The Department of Truth, Vol. 4: The Ministry of Lies

The Department of Truth #4

by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds (Cover Art)

For decades the Department of Truth battled a secret war against its Soviet counterpart the Ministry of Lies. Now Cole Turner will have to face the consequences of his predecessors as the dark actions of the past unfurl before him...

The fourth arc of the Eisner-nominated THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH from JAMES TYNION IV (Something is Killing the Children) and MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy) is collected here!

Collects THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #18-22

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2020

About the author

Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so I think it may start...not making sense necessarily, but start having a plot.
Like a real one, and not just a stay a comic that has cool ideas swirling around going nowhere.



I complained that the previous volumes didn't do much to make me care about the characters, mostly because those volumes were just stories about conspiracies that were being explained to Cole.
But this time around Matty, Cole's husband, gets plopped right into the center of everything, and suddenly the stakes are raised.



Now, I'm still not 100% in give-a-shit mode about Cole and Matty, but I'm hoping by the next volume Tynion will make them seem like a couple that I can't live without. He's on the right track, but Cole seems so detached from...everything? He doesn't seem quite human in the same way Matty does.
But it's getting better.
Here's hoping volume 5 kicks ass a bit harder.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intensity continues as Cole faces the fact that three entities that battle for control of the world's public imagination-the Department Of Truth (from the USA) , The Ministry Of Lies (from Russia), and Black Hat may all be deeply flawed. What is conspiracy? Lie? Truth? JFK killed by Oswald? Moon landing? Cole's husband may be involved, as well, so the stakes are way up for them.

Martin Simmonds's artwork is perfect for the story. I have not been a fan of Tynion's work, really, what I know if it, except this series, where I feel he is pouring all of his emotional and intellectual intensity. Depending on how it all turns out, it might even be a five star volume and series. Crazy, but so are our times.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that ending….

[Scott Rhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the fourth volume of James Tynion's The Department of Truth: the former head of the Soviet equivalent of the Department of Truth, the Ministry of Lies, meets with Lee Harvey Oswald and warns him that the Cold War may be over but the fallout may be more dangerous; Cole's husband is approached by the bad guys and Cole convinces Oswald to maybe use this to their advantage...

Things are coming to a head in this very timely and frightening political horror series from Tynion, who has about four or five titles currently in the works, and all of them are riveting.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Department of Truth Vol. 4 The Ministry of Lies collects issues 12-18 of the Image Comics series written by James Tynion IV with art by Martin Simmonds.

The story returns to our protagonist Cole King in the Department of Truth. Cole continues to spiral into the web of global conspiracies that become truth when enough people believe in them. Meanwhile Black Hat is hoping to topple Director Lee Harvey Oswald’s deep state by leaking the United States and the Soviet Union’s past in manipulating world history to Cole’s husband Matty, a journalist for the Washington Post.

This book continues to be absolutely bonkers in the most wonderful way. Every little scrap of information you learn is shrouded in mystery and doubt as it builds to a bigger, more convoluted world. History changes on an unimaginable scale when enough people believe in it which is a fascinating story telling device that continues to warp what the reader should believe.

Every time I start a new volume I am always turned off by the art, but it makes complete sense in this dark, mysterious world. The art paints just enough of a picture for you to know what is happening, but could be interpreted in other ways and shades itself in doubt about whether it is truly real. The series is frankly genius and I have no idea how Tynion’s mind works to come up with this batshit crazy world.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this better than the last volume but I overall enjoyed this series more when we were learning about a bunch of different conspiracy theories and cryptids than what this story arc is now.

Individual issue reviews: #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22

Total review score: 2.8

[Florin Pitea · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-Files meets Thomas Pynchon via Bill Sienkiewicz. Or very close to that, anyway. Recommended.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. So after the last volume being all over the place with all the side stories, this volumes gets us back on track with the main through narrative with Cole, Lee and the Black Hat. Someone who had defected to the Black Hat from The Department of Truth gets to Cole’s husband and spills the beans to him. Now Cole and Lee Harvey Oswald find themselves in a pickle. To save himself and his husband from being offed, Cole comes up with a plan for Lee that may get them out of this mess. We shall see next volume.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's not doing it for me anymore, maybe if they can wrap it up quickly I'll finish this series out. James Tynion AKA the Tiny Onion has many a series out atm I'd rather focus on.

