 4706 orders for issue seven.^[46] Sales then began to increase, with 5842 orders for issue ten.^[47]

Seth Peagler of the HeroesOnline blog praised the first storyline, describing the series as "one of the most underappreciated, innovative monthly comics on the stands today".^[48] Writing for the Ann Arbor Review of Books, Arlo J. Wiley said the series "experiments, innovates, and excites", and provides "an offer that no other book right now can rival."^[49] The series appeared on numerous "Best of" lists in both 2012 and 2013,^[50] including a fourth-place rank by MTV Geek^[51] and a first-place rank by Grayhaven Comics.^[52] In January 2014, the Young Adult Library Services Association included the first hardcover of ‘’MIND MGMT’’ on their top ten list of great graphic novels from 2013.^[53]

Film

Talks with 20th Century Fox for a film adaptation began in December 2012,^[54] and the project entered preproduction in early 2013.^[55] In late January 2013, Ridley Scott was announced as producer for the film with Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg.^[56] Kindt is acting as a consultant for the film and has shared the complete outline for the story with Scott and the screenwriters.^[54] He believes Scott has "a good take on it"^[57] and will not mind if it is not a faithful adaption.^[4]

References