Department of Truth #21 // Review
Cole and Ruby are going to Fort Knox. They both work for Lee Harvey Oswald. They’re both there to do a little investigating. They’re not going to find what most people might expect inside one of the most famously guarded places in the world. That’s because they work for the titular organization in Department of Truth #21. Writer James Tynion IV continues an exploration into the nature of collective truth with the aid of artist Martin Simmonds. Tynion and company continue to captivatingly perambulate the shadowy low-res visuals of a nightmare world lurking around the edges of popular consciousness.
There’s a Mothman in Fort Knox. It’s not like...alive or anything like that. A guy named Hawk had it stuffed, mounted, and put on display in the country's most secure facility. Ruby thinks that he did it for the sake of keeping it. Evidently, he’s pretty sentimental about it. What they find in the rest of the facility might be even weirder than that for completely different reasons. Meanwhile, in 1992, Hawk is having a meeting with a Russian agent for the Ministry of Lies. He’s not exactly cut out for international protocol, but Hawk is well acquainted with what’s going on.
Tynion has had a hell of a lot moving around the shadows that are the central focus of The Department of Truth. With Fort Knox, Tynion begins to move outside the traditional realms of popular paranoia and into something bigger. Tynion is cleverly speculating on aspects of a world shaped by popular belief that reach beyond mainstream conspiracy theories and into a much bigger world that is beginning to feel fresh and new. The uneasiness of the horror may not be perfectly integrated with the art, but it continues to attract the eye and capture the imagination.
Simmonds manages some very vivid visuals for a couple of conversations and a monologue. Tynion really ISN’T giving Simmonds a whole lot to work with, but the artist brings the mystery and intrigue, and horror to the page. A conversation between Russian, US, and others in symbolic form. The look and feel of Fort Knox could have been brought to the page with a bit more of a striking establishing shot, given the stature of the location. Still, Simmonds conjures so very dark drama with heavy darkness that continues to pour over the faces and forms of those looking into the nightmarish heart at the center of collective history.
There is SO MUCH to explore with respect to paranoid conspiracy theory. The rate at which Simmonds is introducing elements almost seems as random as the order in which they appear on the page. There’s a wild sense of disorder about it all, but long-running narratives that explore this sort of thing DO run the risk of becoming a big, hopeless mess as the episodes continue. Tynion DOES seem to have a very distinct idea for the flow of action and exposition, but a big part of the appeal of the series lies in the sense of madness and chaos that rest at its heart. As of the 21st issue, everything seems to be well-balanced. It’s a tricky balance, and Tynion is managing it quite well.
