The Department of Truth: The Complete Conspiracy Volume One

The Department of Truth #1-3

by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds (Artist), Elsa Charretier (Artist)

The first three arcs of the critically acclaimed series that explores in-world case file reports of unexplained phenomena are collected here for the first time in a deluxe hardcover.

COLE TURNER has studied conspiracy theories all his life, but he isn't prepared for what happens when he discovers that all of them are true: the JFK Assassination, Flat Earth Theory, Bigfoot, Mothman, and so much worse. One organization has been covering them up for generations, controlling the narrative for what they claim is the greater good.

What is the deep, dark secret behind the Department of Truth—and will learning it destroy Cole’s life from the inside out?

Experience…THE COMPLETE CONSPIRACY by Eisner Award-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake) and ART MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy).

Collects THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #1-#17

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Thriller

520 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2023

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]

I'm a bit torn.
I liked the concept of a conspiracy about conspiracies. I liked the idea that if enough people start to believe something is true, then it becomes true.
In general, I like Tynion's writing style and he's become a go-to name that I look for when I'm choosing what to read next.



But the story drags in a lot of places as Tynion circles individual conspiracy theories and works them into the narrative of this story. After 17 issues, I would have thought we'd be in a more interesting place than I found myself when the volume was at an end. I'm not saying it hadn't moved forward at all, but this is a seemingly slow burn where Tynion wants to include the newer pop culture conspiracies like Reptilians & Pizzagate, along with oldies like faked moon landings, flat earth, UFOs, Mothman, and the Satanic Panic of the 80s.



And at a certain point, you have to read pages of cursive text in the form of a letter written by a Bigfoot hunter to his son. Walls of text in comics kill my soul and have become a massive pet peeve. Cursive in bulk is an entirely separate pet peeve that usually signals the death knell of anything in graphic novel format. Put them together and it makes me weep.
However, I realize these are personal "pet peeves" and may not bother other readers.



The art does match the story very well. Blurred & out of focus, with a look that everything is bleeding into everything else. Surreal. Trippy.
To be honest, that's not my favorite look, so the visuals just didn't excite me. But I see what they're going for and I can appreciate it for what it is.



Ok, I bitched. A lot. But I still picked up the next volume because I truly like this author and I'm hoping this goes somewhere cool.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Tynion is a rare talent. This is a complex and fantastic story.

[C. Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite elevator-pitch in the last 5 years. MIB meets QANON, with every Bigfoot, Nessie and UFO tossed into the mix.

For those who grew up on the X-files, this is a wet dream of an idea, and for those that didn't, it's still one of the best written pieces of fiction on the shelves.

Highly recommended;
5/5 stars.

[Gautier Langevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incroyable série, qui élève le genre des récits à la X-files et American Gods. Repassage en revue des différentes légendes urbaines et théories du complot qui ont formé l'Amérique moderne, mais à la sauce post-vérité. Un sans faute jusqu'à maintenant.

[Paddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to come straight out and say it, this is the greatest Graphic Novel I’ve ever read. It’s more enjoyable than [REDACTED] and yes, I’ll go as far as state that it’s even better than [REDACTED]. There. I said it. Sue me.

My best friend Michael surprised me with this as a gift, and - spookily enough - it was a title I’d wanted to read for some time. Michael is either psychic or has impeccable taste…but to be honest, it’s probably both. What a gift this was in so many ways…

I’ve read a number of different offerings from James Tynion IV, and none of them have disappointed in how he concludes his cleverly woven tales. I thought I had a pretty decent handle on the guy, but “The Department of Truth” is a wholly different beast altogether. It’s like his creative id has been unshackled and given free reign. Does he run with it? Oh, does he ever, and what surprising roads he’ll drag you down…

It feels eerily relevant and particularly timely right now too considering the way the world is shifting and so many foundational aspects of our lives we’ve all taken for granted suddenly feel so unstable and uncertainty seems to be the only certainty we still possess.

