Water color is an art style I rarely see besides a few paintings I made in a couple of art classes. I once looked through Frank Miller’s Elektra Assassin and was enthralled by the looks. But one guy has this as his de facto style to illustrate his messages, Matt Kindt.
Welcome to Creator Highlights that goes into the styles and themes associated with comic creators. We’ll be diving into Kindt’s work so spoilers ahead.
Matt Kindt is known for his surreal yet mesmerizing stories including Mind MGMT. He’s also a major contributor to the creation of the Valiant Entertainment universe; heading series like Ninjak, Rai, and the Divinity trilogy. But even when he isn’t the artist behind them, Kindt displays his sense of awe in those series.
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
One of Kindt’s earliest release as an artist in The Tooth, displays Kindt’s precise arrangements and layouts. It helps tell a pulpy action story about anthropomorphized teeth battling evil forces. What’s even more ridiculous is at the end; it is all just a dentist appointment with a patient fantasizing the events. This helps bring the idea that sometimes the mind makes what it wants to see.
Breakthrough of Matt Kindt
This idea in turn likely helps develop the idea for Mind MGMT. It all begins as a journalist’s quest to find out why everyone on a commercial flight lose their memories. The experience however becomes a surreal adventure where the concept of memory takes the Memento approach.
 |
This scene says Mind MGMT all over |
As it turns out, the journalist, Meru, is tied with a man named Henry Lyme. Lyme is a telepath who used his powers for the titular spy organization, Mind Management. Lyme is able to accomplish bold moves including ending a war in the middle east; using his telepathy to calm the extremists and establish peace. He even gains a wife from his handler and later had a daughter in Zanzibar. However, as the years drag on, Lyme begins to notice how great his powers are. It turns out Lyme is able to subconsciously control the feelings of others around him.
As he has a mental breakdown; it causes an incident where people begin to riot with a lot of deaths including Lyme’s family and Meru’s parents. Lyme brings Meru to America with a new identity; accidentally erasing the entire flight’s memories. He reveals that they actually had the same conversation a couple of times already and once again erases her memory. By the first volume’s end, it almost looks like everything is starting all over again.
The Fragility of Memory and Reality
And this is just the start. Mind Management was meant to have been shut down after the incident with Lyme. But loyalists lead by the primary antagonist the Eraser had actually been getting a lot of power from the sides. If you think the idea of the Illuminati and Deep State are bad; just think of people with real powers controlling your every decision and you never realizing it. Lyme works against them; for better and worse he is joined by Meru who awakens her own psychic powers. The idea of mind and memories changing brings up the theme. Are any of the events real or just a dream Meru needs to wake up from? The water color art certainly makes these surreal situations feel like a fantasy rather than a real conflict.
Matt Kindt: Recognition in Valiant
Kindt certainly has it better when he isn’t working for the Big Two. Most of his stuff in DC like Suicide Squad and Justice League America are just okay. One of the only moderate successes he has in those companies is Marvel Knights Spider-Man in its initial issues. (Not to be confused with Mark Millar’s run). By the end it just becomes too trippy for a Spider-Man story. It almost seems his style just doesn’t match with characters who aren’t spies like in Star Wars: Rebel Heist.
Valiant Stake
Yet that doesn’t appear to be the case with Unity, his first major series in Valiant. In this attempt at a crossover team book ala the Avengers; Kindt displays not (literal) illusions that people find themselves locked in but character defining moments. Kindt’s writing brings out the now firmly established world of Valiant; with its several characters showing how they impact the world.
This is How You Introduce an Ensemble
Breakout character X-O Manowar steals the spotlight by showing two sides of his role. On the one hand, he nearly causes a global conflict that would go nuclear. On the other hand he is a king to a people and tries to find them a home on Earth. The previous isn’t even a show of ego, he’s just not fluent with present day politics. The guy behind the helmet, Aric of Dacia is actually a pretty good guy. This is first seen by a journalist whose life turns around when she encounters Aric in costume; while telling her to find somewhere safe no less.
Unfortunately for Aric, his activities bring him into conflict with some of Valiant’s other characters; including the already encountered Ninjak and the deconstructed Professor X, Toyo Harada.
Toyo Harada is quite easily one of the most dangerous characters in the Valiant universe; his company touching every aspect of everyday life like a corporate warmonger. To add to the threat, he has a private army of psychics who swear loyalty to him. Driven by a need to better the world after living through Japan in WWII; he will do whatever it takes to see his vision come into fruition. However, it is increasingly obvious that Harada runs on his traumas. Despite his good intentions; Harada is very much a supervillain who is willing to force the world to bend to his whim.
