Update: With Mind MGMT: Bootleg #1 set to release on July 6, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the long-awaited followup to Matt Kindt's critically acclaimed sci-fi series.
Check out the updated slideshow gallery below to see six pages from the first issue, along with the previously revealed cover art and bonus materials:
"MIND MGMT: BOOTLEG is a 4-issue instruction manual/induction ceremony/hazing ritual/psychological test designed to recruit weak-willed readers with massive cognitive potential into the world of MIND MGMT," Kindt tells IGN. "A perfect introduction to the world's #1 mind-control/mind-spy organization bent on making the world a better place through subliminal influence. Currently being developed into the mass media delivery system of streaming television."
The original story is below:
Mind MGMT creator Matt Kindt is bringing the critically acclaimed series back at Dark Horse Comics, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kindt is spearheading an entirely new imprint called Flux House. This new line of comics will be written and sometimes drawn by Kindt, with every book seeking to push the boundaries of storytelling and presentation.
Flux House will kick off in July with the debut of Mind MGMT: Bootleg, a four-issue limited series written by Kindt and featuring art from Farel Dalrymple, Jill Thompson, David Rubín and Matt Lesniewski. Bootleg will be the first Mind MGMT book not drawn by Kindt, though it does build directly on the conclusion of the original series and features the return of the titular psychic spy agency.
“I promise you that Mind MGMT: Bootleg is not a prequel, a studio-driven sequel, or a corporate re-imagining of that comic you love,” said Kindt in a press release. “It remains weird, paranoid storytelling and it was the perfect title to launch Flux House with.”
Part of Kindt's goal with Flux House is to restore an element of collectability to comics. The line will vary in terms of format and physical size, and books will often include extras like collectible playing cards or die cut elements. With Flux House focusing on a number of different genres and styles, experimentation is really the unifying theme here.
"Flux House is inspired by Fluxus – an avant-garde art movement from the 1950s that was an extension of Surrealists and Dadaists,” Kindt added. “The Fluxus movement focused on the creative process and experimental art forms. Their trademarks include accessibility, absurdism, and a sense of humor. If you’ve seen me burn or cut one of my books apart at a signing, you already have a sense of where I’m going with this. Flux House aims to embody all of these elements. It won’t be limited by traditional forms of books and print. And the story format will, as the name implies, always be in flux.”
“Matt Kindt is a smart and innovative artist, who wants to push at the limitations of the comics medium,” said Dark Horse president/founder Mike Richardson. “Dark Horse first published his work in March 2010, when a Super Spy short story appeared on Dark Horse's Dark Horse Presents MySpace web comic. When Matt pitched me the idea of a pop-up imprint with books that would be unique, collectible artifacts, I didn't hesitate to say yes.”
This announcement comes a little over a year after Kindt's previous Mind MGMT revival. Mind MGMT: The Artifact was among the first comics to be published as an NFT after that technology broke into the mainstream last year. Kindt has been adamant that The Artifact won't be reprinted in a more traditional form, though the winning bidder opted to publish the story online.
Kindt is also the co-writer of BRZRKR along with Keanu Reeves. Be sure to read IGN's interview with the BRZRKR team for more on that series and its upcoming Netflix adaptation.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.