If you’re looking for something to sink your teeth into that’ll resonate on so many different levels it’ll make your brain hum and fizz like it’s been dipped in lemon juice and smacked around a Squash Court for a bit, “The Department of Truth” is the title for you: all killer, zero filler. It’s got that “I’m kinda jealous you’re going to experience this for the first time” vibe all over it. If you enjoy graphic novels - and better yet, happen to be a fan of shows like “The X-Files”, “Fringe”, and “Millennium” in particular, I cannot recommend this highly enough to you.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve arrived at Floor 13 and suddenly feel strangely compelled to go fashion myself a tin-foil hat and hide in a cupboard. Hey, maybe it’s not such a crazy idea after all. It’s worth a shot - if you’ll pardon my inadvertent pun. “Stranger things have happened.” etc.

Quite phenomenal.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise (if enough people start to believe something is true, it becomes true. even the craziest conspiracies). Average execution - the story drags at times. In all, not my favorite comic book by Tynion but still darkly entertaining.

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past couple of years, James Tynion has become my favorite contemporary graphic novelist, and there's something particularly terrifying about his Department of Truth because here in these pages he has captured what's truly horrific about the collective power of ignorance and paranoia married to unthinking belief and fear, which manifests itself in our world as a new kind of awful reality indistinguishable from the actual truth. Does that maybe sound a little too familiar? Because while Tynion may be crafting here the story of a shadow government organization that is either combatting or maybe even responsible for wild conspiracy theories taking actual form in the world, whether it be monsters like Big Foot and Mothman, the Satanic Panic of the '80s, flat earth hogwash or fake moon landing nonsense, what he's really doing is holding up the mirror to our pathetic society today in the shitty age of Trump where an overwhelming number of my countrymen's naïveté, bigotry and foolish credence have come together to give rise to a terrifying new reality where narcissistic conmen become righteous saviors, fools and charlatans rise to positions of incredible power, and day-to-day reality is reshaped by them into something squalid and unrecognizable. Here Tynion asks us to consider that if enough people believe something ridiculously untrue, can it actually take form as the truth? Unfortunately, he seems to be right. Let's see how this horror story plays out and whether it becomes a permanent disfiguring of the truth or is merely a horrible detour of the moment.

[TheMadReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been gold, pure gold. However, some of the stuff was borderline offensive and making a mockery of “conspiracies” that are actually true. It’s as if Tynion wanted to throw as much shit at the wall and group it all together without any logical reasoning. Poking fun at religious folks and those that doubt anything the govt tells them.

I don’t expect anything less from a transgender writer. They also made their lead character gay to prove a point. Typical TDS rhetoric. Tynion perhaps screams “industry plant.”

The art was pretty atrocious as well, matches the writing style. I’m only giving this 2 stars because the run is still ongoing and I’ll wait for a volume 2 deluxe edition to see how the wreck ends.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if conspiracies were actually true? What if they weren't true but they could become true if enough people believed in them? That's what Department of
Truth is about. This department is in charge of making sure conspiracies don't manifest.

This book comic brings some creative ideas to the table, but somehow gets caught up in showing how much it knows about conspiracies and is somewhat lacking in story. Most chapters are mainly about different conspiracies (Bigfoot, aliens, flat earth, lizard people in the government, etc.) and is much more worries about talking about psychology behind different conspiracies than it is telling a story of the department vs conspirasists.
The art style was less meant for me as well. I enjoy a "clear/clean" style over the painted look that this book has.

I was excited reading the first chapters but that got less when progressing through this book. 3/5 and not sure if I'll pick up following issues.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit crass, but this feels like a modern reboot of the X-Files in the best way.

[Nick Padula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wacky blend of Men in Black, The X-Files, and other conspiracy-filled thrillers. The basic premise is that every conspiracy theory that exists can become true if enough people believe in it. The “good guys” led by an elderly Lee Harvey Oswald are the titular department whose job is to prevent these conspiracies from getting out of hand. All the popular ones are here: Flat Earth, Epstein’s death, the JFK assassination, cryptids, the Satanic panic, UFOs, the moon landing, Obama’s birth certificates, etc. You name the conspiracy, chances are that it’s referenced in here somewhere!

