Henry Lyme has been found! Does he really have all the answers we’ve been looking for? Find out in Major Spoilers review of MIND MGMT #4!
MIND MGMT #4
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Matt Kindt
Editor: Brendan Wright
Publisher: Dark Horse
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in MIND MGMT: True crime writer Meru and CIA agent Bill Falls are searching for Henry Lyme, the man believed to be responsible for Amnesia Flight 815. With the help of the some “talking” dolphins, the pair closes in on Lyme in Guangzhou, China. Not far behind, a dangerous duo known as the Immortals are right at their heels…
ONE ON ONE WITH HENRY LYME
“Finally,” I thought when I left the comic shop with this issue, “after four months we finally find out what happened on that airplane!” That was my first mistake; to think writer/artist Matt Kindt would let that information up after only four issues. We did get some big reveals this month though, giving much more insight into MIND MGMT and the powerful characters we’ve encountered so far.
Kindt is able to write a beautifully understated back-story for Lyme. We experience MIND MGMT’s training program through his adolescent eyes as he takes classes like Immortal training, Appearance Management, and Remote Imaging. Lyme rises to the top of the program and ends up in a relationship with one of his teachers. After graduating, he becomes a MIND MGMT operative and uses his powers to sway peoples minds: from resolving hostage situations to convincing the people of Baghdad to put down their weapons and welcome the US troops in Dessert Storm. However, Lyme begins to realize that he may be using his powers without even realizing it. On the first page of the issue Meru thinks, “…as he [Lyme] talks, I feel like I’m somehow losing myself.” Foreshadowing Lyme’s realization that he may be influencing everyone around him.
Is Bill Falls dead? Our ponytailed protector hasn’t been seen since the first half the third issue when he was battling the Immortals. I’m confident that he will pop up again unexpectedly. I’m interested to see if he is really who he claimed to be. Meru never got to see that badge she asked about in the first issue.
If you’re planning on getting this series issue by issue, do yourself a favor and buy it in print. I’m sure the digital edition is great, but with the print edition you receive two extra pages of back-story. These stories give us a history of MIND MGMT, it’s agents, and what it is exactly that they do. Even though it is the title of the series, up until this months issue, we haven’t learned very much about what MIND MGMT actually is (unless you’ve been reading the print edition!)
SIMPLE AND SOLID
Kindt’s style is undeniably well practiced. Though his style appears loose, each panel is thoroughly drawn and colored. Unfortunately, the cover art on this issue falls flat in comparison to the rest of the series. The first three issues included great hidden words and images, while this one simply had the words HELP ME written very plainly on it. I snuck a peak and next months cover online and it looks like he’s recaptured the subtlety of the previous covers.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I WANT MORE!
This issue does a great job at slowing down the story and giving us some insight into what exactly MIND MGMT and its operatives do. I’m excited to pick up next months issue and uncover more about MIND MGMT.