[Alex Sarll]

"Stories end. Our story is over. A new begins. Maybe there will be greatness in it. I personally doubt it. These will be our years in the wilderness. Then, maybe a bear again. Who can say. I won't live to see it." So says Lee's counterpart from the Department's vanquished Soviet counterpart in a 1991 conversation in the Moscow branch of McDonald's. Which is gone now, of course. Presumably little tweaks have been made in light of recent events, but the main story must already have been headed in pretty much this direction even before the last few months of side-stories, which is still a little too close for comfort to the series' whole plot about the uncomfortably close relationship between belief and reality. So let's just express the ardent hope that the Ministry of Lies' successors experience their own bad and broken ends real soon, and maybe that'll move the timeline up a little.

[Bertazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is solid as the first one.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very convoluted but interesting and thought provoking. It's so hard to know the truth outside of your immediate circle these days.

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 digit

[Kai Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've been saying, this book rly just walks the tightrope. I feel with a conspiracy themed media its soooo easy to fall to either side of like condescending liberal discrediting OR full Q quackery and once again this series strikes the balance so fucking well. It was very nice to return to the "main plot" after last volume's diversion (which I didn't necessarily mind) and I'm so glad they are finally getting into the cold war stuff, the idea of twin, competing visions of the world ofc just works so well with the premise they have already established and I'm extremely excited for the aftermath of that (the period of unambiguous American cultural dominance) to be explored further. Another balance that is struck very well here is the the feeling of truly not knowing what is "The Truth" and who is lying and who's loyalties lie where (looking at u Hawk) which is really fun to be along the ride for.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume gets back to the people we know behind this story and I love it for that. The conspiracies are still present and that’s what makes this book what it is, but the continuing story of our characters dealing with those conspiracies and organizations behind them is what makes this book so great. Very excited to see where this goes!

[Daniel Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was much more straightforward and easier to comprehend than the last one. My only real complaint is that at times the series narrative overall seems as if it's on the brink of collapse at any moment. It's held together however, by virtue of it's own concept it is fragile. Still intrigued to see where we go from here.

[Mendousse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quatrième recueil de cette œuvre de James Tynion IV. On se régale en découvrant de nouveaux pans de cette grande relecture paranoïaque de l'histoire Américaine. Avec notamment un fameux Ministère du mensonge russe !
Les 2/3 de la série est écoulé, on sent que l'on bascule doucement vers un dénouement que j'espère à la hauteur des ambitions affichées jusqu'ici.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to amaze!

[[Jamie] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot damn things are heating up for my man Cole. This series just keeps getting better and better.

[Steve Elworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great series. How great. I am waiting for more.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as strong as the beginnings of the series, but that end left me wanting to know what happens next!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still enjoying this graphic novel series. It's a slow burn with tons of story left to explore.

[TV’s Kevin Lanigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The vibes on this series are really bad (complimentary)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to blow my mind!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After taking a detour into one-shot stories for the previous volume, we're back on track here as the three organisations, the Department Of Truth, The Ministry Of Lies, and Black Hat all set their sights on victory in the war for the American subconscious.

DoT is a dense book. Not just in the sense that it's prosaic, but also that the ideas it presents are heavy as hell, in a good way. This arc also manages to hammer everything home for Cole by bringing his husband into the conflict, for better or worse, as the noose grows tighter around them both.

The artwork remains extremely effective if a little sketchy at times, but there's no denying that Martin Simmonds' style is exactly what this series needs.

DoT is on fine form yet again.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to impress me with its strong dialogue and highly conceptual plot. The art is not always easy to look at, but I think that's what's so good about it. Just like how the plot forces me to chew on it and really engage my brain, the art forces me to take in all the details with real concentration. There's a lot to take in with this graphic novel, and it's not something you can fly through.

I don't think this installment was quite as strong as the first two, but it was better than the previous volume. I do think Tynion is crafting the overarching plot really well and I'm eager to know what happens next, even if I preferred the more episodic nature of the first two's poignant, standalone storylines. Overall, a really solid addition to the story. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual for series this is largely a summary for myself so that I can refer back to this since it may be months til I get to the next installment bc Idk when it releases.


Ok finally the series has some forward momentum some plot points etc! The earlier issues had so much backstory and lore and exposition, which was necessary, but it was like, ok, let’s get to the story. We are back with Cole Turner’s story. His husband Matty, who is a Washington Post reporter (DemocracyDiesinDarkness) (as you’ll recall in the second volume Cole had to kill 2 of his husband’s coworkers). Cole is still struggling with what to make of the Dept of Truth and if Black Hat is worth defecting to and who’s really the good guys etc etc.