This comic is 100% my jam. Very scary, very dark, and very weird. Tynion’s writing manages to capture very dark aspects of humanity while weaving a complicated and frightening thriller where the truth is never simple. Definitely will be looking into other works of his! The illustrations by Martin Simmonds are very evocative and unsettling. They remind me of the art in Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum graphic novel. Anyways, I will be eagerly awaiting the chance to read the rest of this series whenever it becomes available!

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a kid i loved conspiracies, dont worry i am not a loon honestly, but i love them, i remember finding a book about the Bermuda Triangle and it intrigued me madly! Conspiracy's like The Loch Ness Monster, the ever strangeness of the JFK Assassination,  Aliens and Roswell, 9/11, Bigfoot, flat earth the list goes on. I watched docus like Zeitgeist Addendum and it was really interesting. Somewhere along the way,  conspiracies slowly moved to be not fun anymore, we had to deal with covid theories, people who believe lizards rule the world, chem trails keep us in check and mass shootings are faked, the list goes on and on... Enter The Department of Truth,  a graphic novel from James Tynion lV about a dark secret that every single conspiracy is true. A fantastic idea that works out really well. The artwork is fantastic,  and drawn by Martin Simmonds in fantastic shades and colors and a moody style  the story is beyond weird but intended that way, and a really cool read. If i have to put in one minor thing, i dont think its nice to slap the complete conspiracy on the cover and spine and under that volume 1... A bit strange! But for the rest a super cool book.

3.5 stars

[razzmataz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always struggled to get into western comic series- this one is really good. I found this by accident as I picked up a single volume that had really cool artwork on the front and then discovered it was a conspiracy theory themed story. The artwork is gorgeous and I haven’t seen many things with its style before, it very much reminds me of Dave McKeans work in Sandman. The writing is very distinct with a cynical, blunt tone and very clever educated philosophies that comment on a more modern form of the classic “American Conspiracy”. They were clearly well researched and up to date on the current climate of online conspiracy as well as the roots of the American Dream. For fans of things like Control and The Umbrella Academy, Department Of Truth is a fresh take on an old idea. I love the change in formats and styles of each issue, and Cole is a really great MC. Little nerdy blonde gay man?? Sign me up!!! I love love love this series it’s so cool and I’m excited to see where it goes!

[Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have liked other stuff written my James Tynion before, but this book felt like a slog. I'm not particularly interested in conspiracy theories, so nothing here piqued my interest. It was a lot of the characters just walking and talking. There was a lot of text and not much action. I thought some of the one-offs that changed the art style were interesting.

Read for a graphic novel book club.

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5. I’m very intrigued by the story but it gets convoluted in more than a few parts. The concept, artwork, and story plotting I’m really enjoying but it’ll drop a whole chapter where it meanders and feels like it’s unnecessary in between a fast paced no holds barred issue. So it is giving me a bit of whiplash. Will definitely continue but 👀 I’m not sure I’m gonna love it in the end.

[Dan Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

[Ozrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO good dude you don’t even KNOW. Ugh the art is so pretty and I love the writing so much. Just what a cool idea in general.
Very excited/dreading reading the next volume hope we get more in the future.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvellous, a great concept executed to perfection and yet the book has some clear problems. But the positives far outweigh the negatives for me.

As written in the book's introduction, this is a horror story, but a very subtle and clever one. If enough people believe in something, it becomes real. Simple, but elegant.

This book jumps around and spents entire issues on explaining concepts and background information, while other issues are there to move the plot forward. This structure and shift in tone reminds me of Sandman, and I do love Sandman.

The plot is interesting, the characters are great and I want to continue reading the next volume immediately. The book touches upon so many well known conspiracies and expertly crafts them into the narrative, in a way that it just makes sense. It is great, because with the concept of materialisation of believes, every single conspiracy can be viewed upon in a fresh light.

And yet I have some problems with this book: The art is ... bad? All important characters have distinct features, like a particular hat or glasses, because otherwise you wouldn't be able to recognise anyone, because the art is just a smudge on most panels and I really dislike this style, even though it might be done on purpose here.

Second problem: There's too many pages here of pure text. I hate this in comics, even if it's just a journal's page. Show, not tell is something that also applies here in my opinion.

All in all, I still really enjoyed the book, but I'm aware this might not be for everyone. I wish the art would change moving forward, though.

