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MIND MGMT is an American comic book series created by Matt Kindt and published through Dark Horse Comics. The first issue was released on May 23, 2012 to positive reviews and received a second printing in April 2013. The series continued to receive positive coverage during its run, but Kindt's art style was a common point of criticism. The series concluded with issue 36 in August 2015. The story has been collected into six hardcover and three Omnibus edition.
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.
The film rights were optioned by 20th Century Fox in December 2012. Producer Ridley Scott and screenwriter David J. Kelly began pre-production in January 2013. A television adaptation was announced in 2017.
After partnering for one of Kindt's previous works, , Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson asked Kindt to pitch another book.Hickey, Daniel (April 26, 2015) " C2E2: Spotlight Matt Kindt Panel Recap", FA Comics (accessed August 20, 2015) Kindt sent the proposal for MIND MGMT and was happy when it was accepted because Dark Horse was "the only publisher able to pay me a living wage and also let me do exactly what I wanted no matter what." The series was initially approved for over 50 issues, but Kindt pruned away excess material and reduced the run to 36 issues. Despite the reduction in length, the final product is still almost identical to the original pitch. Diana Schutz, editor of 3 Story, was originally slated to work with Kindt again, but the project was handed to newly promoted editor Brendan Wright very early in production. Kindt described their input as "invaluable" and considers Wright to be a collaborator.(October 4, 2012) " Brendan Wright upped at Dark Horse," Comics Beat (accessed January 29, 2013).
Although Dark Horse had approved 36 issues, there was still a chance the book could sell poorly and receive an early cancellation. The decision would be made after receiving the final sales number for the third issue, meaning Kindt was only guaranteed six issues. Not wanting to risk the series being cut off in the middle of a story, he designed the first six issues to stand alone if necessary. Kindt pencilled two endings for the last page of issue six so he would be prepared either way.Joy, Charles (July 1, 2014) " Exclusive! Talking Mind MGMT with Matt Kindt!", Unleash the Fanboy (accessed August 20, 2015)
Kindt took on additional comic scripting work while making MIND MGMT, but MIND MGMT was always his top priority. He scripted six issues at a time, then worked on the art during the hours his daughter was at school. At any given time, he would have one issue completed and ready to print.
Kindt said naming 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 "Harry Lime" from the Orson Welles film "The Third Man" and is visually based on Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover".Renaud, Jeffrey (February 4, 2013) " Matt Kindt Manages "MIND MGMT" Into An Ongoing Series," Comic Book Resources (accessed December 7, 2013) Other supporting cast get their names from a mix of real people, film references, and even everyday objects, like Perrier mineral water.
MIND MGMT was Kindt's first solo monthly series.O'Shea, Tim (April 9, 2012). "Talking comics with Matt Kindt". Comic Book Resources (accessed January 29, 2013). After creating several original graphic novels, Kindt felt the format was becoming too "easy" from a creative standpoint.Peagler, Seth (February 20, 2013) " Heroes Interview :: Matt Kindt," Heroes Online (accessed February 25, 2013) He wanted to create a monthly series partly out of nostalgia, and to create a dialogue between readers and himself during publication. As an incentive to draw in readers who would otherwise wait for the collected edition, each issue included material which was not reprinted in the collected editions.Boisson, Nick " Matt Kindt goes monthly ", Comics Bulletin (accessed November 12, 2012). Kindt stated he was enjoyed the experience and the increased interaction with fans, even to the point of saying he may never do another graphic novel.
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 vol 2 #19 as a prologue to the second story arc." January 2013 Solicitations", Newsarama (accessed November 12, 2012). The series returned to a monthly schedule in January 2013. The first issue was reprinted at a discount price in April 2013.Press Release (December 17, 2012) First Issue Reprint Massive and MIND MGMT, Dark Horse (accessed January 29, 2013) Additional short chapters appeared in Dark Horse Presents vol 2 #31 (December 2013) and Dark Horse Presents vol 3 #7 (February 2015) and acted as introductions to the fourth and sixth arcs respectively.Press Release (December 4, 2013) " DARK HORSE PRESENTS #31," Comic Book Resources (accessed December 7, 2013)Bradley, Drew (March 25, 2015) " Minding MIND MGMT: Issue 31 and DHP 5 ," Multiversity Comics (accessed April 10, 2015) A one-page bonus strip written by Alex di Campi and drawn by Kindt was included in the third issue of Archie vs. Predator, published jointly by Dark Horse and Archie Comics in June 2015. The final issue (#36), also known as NEW MGMT #1, was published on August 26, 2015.Press Release, May 11, 2015 " new-mgmt-in-august Exclusive – Matt Kindt's MIND MGMT under new mgmt in August ," Comic Book Resources (accessed May 29, 2015)
A 200-page hardcover collecting issues #0–6, collectively titled "The Manager," was released April 3, 2013." Dark Horse Comics FEBRUARY 2013 Solicitations", Newsarama (November 12, 2012) (accessed January 29, 2013).(November 10, 2012) " Dark Horse February", Comics Continuum (accessed January 29, 2013)) It was followed by "The Futurist" (collecting issues 7–12, Dark Horse Presents #19 short, and five strips originally published as webcomics on i09),Dark Horse Press Release, " MIND MGMT volume 2 – The Futurist," Dark Horse (accessed May 30, 2013) "The Homemaker" (collecting issues 13–18), "The Magician" (collecting issues 19–24 and the Dark Horse Presents vol 2 #31 short), "The Eraser" (collecting issues 25–30)Camancho, Jess (February 16, 2015) " Soliciting Multiversity: Dark Horse's Top 10 in May 2015 ", Multiversity Comics (accessed April 10, 2015) and "The Immortals" (collecting issues 31–36, and the Dark Horse Presents vol 3 #5 short).
