Mastermind Unveils Its Schemes...

Last week I ran into some folks who'd just launched Mastermind, self-described as more of a "media koan" than a magazine. I took the issue they offered me, and then didn't get a chance to look at it until yesterday, but it's fascinating stuff. The editorial sensibility is non-linear, forcing readers to think through the juxtapositions. Some of them are obvious, like rapper Eyedea being called upon for commentary on Juvenal's satirical attacks on his contemporaries, but others are much more subtle. Real architectural projects commingle with imaginary proposals (well, I guess the proposal isn't imaginary, just its implementation). There's video game scripts and roleplaying game transcripts, both of which might be set in the same universe, which might also have some connection to the world in the mini-comic book, or the subway map collage, or the roundup of anthrax stories...And there's a lot about the Matrix trilogy, including close readings of the last two films that offered up a surprising interpretation of the Merovingian and Persephone I hadn't ever contemplated before, but which made sense as soon as it was voiced. Distribution is probably still somewhat limited, but check their website for details.