Oswald tells Cole about the cold war and the ideological battle and the soviet’s Ministry of Lies which was their government’s DoT counterpart. His counterpart at the soviet Ministry was Grigori Petrov. The cold war wasn’t merely a battle of economic systems, it was TWO TRUTHS COMPETING FOR REALITY. Petrov points out that the USSR was in service of an ideal, even if it wasn’t always lived up to, it was a real idea, while the US is selling disney fairy tales. It reminded me of what was said by an Iranian cleric after Trump killed the general Soleimani: it’s impossible to strike back at the US in a comparable way because the US’s only heroes are Spiderman and Spongebob.

Hawk sees Matty at a bar and shows him the footage of Cole killing his coworkers. We find out how Cole and Matty met– Matty was doing a story for a buzzfeed tier website about conspiracy theories and Cole was one of his sources. Martin Baker, leader of the Black Hat, meets with Matty and tells him basically everything. Matty of course has trouble digesting the news. Baker explains that the Ministry wanted to know more about the red lady, who is the whore of Babylon according to Alastair Crowley. The Nazis were attempting to harness her powers to take over the world. JFK found out about this, and as a good catholic boy, he wasn’t down with tapping into a demon, so he and the pope conspired to put an end to the Dept of Truth. For this he had to be assassinated. What’s funny is that in this narrative, Oswald did actually act alone in a fit of rage, but it was because he was the head of an intelligence department and was angry that JFK was going to thwart his plans. It combines both the lone wolf and the CIA killed JFK theory.

The act of killing JFK summoned the red lady and Oswald got a lot of power, which he used to do things like remove Nixon from office, get Americans to the moon, and generally run the Deep State. Oswald was behind the pentagram face man and the grooming of Cole as an agent from childhood. Black Hat’s goal is to expose Oswald as the head of the Deep State and expose all of his actions. They want Matty to convince Cole to defect.

Petrov from the Ministry of Truth was found dead after spending a week inside the gold vaults at Fort Knox. Cole and his partner Ruby go down to the archives. She explains that Petrov had kept a lot of documents in the archives at Fort Knox because if they were kept in Russia where the story of the USSR is diminishing they would flicker out of existence. Lee convinced several Min of Truth higher ups to keep all their archives down there so that they could cross reference all the documents and agree on some version of the “truth” of history. When they open the door to the archives, there’s nothing on the shelves but one single tape. They play the tape. It’s an “if you’re seeing this I’m dead” tape by Petrov I believe, saying that he’s given Baker and the Black Hat all information necessary to destroy Lee. Cole and his partner want to go and warn everyone at the DoT, but at the last moment he sees a post it note. It’s from Hawk and says not to trust Matty. Cole realizes that Black Hat has gotten to Matty. It then cuts to a shot of Hawk and Baker looking at Matty on the other side of a screen or two-way mirror, and Matty is on the phone with the Post saying he has something big….

It seems that Lee & the DoT have Matty under just as much surveillance as Black Hat does, so it’s possible they’re already aware of the situation. Meanwhile in the outside world conspiracies are more believed than ever ang everyone’s brains are scrambling thinking the pandemic is fake and the election was stolen etc etc etc. Black Hat has been apparently infiltrating online groups in order to push the conspiracies harder and cause more chaos. Cole tells Lee that the DoT is losing the battle of truth and that Black Hat is winning, and thinks that they should come forward as an agency if they don’t want the whole country to fracture. Lee says you just don’t wanna kill your husband! But Cole convinces him that they should swerve and do the last thing Black Hat would ever expect– which is to have Matty reveal EVERYTHING in the post.

At the end of all this you can’t tell who Hawk is really working for, you can’t tell if Black Hat is the good guys with the truth or if the DoT is the good guys! I’m inclined to go with Black Hat but I can’t be sure what their goals really are, they could be lying to Matty to get him to turn against Cole. But I don’t trust Oswald either. Can’t wait for the next installment.!!!

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mystery deepens and the plan becomes to do the most unexpected thing a secret branch of the government could do… reveal its secrets!

I would love to read a collection of stories from
The department of lies (they mention a few yeti). I wonder if other nations have their own departments…

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I stuck with this series. I am looking forward to seeing how Tynion develops this further.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good!