A dark truth finally realized.
Creative Staff:
Story: Zack Kaplan
Art: John J. Pearson
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
What They Say:
While Ben Sharp and his crew recover from tragedy, they also have everything they need to make Mindset the world’s most influential platform. But, as Ben seems to achieve everything he ever wanted, from fortune and fame to maybe even love, he can’t help but shake the suspicion that there’s something more going on.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Delving into any Zack Kaplan work has me in that weird space of being really keen to see what they have in store but also kind of worried because it’ll delve into some areas that scratch the parts of my mind I try to avoid. Kaplan continues to have an interesting work here that delves into a lot of modern problems but with a fun twist of mind control of sorts. With this project, he’s paired up with John J. Pearson for the artwork and color design and that delivers a really interesting look. Since this is very much a dialogue-driven piece here, especially in the first issue, without much in the way of action, Pearson is able to make it engaging with the layouts and designs of the characters so that you’re going with the flow of the narrative and dialogue as it unfolds. It definitely delivers a really good experience.
As the series continues on, it’s definitely feeling the weight of what Kaplan is putting into it. We see how the investments go in building out the app and it’s something that definitely makes it clear that a lot of subtle control is going on here. And while you do suspect that Eitan may be the one pulling the strings, part of it feels like there’s another source behind it. Regardless, we see how the company gets funded and begins its rapid growth where by the end of the issue we’re reaching a point where there are almost a billion users. And that’s definitely something that scaled up fast but we see how the supposed power of a positive experience worked and that it really did make an impact as the other services have been bled dry and are likely close to folding.
The main focus of the book is through Ben and we see how he falls in with Hanna Atlanta as she basically works as his manager so he can do all the speaking gigs, interviews, and so forth around the world. He’s become the face of the company quickly and she’s making good money off it as well, but it’s slowly coming around that she has actual feelings for him as well. There’s a lot to like in seeing their journey and some of his struggles along the way, but when we get to a moment where she’s just about to confess to him and he can’t resist checking his phone is simply perfect. But her calling him out on it is what triggers him to realize that the code has been changed and that he’s being controlled into checking the app. It opens up to the greater abuse that’s going and seeing him trying to explain things while working it out in his head is good.
In Summary:
Mindset continues to be pretty interesting but it’s a difficult read in a way because of the nature of the story. It’s one that would definitely be riveting in a novel and it works well enough here but the monthly format is what keeps it from being able to maintain the tension. This issue is all about showing more of what’s going on as the company grows rapidly and Ben is finding himself more and more on the outside. It’s solidly done and you can see how he’s being manipulated and how it is eating at him as well. There are a couple of ways that this can all be toyed with by players unseen but that uncertainty is definitely interesting to watch unfold.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: October 19th, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
