A new issue of “MIND MGMT”, another hunt for codes and Easter eggs in a new edition of Minding MIND MGMT. Because each issue of Matt Kindt’s monthly series is overflowing with hidden clues and interwoven narratives, a standard review just doesn’t cut it. This column will provide in-depth analysis and help you navigate the overlapping plots.
Not much too it this month, really. Just Meru screaming The word balloon that hangs off the edge hints is a great nod to the silent aspect of the issue. This is also the first regular cover (not counting the 1 for $1 reprint, the Hernandez variant, or the zero issue) that didn’t have a pull quote. That’s a subtle but clever touch.
The Main Story
This issue was billed as a silent issue as an homage toward “GI JOE” #21, which was a story about the mute Snakeyes told through images alone. By the first page, it’s obvious Kindt is putting a very different spin on the idea. No one speaks, but every panel is crowded with thought balloons. This is the first time Kindt has used thought balloons in “MIND MGMT”. Until now, the only ways we had been inside a character’s head was through captions or the gutter text of issue 10 (When we followed Duncan as a PI). The gimmick, if you want to see it as one, is a perfect fit for this issue. Since it’s pretty much nothing but fighting, there wouldn’t be much in the way of compelling dialogue anyway.
Henry’s thoughts at the bottom of the first page make it clear that one of the immortals is the same woman who chased Meru and Bill in the first arc and who we were led to believe Duncan killed in issue 12. That seems strange, since Duncan is a pshycic and should have been able to tell she wasn’t dead. Given the circumstances, it’s unlikely Duncan let her live intentionally, but most of what we know about immortals so far (from issues 0, 4, and the io9 strips) indicates that healing wounds requires concentration. Shouldn’t Duncan have ‘heard’ her healing herself from his magic finger gun? Then again, they did survive drowning in a river, so maybe the concentration is only neccesary in the beginning stages and becomes an involuntary act after practice.
Between pages 3 and 4, Lyme somehow ducks away from both the woman and the man who looks like he slept on a George Foreman grill. He must have some very stealthy moves, because they went from stabbing him in the back to wondering where he went. I guess they stopped beating on Lyme to watch Duncan get stomped? Duncan is able to get a few shots off and wounds Grill Face in the head, but you can see him still standing on page 6. Way back in issue 2, Bill told Meru the only way to kill an immortal is a headshot, “but even then…” It seems the target is even more precise than just a headshot. Perhaps a part of the brain responsible for reflexive/involuntary actions has to be damaged by the shot?
When Duncan runs into Links, Kindt finally delivers on the promise he made in issue 8’s Second Floor. That was Links’ first appearance, and he was described as a drug addict. Since then, he’s just been seen as the Eraser’s lackey. Here, we finally get to see him as a junky. He’s still dependant on the enhancement drug, and he’s only with the Eraser because she supplies it to him. Even if this bit of information never comes into play again, it’s nice to get some more depth on the character.
On page 8, we finally get a clear-ish answer to what the Enigma Box does. While the details are still a mystery, its function was to disguise the Retirement Home safe house, and maybe misdirect them to a different building. I say maybe, because it’s not clear if they would have mistaken the trap for the retirement home if Jim (who has vanished) hadn’t led them there.
Page 10 gives us one more look into how deep the differences between Bill and Dusty are, with their thoughts on Hong Kong.
Continued belowFor only three panels, there’s a lot happening on page 11. First, it’s once again highlighted that the Eraser wants Meru alive for some reason. When the two first met in issue 12, the Eraser wanting to be close to Meru seemed like a trick to launch an attack. When they met again in issue 17, Eraser claimed she wanted Meru to join them, but didn’t say why. Clearly, she hasn’t given up on recruiting Meru if she’s ordered Spain not to kill her.
The second thing about page 11 is the confirmation that Spain is deaf. I was skeptical of that claim when it was made last issue, so it’s nice to have it clarified.
