I’m a big fan of Matt Kindt, but even some of his recent work didn’t land a la MIND MGMT and Dept. H. Sure, Subgenre was a mostly good story, but I never really got into If You Find This, I’m Already Dead or even BRZRKR. To me, with how wide-ranging and prolific Kindt is, this occasional “disconnect” is just a part of the fandom.
Because then he can roar back with a mighty new book like Gilt Frame.
There’s a lot of gimmicks and hooks surrounding Gilt Frame that could seize your attention. Like, how it was co-written by his actual mother, Margie Kraft Kindt, which makes sense for a story about a family (a nephew and aunt, specifically) of globe-trotting private detectives. Or, that it’s another Kindt book where there’s both a meta tinge (the family stuff, mostly) as well as backup material that adds to the lore of this story about stolen antique chairs, a murder mystery, and a 19th century lady bandit/thief. In short, the layered approach that has made Kindt this profound talent and a truly immersive storyteller.
But I mostly adore Gilt Frame because it’s so dang charming.
Forget the tinges of meta or sheer gimmickry; Sam and Meredith are among the most appealing and lively characters in a Kindt story (and that’s really saying something). They’re written like they’re fresh out of a Wes Anderson film, and that endless banter (and regular puzzle solving) is wholly compelling and not at all as irksome as that may sound (for reals).
I think Kindt’s best characters — Ansel in Folklords, Robert from Grass Kings — have always been a mix of grounded, deeply sad but nonetheless semi-optimistic, and rooted in groups/family. And Sam and Meredith are no different — the latter took in the former when his parents went super hippy, and they’ve forged this wonderful makeshift family. The fact they they now travel around as the most unlikely Holmes and Sherlock EVER is less a bizarre creative decision but rather an extension of their duo. They’ve come together as solvers of problems — usually the weird family kind — and it only makes sense that they’d find that same purpose in solving murders.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
But really it’s less about what they do — even as the case is really brilliantly structured and has some proper layers — but what happens as they do it. The tension and joy the share together; the wit and honesty they facilitate; and the way they hold each other accountable and lift one another up. They are already so full formed in Gilt Frame #1, and it’s just a massive pleasure to see two charming and organic people move through this seemingly unlikely adventure that’s nonetheless a great analogy for how to embrace a truly unexpected life when all you’ve got is one another.
It helps, of course, that the pair have such a deeply rich world to occupy. Kindt doesn’t do nearly enough full art these days, but he’s done it for Gilt Frame and boy howdy are we lucky. His aforementioned standouts like MIND MGMT and Dept. H exemplified the carefree but vivid style that defines Kindt as an artist, but I’d argue there’s something even more magical in Gilt Frame. Maybe it’s the setting — the duo take off for Paris, but there’s also great stuff in their super sweet St. Louis mega-apartment. Or, the grounded noir, which lets Kindt play around with a balance of the mundane and the nefarious with such grace and prowess. Heck, it could just be that his mother’s name is attached, and who wants to disappoint family?
Either way, Gilt Frame is this rich and lively masterclass in Kindt’s genius as an artist. He blurs the lines between cartoon, surrealism, and real life, and in that “middle” space we get these characters that pull at our heartstrings and still manage to feel textured and wonderfully imperfect. And that sense informs the way Kindt captures the actual world — it imbues St. Louis with a sense of romanticism, captures the dusty edges of modern-day Paris, and basically feels like a comfortable pair of old shoes that we’ve lived in for 12 years.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
There’s some novelty here — the stuff with Sam’s parents feels like a bad acid trip for a number of thematically appropriate ways, and the back-up material (old letters, advertisements, etc.) add even more prestige to this world. But they’re always used and grounded perfectly, and so much of the focus here is just on people in the world and all the magic and intrigue that offers.
Kindt’s whole style is to feel textured and alive — he captures people, places, concepts, etc. in a way that you can practically feel the imperfect rhythm of their hearts. And that sensibility is what really sets Gilt Frame apart: there is history and a sense of time and rhythm to this world he’s helped forge, and he’s able to display that in a way like we’re sharing our own family stories.
It’s an approach and a means of creation that pulls its punches and details when need be, and then slams us in the chest when the moment is right. For this story specifically, it feels like Kindt is moving across the art to show us what we need, hint at other stuff, and generally facilitate something like a mystery. It’s this nut to crack that we then embrace head on. There’s so much to see and experience here, and Gilt Frame isn’t just alive but calling out to you to take a saunter with these very real people and their unique dreams and problems.
I made a hacky joke earlier about the Kindts working together, but I really think there’s something essential here. If you can find Kindt in a place where he really and truly cares, that’s where the magic happens. That’s not to say that with something I don’t like (to use BRZRKR again) that Kindt doesn’t care — you can feel his warmth and presence whether he’s writing and/or drawing.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
Rather, I think if he has a creative and emotional sweet spot like Gilt Frame, Kindt soars like never before. He has the energy, warmth, and space to do what he does best: tell stories that are about a lot of things, but maybe boil down to something simple as family love or embracing the chaos. When Kindt hits his stride (I mean really hits it), we get books like Gilt Frame that feel like a milestone in a career that’s so accomplished and robust and yet still very much growing and extending. In short, a snapshot of everything great about Kindt’s love of comics, his earnest approach to art, his deep, abiding love of people, and his charm and wit.
Don’t expect something overtly novel about Gilt Frame. (Even with, aside from the other touches mentioned earlier, it’s also told/layered in really thoughtful manner.) Rather, just expect some of his best work in some time (again, that’s saying something), and a story that uplifts, confronts, delights, and thoroughly dissects itself and readers alike. Come to this book because of whatever other Kindt project got you here. But just know that this delightful, borderline cozy mystery is a standout gem like few others.
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