Name: Department of Truth, Vol 1: the End of the World
ISBN: 9781534318335

James Tynion IV

COLE TURNER has studied conspiracy theoriesall his life, but he isn't prepared for what happens when he discovers that allof them are true, from the JFK Assassination to Flat Earth Theory and ReptilianShapeshifters. One organization has been covering them up for generations. Whatis the deep, dark secret behind the Department of Truth? From bestselling writer JAMESTYNION IV (BATMAN, SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN) and breakout artistMARTIN SIMMONDS (DYING ISEASY)! Collects DEPARTMENTOF TRUTH #1-5

Department of Truth, Vol 1: the End of the World

Bryan Alexander

A fun and intriguing volume with potential. The Department of Truth is a paranoid thriller about conspiracy theories. The story concerns an FBI agent who gets recruited into a classic struggle between secret societies. In this case, the battle is over defining consensual truth and reality.

The book is deliberately obscure so far. Most of it occurs within our protagonist's perspective, and he's confused, manipulated, and also addled by a mysterious childhood trauma.

So far Department riffs on stories around the JFK assassination, school shootings, the flat Earth, Barack Obama's birth, and the Satanic panic of the 1980s-90s. I'm reminded of Warren Ellis' Planetary, which similarly posed dueling cabals across individual episodes, each dedicated to a specific story or subgenre.

The art is very much in the mode of Bill Sinkiewicz, and I enjoy that. I know it irks others, so check out some samples before you purchase.