Full Circle Development
Then there is Livewire, a character who is usually on the sidelines. Her power over technology makes her the perfect counter to the X-O Manowar armor. But rather than just be a weapon, she gets more depth. After some doubts about her teacher; she defects from Harada after realizing the extremes that he is willing to go through. She also sees the better side of Aric after gaining control of his armor; refusing to use it for Harada’s benefit. So Livewire brokers a deal with the US government where Aric as X-O Manowar works for the Unity team; now composing of him, her, Ninjak, and Gilad Anni-Padda the Eternal Warrior. All the while Aric’s people would have a home on American soil.
Worldbuilding
Afterwards, Unity helps explore the world of Valiant through these characters and how they interact with it. But the strongest point is in the fifth volume where subjects that don’t pop up in superhero stories show up. The team has a mission that, by my perception at least, is just a typical day for super teams. However, as previous issues show; the team is very much affected by the previous volumes of events. The mission even brings up some personal traumas. This really brings insight to superheroes lives. The thing of comic readers’ fantasies needs to be taken down to truly understand what’s happening.
This kind of writing even has Kindt do several more comics for Valiant including Rai. The protector of the 4001 A.D. city of New Japan must learn to become independent of the A.I. Father who controls New Japan. To do so he and his supporters discard the ignorance and bliss surrounding the supposed utopia. In exchange, the people have to find their own reasons for existing.
Zdrastuitye Greater Universe
The first to come back, Afro-Russian Abram Adams wants to help the world by creating an actual paradise; but clashes with Unity. With Abram able to influence time including how it affects the team, it seems like a losing battle. However thanks to Ninjak’s training and Livewire able to isolate Adams’ base desires; the illusion Adams places on the team and himself is shattered. At the end, Abram really is just a man wanting the small things.
Not Just Comrades
The first Divinity still remains and rather than become a major threat; instead helps deal with his former co-Cosmonaut turned godling Myshka. Myshka unlike Abram is entirely devoted to the Soviet way and tries to enforce that ideology. Divnity is only able to stop her by showing her what genuine kindness looks like by showing her past. Unfortunately Myshka returns after the final cosmonaut, Kazmir possesses her; causing the world to change into the ‘Stalinverse’ where the will of its namesake is law. Divinity however convinces Kazmir that there is so much more than just their small minded oligarchy from the Soviet days; inspiring Kazmir to explore space.
Deception, the Way of the Ninja
Finally let’s talk about everybody’s favorite gaijin ninja, Ninjak. Colin King is essentially Batman mixed with James Bond; with his own company developing gear for him to use and becoming a regular confidant with MI6. His background much like his occupation is complicated. All that is known is his family butler trains him to be a spy; at one point joins MI6. Most importantly, he becomes a ninja under his girlfriend’s killers. Ninja-K shares an unknown history with the mysterious Roku that even he is not completely aware of. The life of a ninja is already full of secrets; and the lines between them are things that any good spy has to consider.
Phew… Valiant sure is big. I could use a breather from all the spy stuff. (Pause…)
Hey, who colored the water?
The Wondrous Discoveries of Matt Kindt
Oh yeah… Water even seems to be a thing that occurs quite a lot with Kindt. It must be with how freeform it is. Once you get away from all the spies; there are some surreal and beautiful pieces that any fan of Kindt would look at. Past Aways for example is a return to form about the campy works. Time travel is fun again with what-if times being in an entire sea.
Unfortunately, it seems that Kindt spends more time on the spectacles rather than the story after a certain period. Just a series of misdirections that go from place to place. By that point it seems more like the water colors are meant to be symbols of being distracted.
Do it with Focus Matt Kindt!
Still, Kindt does have his moments especially when he focuses on his more notable series. Grass Kings for example deals with topics like trying to preserve freedom in isolation; all the while dealing with grief and attempts at redemption. However like before, not everything is so simple with desires that are highlighted thanks to artwork inspired by Kindt’s own.
Right now, Kindt’s is working his magic with Valiant as the writer on X-O Manowar; succeeding Robert Venditti. He’s certainly earned it after doing his part in the final issue of Venditti’s run. There was even a follow up to Divinity with Eternity. He also works on a few of the events surrounding the company including the Rapture and Harbinger Wars 2. The latter is even better than any Marvel sequel events like Civil War II. Yet much like The Valiant from years ago; he seems to have trouble with these events’ endings focusing more on the spectacle rather than the story. It makes theorists wonder if it has something to do with Valiant Entertainment under new ownership after its shareholder buyout. But how it affects the rest of the franchise is yet to be determined.
Confused? Let’s Go Again
In summary, Kindt really likes to mess with people’s heads. As an artist he displays dreamlike landscapes of wonder, danger, and beauty; thanks in no small part to the water colors. Yet it also makes the reader question if those situations are actually taking place; or if they’re just a fantasy. Even when he’s just the writer he can set up situations that make compelling cases; both in terms of character and for world building. But like most writers he’s going to have a few hiccups in quality; especially if those have some part in who is directing the production.
But the ink’s not dry yet on Kindt so be sure to keep up with the updates; and as always remember to look between the panels.