Comics
5/5 Skull Review: ‘Mind MGMT’ #2
There are books that deserve to be re-read because of their, “what-the-eff-just-happened-I’m-not-sure-but-it-was-completely-kick-ass,” factor. Mind MGMT is undoubtedly this type of book. As a new title, released by Dark Horse and written by Matt Kindt, it is highly entertaining, engaging, and thought provoking. After just the second issue I went stumbling back to the first issue for a re-read. Even the cover of issue 2# holds intricate details that might be missed with only a cursory glance. For those of you haven’t seen the cover (or have and didn’t notice) there are a multitude of words hidden in the stitches on the mysterious character’s face: “power, murder, hate, grudge” and fittingly around the throat is, “choke.”
WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt
ART BY: Matt Kindt
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
RELEASE: July 4
The plot of “Mind MGMT” seems to hinge around a secret group of beings that cannot die, chasing an unwitting guinea pig down a predestined maze. The CIA is somehow involved, but as of now it is unclear who exactly is pulling the strings of this intricate puppet show. One of the narratorial devices which Kindt employs is the use of the area outside of the panels as a meta text in which he places the rules from the “MIND MGMT FIELD GUIDE.” Indeed the entire series is described as a type of “incident report”. The cryptic rules outlined by the “field guide” are meant for the eyes of Mind MGMT agents, who employ a science designed to influence the thoughts and actions of others. Without these rules much of the action would be completely befuddling, but after carefully reading it is only mostly befuddling. Kindt is masterfully creating a world ruled by hidden meanings, where any word or symbol may be a trap for the unwary. It is slightly comical that every single rule that the “Field Guide” states is broken by the main character, Maru. This lets the reader know that she is truly a pawn being manipulated in some master chess game, and trying to find out who is making the moves will keep me reading.
Nevertheless, the action of the book translates into any language as Meru attempts to escape from the mysterious “immortals” who can apparently only be killed by a direct shot to the head. There is plenty of amateur Bourne Supremacy-style action, and this heightens the sense of drama as fate more than anything helps her elude her trackers. But it is exactly this fate that the “Field Guide” is warning the reader to be wary of. Maru’s escapes cannot be simply luck. They are part of the master plot which is slowly being revealed.
As of now I can’t make any guesses as to what exactly will happen. Maybe the “talking dolphins” will enlighten us in the next issue. I highly recommend this series for any scifi fans out there, especially if you like work by authors that twist your mind like Phillip K. Dick.
5/5 skulls
Reviewed by – TheSandman
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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