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.
We’ve seen a variety of Merus with swords before (the old man’s vision in #3, Dusty’s vision in #9), but this is the first time we’ve seen her as an angel. While never explicitly shown in the story, this is probably how Bill saw her. He doesn’t actually have this tattoo, though – his arms are bare anytime we see them. Maybe he was planning to get this tattoo if he’d lived longer?
Most of the image was done with the standard water colors, the colors of the tattoo were filled in with a colored pencil instead, giving it a different texture.
The Main Story
Page one confirms that Dusty is indeed dead, not just mostly dead. It also shows Lyme being dropped into a sewer, which raises several questions. The last time we saw Lyme, he was escaping from the retirement home in #21, p9. He had been shot, punched in the face, and stabbed, but he was leaving under his own power with Duncan. There was a panel of him laying unconscious in #22, p21, and now he’s being dropped into a sewer. So, did Duncan just leave Lyme behind? And why didn’t Links and the immortals kill him? (I don’t believe for a second he dies this early in the series.)
When Links says they’d be too late at the Retirement Home on page 2, he’s not being pessimistic. He’s using his precognitive powers.
The hypnotext on the record can be read under the black bars: “How would you like to get hypnotized? Stare deep, deep into my eyes. Now you’re getting drowsy, falling deep, deep, deep, deep asleep.” But why is this from a book called “Poetry,” and why is the woman reading it naked?
On page 5, Perrier turns to see an illusion of her dead twin. This isn’t the first time she’s seen her sister’s death in Zanzibar. She also had a flash of it in #22, p17 and in #8, p7. Perhaps the surviving Perrier is beginning to make sense of the memories she inherited.
Perrier is right to question Duncan when he says things will work out on page 6. He may be able to see the future, but Meru’s narration on #22 p21 said he was dying.
Meru recovers from her confused state quickly on page 7 and delivers a rough blow to the Eraser. During their scuffle, she tries to gain the upper hand by giving Meru some black outs. If you look close at the black panels, you’ll see the Eraser’s face in gray. They’re all the same face (seen clearly on p 21), but with varying degrees of zoom.
These blackouts may seem relatively unimportant, but I believe they hide a whole story of their own. Meru’s claim that the mind games won’t work is obviously wishful thinking, because there are gaps in the narrative. If you’ll recall the first description we had for the Eraser (#5, 2nd Floor), she’s best at erasing memories a person doesn’t want anymore. With that in mind, look at the page again. My guess – and it’s only a guess, I could be wrong – is that Meru just found out about Bill’s prior relationship with the Eraser. Hence her surprised “I don’t understand” and then her punching the Eraser.
Even after their scuffle, the Eraser tries the old “we’re on the same side” ploy again. It gets less believable every time she tries it (#12 p18, #14 p14, #17 p26), and this time it comes just moments after lying about Dusty being alive. Either she’ll have to start explaining hers claim better, or just give up and be the bad guy already.
The 101 on the door looks to be written in blood. This feels like a reference to some movie or other story, but I’m at a loss to what it might be. Anybody know?
Continued belowBill survived his experience with Spain, though he looks pretty rough. He talks pretty well for a guy with a cut throat, though.
The next few pages are montages set up in the style of flower petals. The first three are from the beginning of Meru and Bill’s relationship, when he was still Ferris Ferral (#8 mm). The next three are from their time together after the showdown at Shangri-La (#12 mm). The last one is Spain, obviously.
The two page spread also covers lots of ground. The first one, about Bill talking in his sleep, seems out of place because of it’s not connected to the rest of the story. Considering how dense the rest of the series has been, it’s odd to have a seemingly wasted panel. Why include it? I see three possibilities. One, Bill’s remembering a happy time with Meru that’s not related to MIND MGMT. Two, this was a real conversation Matt Kindt has had, and he wanted to include it. (The opening monologue in #1, “How do you surprise yourself?”, was based on a conversation Matt had with his wife.) Three, the furniture he was talking about was from that old saying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it was sinking – in other words, he had a foreboding dream about unavoidable disaster. All or none of these three could be correct.
This and most of the other petals where they’re talking about getting back into the fight are at the first safe house the visited in Hawaii in #19, mm (and possibly #12, mm). The scene where they’re watching TV features another callback to “Triple Indemnity,” the MIND MGMT film previously seen in #13 p12 (same scene even!) and #22 p12. The Hawaiian safe house must keep one of the other two existing copies Darren talked about in #13. The three scenes of him killing the scarred immortal are a different version of the punch in #12 p21. Their dialogue was slightly altered, which is probably due to Bill’s faulty memory. The final scene is from their escape from Shangri-La, also #12 p21.
