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 to it, really. Just a nice picture of a pipe, with some expository text underneath. This seems to imply the woman smoking the pipe in the retirement home is important, but this wouldn’t be the first time a minor character got a cover to themselves. Remember the dolphin on issue 4?
The “Kindt” in the corner is in the same easy to read script as “This is a pipe.” instead of being Kindt’s actual signature, which is far less legible.
The Main Story
This is another issue told mostly through flashback. It begins with Perrier in the retirement home, explaining the mission of the Meru Crew. Before starting her story, the Magician mentions knowing the other Perrier. Assuming the surviving Perrier really was unaware of this, as she seems to be, that means the two must have met after the Eraser forced the twins to separate (issue 8, page 3) but before Lyme ‘recruited’ her as a breadcrumb for Meru (issue 15, page 6). Based on estimations I made about the timeline for issue 15, this is a window of about two years (2006 through 2008). This also puts it after the agency disbanded.
The double splash page begins the thirty year flashback to Berlin. This is probably East Berlin, since there’s no sign of the Bear (active in West Berlin) and we know MIND MGMT had several agents there (issue 0, story -1). There’s a building on page two with a sign reading Bügher. According to Google, this isn’t an actual German word. It could be someone’s (uncommon) name, or it may be a misspelling of Bürger”, the German word for citizen.
On page 4 we get a name for the black man in the turtleneck sweater – Fuega. This uncommon name may be a slight pun; it’s very similar to fuego, the Spanish word for fire, and he’s introduced talking about burning down buildings. The identity of the ad man is tough to pin down. The original one, Karl Box, was definitely active at this time per the Mind Memo in issue 3. The other known ad man, Brinks, was introduced in issue 7 and also has dark hair with a part and wears glasses. The one shown with Fuega and the Magician could be either or neither of them. (Note the photo on page 5 shows his hair parted on the right. In every other panel it’s on the left like Brinks and Box.)
If the picture the Ad Man is holding at the bottom of page 4 looks familiar, it should. It was previously seen on the side of a building in issue 19, page 14.
The mention of distributing subversive books to students on page 5 may be an indication the ad man is really Box. We know he worked with the Perrier twins (issue 3, Mind Memo), and that they published books fitting that description. Of course, there’s no reason to think they only worked with one ad man.
On page 7, we see another enigma box in action, and get a better idea of what it does to people. In addition to blocking mind abilities like it did to Duncan in issue 20, it also causes people to see illusions. If Duncan knew what the retirement home looked like, then he was probably “seeing” that building as Jim led them into the trap.
Page 8 sheds some light on the “Pipe Kid,” who has had that gray streak in her hair from an early age, apparently. The Magician describes what she does as a specialized kind of brainwashing, but that may not be the truth. Through her narration, the Magician makes it clear that she was not told everything about her missions. If the Pipe Kid was really so terrible at brainwashing that she was killing people, why keep her around? Because brainwashing isn’t her only talent, if she even has it. I think she wanted Klein to die, perhaps after getting some kind of interrogation. The dead politician appears to be completely fabricated. My research turned up no German politician named Klein who died under anything other than natural circumstances.
Continued belowThe clouds around the Magicians head indicting drug use on page 10 are the same as the ones used to depict Links’ high in the Second Floor story of issue 9. This may be Kindt’s generic way of showing a high, or it could be an indication the Magician used performance enhancing drugs to help with her illusions. If Links is any kind of baseline, that may suggest she’s still using them today.
As you might have guessed, Kommune is a German word meaning “a community of people choosing to live together.” The English word commune is a pretty obvious cognate.
Page 12 makes a reference to Pipe Kid being an illegitimate daughter of Marcel Duchamp, a French-American artist who liked to smoke cigars.
The mention of musicians and rogue chemists on page 13 seem like references to some real world counterpart, but my searches turned up nothing. If they rang a bell with you, please let me know in the comments!
The remark about being promoted to a desk job on page 14 seems minor, but has a significant impact on the Magician’s timeline. In issue 19, page 10, she mentions doing field work for nearly 20 years. Assuming the narration about young people and “still figuring it all out” at the beginning is supposed to imply the Magician was just starting at the time, that puts her promotion somewhere around the year 2000. If my estimate about the agency disbanding in 2009 is correct, that gives some context to how long she was AWOL after the training spots shown on page 15.
Speaking of page 15, I think there’s a lot going on in these unexplained images. Let’s start with the easiest one. That middle image of the man looking at his altered reflection in the mirror? That’s Lyme making himself look like Natasha. A very similar series of images was previously seen in issue 4, page 4, only with a younger Lyme.
This next bit is mostly conjecture. Start with the other middle panel, where she’s making the totem. Notice that it’s shaped like a person, complete with a face? And these people-like statues are placed around Shangri-la as part of it’s protection. (They must have been buried under the snow when we got an external look at it in issue 11.) With that in mind, look at the first panel again. Easter Island. This isn’t the first time Easter Island has popped up in the series. They also appeared as part of a montage in issue 12, page 2, and in the Mind Memo of issue 5. That issue 5 appearance was in the context of the Monks, which also happens to be the case here. Sure, it’s disguised as the Magician showing the Monks how to be less visible, but c’mon. These guys have been recording world history since at least the Roman Empire. They’re probably pretty good at what they do. (And don’t forget – “this iteration” of MIND MGMT has only been around since 1918.)
I believe the real purpose of that panel, and the whole of page 15 in general, is to lay another seed around Easter Island before some big reveal in the next year. If the Magician’s puny little totems are hiding Shangri-la, what could those massive, ancient totems be hiding? My guess is the true head quarters for the monks, and the complete history of the world. What’s yours?
There wasn’t much to comment on for the next few pages. Then the last page. Holy crap. Is it time for the next issue yet?
Continued belowThe Field Guide
Page one starts with a title, writer, and a year. This is actually a real book. This is extremely cool, but it also means there’s less to analyze about the text. Most of it is appropriate to the context of the page it appears on, but I didn’t find any subtle insights into motives or what-have-yous that usually come with the side text.
Mind Memo
The title of this file is St Louis, but the first caption says the safe house is in Chicago. This is…I don’t know. A traveling safe house, maybe? There is no such thing as the “Ranmay Artist Collective”, but the narration confirms the existence of multiple ad men.
The Second Floor
If you look close at the frame in this story, there’s text tucked inside of it. It reads “Look only at the frame. Do not sleep until you do this. Kill the next person you see. When finished you must end yourself.” As an added bonus, this frame is around all the pictures in the Mind Memo.
The Letter Column
Another contest! I have educated guesses about who the mystery artists are, but I’m not sharing them. I suspect there will be enough competition as there is.
The Scribbler’s back! This creative letter writer was first seen in issue 17.
The Back Cover
As pointed out by Corrin Radd in the comments last month, the back covers for issues 21 and 22 fit below issues 19 and 20 to make a larger image. Does the expanded image actually mean anything beyond what was speculated after issue 20? Corrin shared an idea on that in the comments to issue 20, and I like it. Also, the dolphin’s back!
In Other News…
Not much in the way of “MIND MGMT” coverage beyond the usual glowing reviews, but there is a new interview with Kindt for “Star Wars: Rebel Heist.
And that’s all for this month
If you spotted something I missed, or if you had a different interpretation of events, please share your thoughts in the comments!
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 #21
Interviews: Matt Kindt Brendan Wright Matt Kindt (2)
Annotations: Volume one