[Philip Haagensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read other James Tynion books (Something Is Killing the Children; The Nice House on the Lake) and loved those. LOVED them. This one held a bunch of promise for me as the plot surrounding conspiracy theories and urban legends is right in my wheelhouse.

But I dunno…I felt it came off a little preachy and self serving rather than a fictional look at the subject matter. Mind you, I’m not against this if the narrative works. And I can’t point to a specific issue I had with any of the collected stories other than it seemed there was a bit too much “I’m smarter than you” subtext when I was reading it. Could be that it presented that way to me because I read the book cover to cover in a couple days whereas originally this was released in comic book form on a monthly schedule. Maybe that’s how this is best digested?

Overall, not a bad collection at all, but I wanted something….different. Can’t put it into words. Something less…serious? More X-Files-ish? But likely, that’s also the charm of it. Along with the loose art and text inclusions (pages of cursive letters). I really loved the letter from a Bigfoot Hunter to his son but also found it tedious to read, wishing we could get back to the Bigfoot story.

I’m still going to read the next deluxe edition of collected stories when it comes out. It’s sort of a love/hate relationship with this series for me, I think. Tynion is executing exactly how he wants this series done, so I can’t fault that at all. I just can’t decide if it’s brilliant, self indulgent, or patronizing. And maybe that’s exactly his intent?

3.5/5 subversive stars

[Pi]

Sięgając po tę pozycję myślałam, że to będzie komiks... a to nie jest do końca KOMIKS, jest to takie pół na pół... to AKTA DEPARTAMENTU PRAWDY dotyczące tzw. DZIKICH FIKCJI, czyli rożnych zjaw, potworów, stworów z ich opisami, ilustracją, występowaniem itd. Mamy też na koniec KOMIKS, ale on jest raczej takim dodatkiem, niż sprawą wiodącą... i ja jestem wprost ZACHWYCONA tym, co dostałam.
Prywatnie jestem wielką fanką legend, mitów, baśni, a coś w stylu BESTIARIUSZA, to publikacje dla mnie doskonałe, na myśl o których zaraz świecą mi się oczy. DEPARTAMENT PRAWDY - KOMPLETNY SPISEK - DZIKIE FIKCJE są zatem publikacją, która moje czytelnicze zainteresowania spełnia niemal w stu procentach.
Ta książka, to leksykon potworów. Mamy tutaj DUCHY, SZARAKÓW, ANIOŁY, WRÓŻKI, YETI, WIELKĄ STOPĘ, ELVISA... a nawet ŚWIĘTEGO MIKOŁAJA a to tylko mała dawka i to ta bardziej znana, więc sięgnąć po ten tom raczej należy, jeśli komuś w smak legendarność potwornych, dziwnych, pięknych stworzeń. Ja jestem zauroczona!
Pozycja jest wydana ZNAKOMICIE. Piękny papier, album jak nic, z genialnymi ilustracjami różnych artystów i bardzo ciekawym opisem zjawisk, postaci, mitów, legend. To prawdziwe AKTA SPRAW - takie ma się wrażenie i to oznacza, że robota została zrobiona. Bardzo polecam, jedna z lepszych rzeczy jakie ostatnio trafiły w moje ręce... choć mam ale co do jednego z rozdziałów... DEMONY... ale, ale... ale... to niech każdy oceni sam.

potworności w ujęciu fachowym
DEPARTAMENT PRAWDY - KOMPLETNY SPISEK - DZIKIE FIKCJE
nonstopcomics
egzemplarz recenzencki

[Devin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seals Tynions fate for my future reading of his. There will be none. I’ve disliked every single thing he’s written

I dropped this about halfway through. The art is jarring and doesn’t flow with a reading experience whatsoever. You can tell Tynion thinks he’s very smart and is very snide towards this topic. Personally I think conspiracies are fun much like ghost stories. He portrays it as if anyone who enjoys/believes in them as absolute morons and likely straight white men (because they are evil of course). This absolute one sided view of things really destroys any foundation of solid storytelling.

