Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 17, 2018 | 4 comments

The creator of the acclaimed MIND MGMT picks ’em…

I am an easy touch when it comes to modern creators who go full-on retro on a project.

Take Matt Kindt and his critically lauded magnum opus, MIND MGMT. He’s got a Kickstarter up for his latest entry – a book-and-record set a la the Power Records editions of the ’70s but with a distinctively subversive tilt.

Kindt has teamed up with popular podcaster Clint McElroy of The Adventure Zone to create what they’re billing as “the first ever read-along comic book and vinyl record for adults.”

“I grew up loving read-along book and records like Planet of the Apes and Pete’s Dragon and I’ve always wanted to experiment with this format to tell a comic book story in a new and unique way,” Kindt said. “Rather than simply having a comic that illustrates the audio, the comic-book story will subvert the audio that you’re hearing and the images will work completely differently when viewed while listening to the record.”

MIND MGMT has long been published by Dark Horse, but Kindt went the Kickstarter route because the company doesn’t produce records. The set is designed to be a standalone story that can appeal to new readers, as well as those who’ve been with the series from the beginning.

It includes a full-color, 24-page comic with a gatefold in the back that will hold the record in place. And how groovy is this: The 7″ 33 1/3 RPM record will be pressed by United Record Pressing, the company that printed the Beatles’ first 7″.

Plus, you know what’s cool? It’s already been funded more than three times over, which means this is very much happening. There are still three more weeks to get in on it and the nifty extras. Click here to check it out.

Anyway, given the old-school trappings of this project, I’ve invited Matt to list 13 GREAT POWER RECORDS (as well as a few from some other labels).

Dig it. – Dan

—

By MATT KINDT

Planet of the Apes. I was obsessed with this movie when I was growing up… which is kind of a lie. I’m still obsessed with it. Stay tuned – I’m working with Boom! Studios and they have the license…

—

Wonder Woman. The invisible plane – I LOVED that! And so amazing what Darwyn Cooke would do with the invisible plane years later in The New Frontier. One of my favorites of all time.

—

The Incredible Hulk. Hulk’s voice on this record was amazing…and a little scary.

—

Steven by Doug Allen. Found this one in the ’90s – great indie cartoonist with a bad-attitude character. I used to have a T-shirt with this guy on it too. Perfect companion piece to Evan Dorkin’s Milk and Cheese. This was the record I found in my collection that dampened my enthusiasm for doing my modern project. But this was a straight-up read-along record and made me realize that if it’s for grown-ups… maybe I could push it further. Do something that complements the audio and the other way around – something that only works when both audio and visual come together and is greater than the sum of its parts.

—

Spider-Man. More great voice-acting on this one. And one of the best super-hero costumes of all time. I’m pretty sure I took crayons to the pages in this one, as well.

—

Space: 1999. I LOVED the idea of this show. And I love the Eagle spaceship. I could never stay awake for an entire episode (I was young). But a shorter read-along comic – that I could do!

—

Six Million Dollar Man. This was one of the best action figures back in the day. 12 inches just like GI Joe but he had a “bionic eye,” which was a hole in the back of his head that you looked through – and a lens in his eye that gave you a distorted view… somehow it was bionic. Also, the red-and-white track suit? Such a great iconic look.

—

GI Joe: The Secret of the Mummy’s Tomb. This is it. My brother and I must have worn this record out. I literally texted him a link to my Kickstarter yesterday. And you know what his response was? Without prompting? “It went right through him!” – which is a line of dialogue from this record. A record we listened to more than 30 years ago. Ha ha! So many great lines in this one. Worth a listen – and you can find it on YouTube right now:

—

Robin Hood. This is from the Disney animated version. I loved this as a kid too. The design of the characters is really iconic. And Roger Miller voicing it – classic.

—

GI Joe: The Secret Mission to Spy Island. We had a lot of the GI Joe 12-inch toys, so as a result we had a lot of these records. We’d put the record on and play with the toys while we listened to the story.

—

Kojak. We had this – but I was too young for it. Not sure why we had it. Always made me want a sucker though.

—

The Adventures of Robin Hood. This was the non-Disney one. Based on the classic story. But the art on this cover — totally tricked me as a kid into thinking it was Green Arrow.

—

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The submarine in this one! And Nemo was really creepy to me. This inspired my series Dept. H for sure — and the underwater cave base of the First Immortal in MIND MGMT (who incidentally stars in my book and record).

—

Click here to check out the MIND MGMT book-and-record Kickstarter.

—

MORE

— 13 CLASSIC TOYS We Want to See Re-Released. Click here.