In 2013, Kindt mentioned the possibility of MIND MGMT annuals or additional mini-series exploring the history of the series.Bradley, Drew (September 2, 2013) " Minding MIND MGMT – Matt Kindt Speaks: Interview ," Multiversity Comics (accessed December 7, 2013) In 2018, he crowdfunding a read-along comic and vinyl record with voice actor Clint McElroy through Kickstarter.Lehoczky, Etelka (September 1, 2018), " From A Read-Along Record To A Profane Tarot: The Year's Quirkiest Crowdfunded Comics," NPR. Retrieved September 10, 2018
In 2018, the 36 issues of Mind Management were collected into three volume softcover "Omnibus" edition for publication in 2019. The first volume, published February 21, gathered the issues #0-#12 along with reprinting content from the individual issues that was not published in the hardcover graphic novels.
A new four issue miniseries, MIND MGMT: Bootleg, was released between July and October 2022. Each issue was drawn by a different artist, including Farel Dalrymple (#1), Matt Lesniewski (#2), David Rubin (#3), and Jill Thompson (#4).
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. They are attacked by two former MIND MGMT agents, but escape. MIND MGMT #2 (w/a) Matt Kindt, Dark Horse Comics (June 2012) Meru eventually locates Lyme, who tells her his story. 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.
Kindt's art style is a common area of criticism for the book.* Simpson, Ian J (13 May 2013) " Comic Review: MIND MGMT volume 1 HC ," (3.5 of 5) Geek Syndicate (accessed May 27, 2013
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".Montgomery, Paul (May 1, 2013) " Book of the Month – MIND MGMT, Vol 01: The Manager", iFanboy (accessed May 9, 2013) Reviewer Colin Smith initially felt the art was a weak point the good story could not overcome,Smith, Colin (6 June 2012), " On Matt Kindt's "Mind MGMT": Reader's Roulette 2:3", Too Busy Thinking About Comics (accessed March 4, 2013) but changed his mind after subsequent issues.Smith, Colin (March 2, 2013) " The Golden Age Continues Into 2013: A Baker's Dozen Of What's Been Splendid Since 2012 Ended!," Too Busy Thinking About My Comics (accessed March 18, 2013) Later issues continued to receive praise;
When the first hardcover collection was released, it was on the New York Times bestseller list for two weeks.May 19, 2013, " Best Sellers – Hardcover Graphic Books", New York Times (accessed 8-30-15) 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".Peagler, Seth (October 18, 2012), " Heroes review MIND MGMT," HeroesOnline (accessed January 29, 2013). 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." Great Graphic Novels Top Ten 2014", Young Adult Library Services Association (accessed February 5, 2014) The following month, it was at the top of the New York Times list of comic books that should be adapted to television.Jennings, Dana (February 7, 2014) " Proposing TV Adaptations of Comic Books", New York Times (accessed February 13, 2014)
The series appeared on numerous comic media "Best of" lists in 2012,
2013,*Martin, Garrett, et al (December 6, 2013) " The 10 Best Comics of 2013," Paste Magazine (accessed December 7, 2013)
| + !Title !Material collected !Published date !ISBN | |||
| MIND MGMT Vol. 1: The Manager | MIND MGMT #0-6 | April 2013 | |
| MIND MGMT Vol. 2: The Futurist | MIND MGMT #7-12 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 2) #19 and io9.com | October 2013 | |
| MIND MGMT Vol. 3: The Homemaker | MIND MGMT #13-18 | June 2014 | |
| MIND MGMT Vol. 4: The Magician | MIND MGMT #19-24 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 2) #31 | December 2014 | |
| MIND MGMT Vol. 5: The Eraser | MIND MGMT #25-30 | August 2015 | |
| MIND MGMT Vol. 6: The Immortals | MIND MGMT #31-36 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 3) #7 | February 2016 | |
| MIND MGMT Omnibus Part 1: The Manager and the Futurist | MIND MGMT #0-12 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 2) #19 and io9.com | April 2019 | |
| MIND MGMT Omnibus Part 2: The Home Maker and the Magician | MIND MGMT #13-24 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 2) #31 | June 2019 | |
| MIND MGMT Omnibus Part 3: The Eraser and the Immortals | MIND MGMT #25-36 and material from Dark Horse Presents (vol. 3) #7 | October 2019 | |
| MIND MGMT: Bootleg | MIND MGMT: Bootleg #1-4 | February 2023 |
The game became the first board game to be nominated for a Harvey Awards for the best adaptation from a comic book or graphic novel. IGN stated that the game did well in "streamlining and enriching the hidden movement genre."
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