stefan_lennemyr's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story, pacing and artwork works together to create an eerie, crawling feeling. Different small stories ties in to the bigger picture, making that all the more difficult to interpret.
joshgauthier's review
4.0
Yo... what?
I'm not fully sure what to make of this one, and my feelings about the overall series will definitely depend on how some of these questions are answered.
That being said, this is a disturbing, gripping, and all-too immediate melding of contemporary society and fantasy-horror. If collective belief was enough to reshape reality, the war over information becomes vital to preserving the future. With conspiracy theories threatening to destabilize the known world, it's the job of the Department of Truth to maintain the fact. But with other powers at play and secrets piled on top of secrets, the lines blur easily and nothing is what it seems.
Tynion crafts a dark and unsettling tale that echoes back to present day America in ways that are sometimes uncomfortably close to reality. Wielding the central premise of the story, he and the team delve into a dark alternate world where the rules can be reshaped. The watercolors and abstractions of the art are sometimes a little unclear--but they fit perfectly with the tale being told and create a visual style that is as central to the story as the words on the page.
It's a bold undertaking and this creative team kicks off the first 5 issues with dramatic flair. Whatever comes next, it promises to be interesting.
I'm not fully sure what to make of this one, and my feelings about the overall series will definitely depend on how some of these questions are answered.
That being said, this is a disturbing, gripping, and all-too immediate melding of contemporary society and fantasy-horror. If collective belief was enough to reshape reality, the war over information becomes vital to preserving the future. With conspiracy theories threatening to destabilize the known world, it's the job of the Department of Truth to maintain the fact. But with other powers at play and secrets piled on top of secrets, the lines blur easily and nothing is what it seems.
Tynion crafts a dark and unsettling tale that echoes back to present day America in ways that are sometimes uncomfortably close to reality. Wielding the central premise of the story, he and the team delve into a dark alternate world where the rules can be reshaped. The watercolors and abstractions of the art are sometimes a little unclear--but they fit perfectly with the tale being told and create a visual style that is as central to the story as the words on the page.
It's a bold undertaking and this creative team kicks off the first 5 issues with dramatic flair. Whatever comes next, it promises to be interesting.
yeahseemslegit's review
4.0
I really enjoy the concept behind this book. The idea that we somehow make the conspiracy theories a reality. At some point, however, the storyline was hard to follow and the art style made some panels difficult to read.
smfields's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
some_okie_dude27's review
This was a pretty uneven book. It's more of a collection of stories, with a streamlined story happening in the background while Tynion waxes out all of the crazy conspiracy theories that man has come up with since the dawn of time. There were some truly well written issues in this trade, particularly with Issue 3, and then there were ones that fell flat for reasons I'll soon get into.
I was intrigued with the idea of this book. What if all of those wacky conspiracy theories that have been cooked up in history were all true? I generally have little patience for conspiracy theories and the like, as it's been these exact conspiracy theories that have prolonged this crisis that we've been in for the last almost 2 years now. But like many, I have an odd fascination with conspiracy theories and why people believe in them. I also have a personal connection considering my mother has fallen down the rabbit hole of QAnan conspiracy theories and my uncle has been a long time conspiracy enthusiast. It seems that Tynion shares my interest in conspiracy theories, because he's now writing a comic exploring all of these theories. But does he do a good job exploring them? Well...it's half and half.
The Department of Truth is refreshingly solidly paced for the most part, never being too quick or too slow when moving along (mostly). The characters are well defined, the dialogue is snappy, and the story moves along well enough. It is clear that there is a narrative happening as these stories move along, and Tynion mostly tells it well. It's nice to see a comic that moves nicely along in an era where pacing has become quicker and quicker and we have less time for meaningful character interactions and letting smaller, quieter moments define the world that's being depicted.
Martin Simmonds' art is one of the best parts of this book. I like how the art immerses you into the story and gives it a feeling that you're in a waking nightmare that you can't wake up from. When the horror elements come on, Simmonds does not waste his time when illustrating some truly horrific imagery. The surrealism of Simmonds' art is definitely taking notes from guys like McKean and Sienkiewicz, creating a dream-like, surreal, yet ominous tone for the book at hand.
At its best, The Department of Truth goes into depth in exploring the psychology of people who buy into conspiracy theories and why they're so fervent in their belief in something that seems completely insane. There were moments where the insights that this book made struck a little too close to home for me. But sadly, this was undercut by the bogged down exposition. The concept is intriguing enough on its own, but Tynion spends so much time trying to explain the actual concept that this book became a slog to read.