Another 1* for a Tynion book. I don’t understand how this guy has such a large following. Mediocre at best writing and you can tell he has very little real world experience being that his views are largely in absolutes with little nuance

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I've sat and read the series (well, 1-17) ain one go. I've been collecting it as singles since issue one and read it as a drip drip drip, baring through each hiatus with bated breath. Sitting and reading it all in an afternoon, you forget how heavy the subject matter is. The story is brilliantly crafted by Tynion, drawn beautifully by Martin Simmonds (and others when Simmonds takes an issue off. I forgot about the Tyler Boss issue, and damn!). I can't wait for book 2. This has been one of my favourite series of the last 20 years. If not my favourite series, each arc building on the last without jumping the shark like some books do. I hope it surpasses Criminal and Walking Dead in length. you know, once Tynion puts one of his other many ongoing series on Hiatus and picks it back up...

[Nick Escobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Tynion IV's excellent tale of a shadowy government organization that manipulates the world to bend the very fabric of reality to the type of America it deems best. That means that the collective consciousness is responsible for the creation of our world's most terrifying and beleaguered myths. Everything from UAPs to cryptids to flat earth theory and the satanic panic.

All of the wonderful world-building is supported and raised by the fantastic art of Martin Simmonds. Textured in remarkable ways, Simmonds's artwork has this blocky, smeary, and rough patterning to it that helps you stay confused as the world of the book grows ever more chaotic but is stunning to behold.

A great read for anyone who likes conspiracy or the unknown.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would've had an easier time rating the TPBs, I found the whole thing pretty inconsistent writing-wise.
The art is amazing throughout, it really suits the story, it's glitchy and full of collages, I've never seen a graphic novel quite like it visually.
On the writing side, it's more of a mixed bag. I think the general premise is great, but the setup is super long and conveyed, sometimes, in very uninteresting ways. Most of this deluxe edition seems to be one character walking with another and doing a lore dump. It might be kind of efficient I guess, but it's not good story telling.
I think the last few chapters, where there is more story and less lore really brought it from a 3 stars to a 4. But some chapters deserved 2s and 3s.

[Alex Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has concepts that should check all the boxes for me. It was recommended after someone compared it with Twin Peaks and Remedy's Control.

The premise is interesting and has clever ideas, but the story-telling falls flat for me. I feel that the writing tries so hard to overly detail the concepts it is presenting that the characters and story are forgotten. There are entire issues in the series that go over a single conversation trying to explain concepts which glance over more interesting character backgrounds and experiences with the concept.

The writing tries so hard to expand on the philosophy of its subjects in such a way that it ends up being more pretentious than clever.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but maybe not all it could be. Great premise and it does pretty well at delivering conspiracy theory fun but would enjoy more weaving of the conspiracies and less about pointless characters, like for example a chapter on Bigfoot could have been a lot of fun but was mostly pages of letters from a Bigfoot hunter about his personal obsession, not much story about the creature or the legend. Others stories are similar. Also uses a lot of very small text boxes. Maybe I’ll read more, maybe not.

[Kamil Zawiślak · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was fuc*ing great. Reminded me of Alan's Moore concepts, where you just unveil weirder and weirder shit. I don't care if some of those conspiracies included here might actually have been found out to be true in the real world - the whole idea here is kinda exploitation of as many of them as possible. Can't wait for the next volume, but I don't think it will stick the landing. Rarely any of this type of writing does.

[Heavymetalpaul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very unique take on what IS real and what CAN BE real. If enough people believe in something, it can become real. Thats where the department of truth comes in, and keeps everything in check. Very unique premise that I enjoyed but I’m not crazy about the art and all the other story threads it keeps adding before resolving another one. Hopefully the second volume will resolve it, but overall, interesting read.

[Adam Rodenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've become a pretty big fan of Tynion's work, but this one might be my favorite thus far. The story is great, if sometimes a smidge confusing at points, but the art...holy crap, the art in this is FANTASTIC. An absolutely beautifully rendered book, the art style really complements the narrative in great ways.

[John J Milton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, the ideas seem OK but most of the thinking has already been done by the conspiracy theories that are already available. If those were original that would be impressive but now, most the thinking has been done. Also, after you get the main idea, the text itself, especially the characters, were not that important to make me care. That is why it took so long to finish.