The third thing is Meru’s deliberate use of her abilities in a (failed) attempt to intimidate Spain. While ultimately futile, it is nice to she’s getting better.
Chip’s thoughts on pages 12 and 13 don’t seem to fit what we know about him. He calls Meru ignorant, and seems particularly bitter toward her about something. “This is what you get…” for what? Walking into his bar? Maybe Chip is just generally angry toward former agents and thinks this kind of thing about all his customers.
On page 18, someone in the cab wants to pick up Perrier. Could this be someone we already know, or just another nameless mook for the Eraser? Maybe this is where Jim disappeared to after delivering Lyme and Duncan to Links.
The large group panel on page 20 has some interesting thought balloons, but two in particular stand out to me. The first is in the bottom left, next to the woman with the pipe. She’s thinking that Perrier doesn’t know who she is or what her powers are. The balloon on the bottom right says “Follow Fuega’s Lead.” This is pure speculation, but Fuega is probably the woman with the pipe. Whatever her powers might be, it probably has something to do with Perrier not being able to find her gun.
The suspense grows on pages 21 as Perrier moves into the room and no one speaks. The creepy factor grows considerably when you consider how the other agents have to be moving about her to be in their locations in each panel. From the first to the second, for example, the woman with the scar (another autowriter?) moves from being next to the woman with the pipe (Fuega?) to being farther behind the black man. Then, on page 22, she’s right up next to him. The other people in the room also seem to be shuffling about in a similar fashion. Then the big reveal on page 22 – the Magician’s hiding in the middle of the room. And where did Lyme and Duncan go?
Perrier’s Autowriting
Perrier’s insights into Lyme and Duncan’s relationship on pages 2-3 is a stark contrast to what we see in the men’s thoughts. Even as Duncan thinking about how Lyme has become self destructive, their past friendship give Duncan the hope that Lyme will pull out of it when neccessary.
Perrier’s comments on page 7 about Links’ drug habit, combined with the text on the same page, will be the first time people who only read the trade find out about the addiction.
Page 12 hints that Chip will meet an untimely end soon. Page 13 makes a reference to Meru reaching for a gun but not needing it. Page 15 says that ‘they’ are unwittingly forging the weapon of their own demise. By attacking Meru (and her friends), they’re causing her to develop her powers which she’ll eventually use to beat them. Spoiler alert, I guess?
Mind Memo
This month’s memo actually features three stories. The pages are laid out like a cutaway of a six story building. It’s supposed to be read from the bottom of page 23 up, then from the bottom of page 24 up, following Meru and Bill as they tour each floor.
The first story is about the Hotel Victoria and the thought experiments that went on there. Of particular interest is the comparison between it and the Retirement Home. Hopefully we’ll find out more about the purpose of the Retirement Home next month.
Continued belowThe second story is Meru’s thoughts about wanting to leave the MIND MGMT story behind. The third is Bill’s thoughts about being committed to staying with Meru.
The Second Floor
Leonard Lemon’s story is tied closely to the Mind Memo, and provides an interesting companion to it. Lemon was a resident at the Victoria, and thought about fictional weapons on the sixth floor. According to the Second Floor, no one was quite certain what Lemon did, or why he disappeared. The memo, however, says the agency created and then destroyed the most powerful weapon in the world in the same room. So, did Lemon vanish on his own, or did MIND MGMT vanish him? I’m inclinded to think the Second Floor is more accurate, but you can decide for yourself.
The Back Cover
This image is a similar style to the back covers of issues 19 and 20, but is an unrelated image. It will connect to following issues to make a bigger picture, but darned if I have a guess about what it might be. But hey, is that a cat with explosives strapped to its back?
Previously, on Minding MIND MGMT…
Issues: #0 #1 #3 #4 #5 #6 DHP #19 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 DHP #31
#18 #19 #20
Interviews: Matt Kindt Brendan Wright Matt Kindt (2)
Annotations: Volume one