In the final spread, the flower’s falling apart and the scenes are correspondingly less happy. Bill knew getting involved again would lead to trouble, but he went along with it because he loved Meru. The scene in the woods takes place sometime during the Homemaker arc, between the end of #14 and the start of #17.
Meru tries to escape with Bill, but they run into Spain again. A mind whammy from the Eraser stuns Meru, and Spain uses the opportunity to shoot Bill. There are two neat things about Spain’s panel. First, he actually takes the time to aim instead of just pointing and firing. Neater than that though, is Spain aiming through his left eye. It’s a little known fact, but a person’s dominant eye is usually on the opposite side from their dominant hand. Since Spain is right handed by default, he would get the best aim by using his left eye.
Bill’s death is slow, and his last thoughts are about his childhood dog (explained in this issues Mind Memo). Meru quickly subdues Spain and heads for the Eraser. After landing at least one hit, she gets jumped by two or more mooks and dumped out in the street still in a hospital gown. A passerby lets slip that she’s wanted by the police.
Meanwhile, some scavengers at a recycling center locate Dusty’s body. Instead of being surprised/scared by a dead body, they immediately take his headphones to listen to his music. True to form, his song quickly takes hold of them as they share it amongst themselves.
Rolling Stone Interview
The ‘lowest point’ Dusty refers to on page 1 was shown in #9 p16, and now he’s in a dumpster again. His street playing mentioned on page two was also shown in #9. The events described on page 7 are either a false memory or took place between panels in #9 p18-19.
Dusty’s first hit, ‘Gut Punch’ (p8), wasn’t one of the songs featured on his “Number Nine” album from #9. His anger about where he was working for MIND MGMT was also the basis for the song “It’s all a Racket,” lyrics to which can be found in #9, p22.
Continued belowThe spy work Dusty talks about on page 16 is probably related to the seventh track on “Number Nine”, ‘Doing Good Undercover’ (seen on the back page of #9, no lyrics available).
The Q&A on pages 21 to 23 indicates the song the scavengers get to hear wasn’t a random selection, it was a setup. The impact from this new twist will probably come back in a big way later on
Mind Memo
This memo cuts back to the Hawaiian safe house Meru and Bill were using at the end of #12 / #19 mm. There’s not much to it, and the folding trick does exactly what you think it does – Bill and Meru vanish.
The Second Floor
Willie Hunter (“Will he hunt her?”) was active in the late 60s, which makes him as a contemporary of the Eraser’s late husband PK Verve and Verve’s killer, Jason Corridor. The text describes Willie’s reading all of the monks’ archives as a “simple feat,” but there sure were a lot of books in the Shangri-La collection (#12).
He’s able to remember and recall all of history. Keep in mind this isn’t just generic world history. The book in #12 contained Meru’s whole life,and it’s unlikely she’s the only agent or person who got an entry. Willie probably knows the intimate secrets about every agent, including the secrets the agents themselves don’t know. This seems like a very useful ability to have on your side if you’re assembling allies for a fight.
The narration tries to be ambiguous about whether or not it’s Willie at the chess championships, but is there any doubt it’s him? The guy’s blowing smoke in the shape of a chess piece, for crying out loud. After alluding to his moves having a hidden message, we’re provided with six chess boards.
In order to decode the message, you need to know a few things. First, learn to read chess notation. Second, rotate the board grid 180º. (Normally you start on left corner on the white side and letter the columns A-H and number the rows 1-8, so that the white queen rook is A1, the pawn in front of it is A2, and so on. Here, you have to start the grid on the left corner of the black side, otherwise the moves are non-existent.) Third, the move Qd1 on the second board in the white column. (There is no black queen on the board). If you trace out the moves, the paths on the board create letters, spelling “Find me.”
The Letter Column
Regular Minding MIND MGMT reader and commenter Gary Haase got a letter printed this month. Way to go, Gary!
And Reed Beebe doesn’t like the word “said.”
The Back Cover
The new segment features Meru’s lower half, a Meru skull, and Duncan. So far, I’m not seeing any kind of puzzle like the previous arcs, but it’s still a cool image. Perhaps there will be a poster/print of it available in the future.
Correction
Last month, I completely missed the significance of the “This is a pipe” cover. Thankfully, papageno provided this link, which blew my mind.
In Other News…
Last week was the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the start of World War I, and Leopold Lojka’s inspiration to start the modern iteration of MIND MGMT.
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 #21 #22 #23
Interviews: Matt Kindt Brendan Wright Matt Kindt (2)
Annotations: Volume one