My main issue with his trade is that Tynion over-explains himself. He spends too much time explaining the concept of this series rather than moving forward and allowing the concept to be fleshed out more as the story went along. As we saw with Mignola's Hellboy, over-explaining your world quickly kills the mystique of the strange, quirky world that you've made. The Department of Truth is similar to Tynion's other current indie darling Something is Killing the Children in how it explores the power of belief, but I found that Something is Killing The Children better explained the concept it was presenting without losing itself in exposition. I suppose the old saying is true that you can't hit a home run twice, and I know which Tynion comic that I prefer after reading this one.
I don't know if I'll continue following this series. It has promise and is better paced and written than a lot of modern comics nowadays, but I guess that's not that profound of a praise. The Department of Truth has the conceptual gusto of modern Image, but I am curious on if it'll have the strong sense of execution that other Image series' have. I suppose we'll see as this series moves along.
fawnsbooks's review
3.0
Hey uh, what the fuck was this? Due to my job, I deal with conspiracy theories nearly every day. Conspiracy theories and theorists, and them trying to convince others of the conspiracies' truth or becoming truth. So this was pretty freaky.
Despite the novel being US-centric, I recognized many of the conspiracies, which is just lovely.
The story is interesting, but changing how to read the panels (varying between page by page to rows over 2 pages) was very annoying.
Despite the novel being US-centric, I recognized many of the conspiracies, which is just lovely.
The story is interesting, but changing how to read the panels (varying between page by page to rows over 2 pages) was very annoying.
tbloehrlein's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wenzy's review
5.0
“We’re off the edge of the map, boy. Here there be monsters.”
The Department of Truth is a unique horror noir comic that follows Cole Turner as he becomes part of a government organization designed to stop conspiracy theories from becoming more than just fiction. It deals with the concept of collective belief being so powerful that it becomes reality and alters what we know to be true. It even uses ‘tulpas’ as an example for what is happening which I thought was neat and if you don’t know tulpas are basically objects or beings created through power of the mind. Each issue deals with a different case that varies from false flag operations, reptilians, to even the flat earth theory and they all feel fresh and contribute to an overarching story involving a rival organization wanting to use fringe theories to alter reality and Turner’s past. While each case feels isolated, they’re not disposable. Tynion does an incredible job of weaving a tapestry or a “conspiracy board” of a story about an alternate history within alternate history. Furthermore, Tynion adds complexity to the story by having you question whether the Department of Truth is wholly good. It combines the genres of horror, noir, occult and espionage with a modern look at fringe theorists and America. Simmonds’ art works in tandem with Tynion by creating illustrations that are abstract and patchwork to reflect the conflict of truth in the story. Simmonds utilizes jagged edges, grime, and hard linework to put the reader ill at ease when exploring this story much like a descent into the deep web and forums of conspiracy theorists. The Department of Truth isn’t just about conspiracy theories and monsters but how powerful stories are and what they can do. A perfect example of this is the third issue of the series. I won’t spoil it but it deals with mass shootings, false flag operations, and “crisis actors”. It’s horribly devastating and a sobering image of America because people really go through this. Stories can carry so much weight and when in the hands of conspiracy or fringe theorists they seemingly become their reality and can damage the lives of innocent people. This is a comic series that might not be for everyone but for me it’s perfect so far and I’m going to keep up with it.
The Department of Truth is a unique horror noir comic that follows Cole Turner as he becomes part of a government organization designed to stop conspiracy theories from becoming more than just fiction. It deals with the concept of collective belief being so powerful that it becomes reality and alters what we know to be true. It even uses ‘tulpas’ as an example for what is happening which I thought was neat and if you don’t know tulpas are basically objects or beings created through power of the mind. Each issue deals with a different case that varies from false flag operations, reptilians, to even the flat earth theory and they all feel fresh and contribute to an overarching story involving a rival organization wanting to use fringe theories to alter reality and Turner’s past. While each case feels isolated, they’re not disposable. Tynion does an incredible job of weaving a tapestry or a “conspiracy board” of a story about an alternate history within alternate history. Furthermore, Tynion adds complexity to the story by having you question whether the Department of Truth is wholly good. It combines the genres of horror, noir, occult and espionage with a modern look at fringe theorists and America. Simmonds’ art works in tandem with Tynion by creating illustrations that are abstract and patchwork to reflect the conflict of truth in the story. Simmonds utilizes jagged edges, grime, and hard linework to put the reader ill at ease when exploring this story much like a descent into the deep web and forums of conspiracy theorists. The Department of Truth isn’t just about conspiracy theories and monsters but how powerful stories are and what they can do. A perfect example of this is the third issue of the series. I won’t spoil it but it deals with mass shootings, false flag operations, and “crisis actors”. It’s horribly devastating and a sobering image of America because people really go through this. Stories can carry so much weight and when in the hands of conspiracy or fringe theorists they seemingly become their reality and can damage the lives of innocent people. This is a comic series that might not be for everyone but for me it’s perfect so far and I’m going to keep up with it.
honguan's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0