If you’re familiar with the work of Matt Kindt, you know he’s one of the hardest working creators in comics. Over the past several years he’s received critical acclaim for his graphic novels Super Spy, 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man, Revolver, and Pistolwhip.  More recently, you’ve probably seen his work on Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and in Mind Mgmt, the monthly Dark Horse title he writes, illustrates and designs.  Kindt’s previous graphic novels suggest he possesses one of the more original voices in comics.  Now with Mind Mgmt, not only do you have further support for his originality, but you’re getting monthly examples of it.  For a deeper look at Mind Mgmt, check out my review of issues 1-5 HERE.  In the meantime, enjoy the interview.

Seth Peagler (SP): Mind Mgmt is your first big monthly book, but it’s also one where you’re writing, illustrating and directing the design of every aspect of it. What were some things that contributed to your decision to tackle something of this scale at this point in your career?

Matt Kindt (MK): Well, to be honest, I feel like graphic novels were getting too easy from a creative stand point. I was getting a little bored. And I was tired of disappearing for a year to finish a book and then launching a book and disappearing again. Now I get to launch a new issue every month and get a little more interaction with readers. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever go back to a GN format. I’m having way too much fun doing a monthly series. (more…)

SETH’S PICK :: HELLBOY IN HELL #3: The fact is, many times a high profile creator returns to a character they made famous, in spite of publicity, the book somehow doesn’t live up to expectation.  Mike Mignola’s return to drawing Hellboy in this series certainly attracted lots of attention, but it has been far from a let down.  In fact, it’s arguably as good as anything Mignola’s ever done.  You can really see the joy he’s getting out of taking Hellboy in a new direction.  It’s not a rehash of where Hellboy has been before, and Mignola is clearly crafting challenging stories and situations that will only further develop the character.  It’s also worth mentioning the genius-level coloring of Dave Stewart.  He’s long been Mignola’s go-to colorist, but the new setting of Hell has really allowed Stewart to stretch out and use a richer, more varied palette.  These are masters of the craft who are not only enjoying the process of making these comics, but are pushing themselves to evolve their work and the characters they continue to define. 

Bonus Pick of the Week:  I’d be remiss not to mention this week’s debut of our pal Jason Latour as the new writer of Winter Soldier.  All of us around here have long known how hard Jason works at comics, and some of us have even heard about what he has in the works for Bucky Barnes.  Alongside Nic Klein, who may well be the most suited artist to work on Winter Soldier since Jackson Guice, Latour plans to move Bucky forward in genuinely interesting ways.  Ed Brubaker brought Bucky back to relevance, and he’ll always cast a long shadow on whoever else writes the character, but Latour and Klein will distinguish Winter Soldier in ways you’ve never seen before.

SETH’S PICK :: BLACK BEETLE #1: It’s true that our Charlotte MiniCon will take place on Sunday, January 20, but first we’ll  be spending Tuesday and Wednesday working on new comic arrivals.  Black Beetle is my pick of the week for a few different reasons.  One, it’s a mini series written and illustrated by Eisner award winning Franceseco Francavilla.  He’s done cover work for just about every company, and I bet there are at least 3 or 4 of his covers still on our stands.  Two, it’s a simple, direct pulp/adventure comic done out of love for the genre.  You still get Francavilla’s art, but you also get a new world full of mobsters, mysteries and monsters.  How Francavilla found time to produce this series with his already full plate is baffling, but I’m happy that he did. Finally, it’s also a good palate-cleansing comic if you’ve been reading lots of mainstream super hero or indie comics lately.  Black Beetle #0 is one I’ve returned to on several occasions since it debuted a few weeks ago, and I’m sure you will too.    

HEATHER’S PICK :: ROTTEN APPLE: Creators Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown describe this comic as a “Cannonball Run-style race for a mystical relic” and I am pretty much sold on the concept.  Add to that premise that the art is done by almost local, Sanford Greene and I am now completely sold.  In the city of Rotten Apple, San Gee is hired by a religious group to find the Bleeding Rock, a sacred relic, but she’s not the only one looking for it.  An interesting and visually stimulating tale is sure to be spun as our heroine races to complete her job and beat all the others to this priceless possession.  Make sure this one-shot collecting the Rotten Apple stories from Dark Horse Presents #2-#5 is on your list this week!

SETH’S PICK(s) :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1/AVENGERS #1:  Yes, it’s a two pick week for me.  Hellboy In Hell #1 brings creator Mike Mignola back to full-time illustrating his most famous creation.  Yes, he killed Hellboy, but now he can take him through all the different realms of hell.  Now that HB’s free from the physical world, Mignola can draw whatever he’s always wanted to, without needing to be bound to continuity.  It says a lot to me that with all the things Mignola might have done (and it could’ve been anything from more movies to continuing to have other talented folks like Duncan Fegredo illustrate his creation), he really just wanted to get back to drawing Hellboy.  That’s something I respect, and have looked forward to seeing for quite a while.

Avengers #1:  When the Marvel Now books were announced, I said the two near-guaranteed most promising titles were Thor: God of Thunder and this book.  Writer Jonathan Hickman has proved countless times over that he can handle large casts (Fantastic Four and FF) and big concepts (S.H.I.E.L.D. and Manhattan Projects).  Now he’s tackling an enormous cast of over 18 characters, and returning the Avengers to big, cosmic stories.  Artist Jerome Opena really left an indelible mark on Uncanny X-force, and brought a visual dynamic to Rick Remender’s stories that I don’t think anyone else could’ve done.  On paper this title looks like a no-brainer, and I’ll be really shocked if this doesn’t end up being a great book.

SETH’S PICK :: NEXUS OMNIBUS VOL. 1:  There are lots of new books that look interesting to me this week.  There’s horror in the  Baltimore: The Play one shot, super heroics in Hawkeye #4, and pulpy adventure goodness in Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #4.  Still, when I saw Dark Horse’s first volume of Nexus omnibi on the list, I had to pick it.  If you’re among those who haven’t experienced this classic take on superheroes and space archetypes from Mike Baron and Steve Rude, now is your chance to read the earliest adventures in an affordable format.  It’s fourteen classic comics for $25, and it’s a volume that deserves to be in any comic fan’s library.  Besides that, it’s comprised of over 400 pages of Steve Rude art, and that alone is worth every cent.

RICO’S PICK :: B.P.R.D. 1948: This new B.P.R.D. looks like the perfect book for the season. Max Fiumara and Dave Stewart make everything look exciting and Max does a great and unique version of Hellboy as a…boy. Mignola and Arcudi’s latest B.P.R.D. tale is wrapped in a beautifully spooky Dave Johnson cover.