Mind MGMT #4

by Matt Kindt

One of the coolest things (and there are many) about Matt Kindt's new on-going series was that, the main story (each issue has two other shorter features) never even mentioned the words 'Mind MGMT' until the end of the third issue.  No, our main character Meru has found herself face-to-face with the man she has pursued around the world, Henry Lyme.

She was looking to write a book about a famous flight where every passenger on the airplane was stricken with amnesia.  She discovered that one passenger, named Henry Lyme, went missing from the flight.  Her quest to find him took her to South America, Africa, and China, and along the way she was pursued by Immortal killers, and assisted by a kindly CIA Agent.  Now that she has found Lyme, he begins to tell her his history with Mind MGMT.

It seems (and I say seems, because in a hidden message, Kindt tells us "nothing is what it seems") that Lyme was recruited as a child, after a mishap with his mental abilities, to a school that taught him various psychic arts.  He was involved in the first Iraq war (which somehow had American soldiers liberating Baghdad, so I'm not sure if we are looking at an alternate history), but also clearly ended up leaving the organization.

This issue tells us a lot, but still leaves a great deal unsaid.  I really like the speed at which this series is moving - Kindt takes his time with setting up this world, but still has Meru going through a variety of experiences at a pretty quick pace.  Kindt excels at this type of book - where there are complicated rules of engagement and lots of complex backstory that he portions out on a need-to-know basis.

This title is up there with Saga, Manhattan Projects, and Chew in terms of leading creator-owned books that are more exciting and fascinating than anything being produced at the Big Two.