Dept H #1 Review

Story and Art by Matt Kindt, Colors by Sharlene Kindt


Matt Kindt is no stranger to complex storytelling. His acclaimed series Mind MGMT was a layered spy-thriller that served readers an intricate plot-line that was critically celebrated. Kindt is skilled with crafting mysteries, a genre often overlooked in today’s medium. After the conclusion of Mind MGMT, fans were curious as to what new story he would create. Dept H serves as the next offering from the mind of Matt Kindt.

Dept H is set in a deep underwater research facility. The setting is ideal for a murder mystery because below the deep everything is enclosed. The murderer has to be in the facility so the list of suspects is tight. This claustrophobic backdrop serves as a creative way for Kindt to add paranoia to the story. There are many references to outer space and how it’s both similar and different to being under the ocean. Both places feel like alien worlds. One lies above our heads, the other below sea level. Both are foreign and filled with wonder and danger. The freaky looking submarine suit Mia wears resembles an astronaut’s space suit.  The contrast between the beauty and the horrors of the sea are well depicted in the story and artwork.

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There’s something liberating about floating in a vacuum. The weight of the world is literally lifted off of you…

It’s the opposite down here.”

The protagonist of the story is Mia Hardy, a crafty detective. She’s been brought in to solve a mysterious homicide that took place on Dept H, the murder of her own father. Every issue of Dept H represents one day in Mia’s life. This give the comic a very controlled pace, with each issue giving the reader a few more clues to mill over as the mystery unravels.

Mia is depicted as being both fearless and cunning. She shows grit when interrogating potential suspects and sensitivity when she sees her father’s murder scene. It’s interesting when Kindt reveals her connection to the other members of Dept H, her brother is one of the inhabitants. This adds another layer of conflict for Mia because she has to keep her brother on the list of potential suspects. With just the first issue of Dept H  Kindt has already laid the grounds for a unique story indeed.

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Sharlene Kindt joins her husband for the first time as full time colorist. The couple have worked together before, but this is their first ongoing comic endeavor. Sharlene is a magnificent colorist and it shows here. She focuses on watercolors (a seemingly obvious choice for an undersea adventure). Her greens and blue swatches suit the story perfectly. Kindt’s art work is delicate and unique. Mia’s wide nose and high cheek bones are beautifully depicted by Matt’s scratchy pencils and Sharlene’s swirling watercolors.

If you enjoyed Kindt’s Mind MGMT, you should find Dept H to be a fulfilling follow up to his previous work.  A whodunit murder procedural set in the depths of the ocean, Dept H feels like Murder She Wrote meets 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I wonder if Angela Lansbury could handle the pressure of the deep.

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