The Department of Truth #37 // Review
It’s 1996. Jurassic Park has made a tremendous amount of money at the box office and on home video, spurring renewed interest in dinosaurs among children. (The sequel is due out next year.) There have been talks of dinosaur sitings at a Christian theme park in Florida. Naturally, there is going to be some interest with one of the more shadowy groups working within the government. They’re sending two people out to investigate. They’re going to have their hands full in The Department of Truth #37. Writer James Tynion IV continues a durably enjoyable series on a whole new plot arc with artist Ben Templesmith.
Hunky is the one who brings the matter to the attention of department head Lee Harvey Oswald. Lee happens to be dealing with kind of a lot. (The continued mega-popularity of the X-Files is probably giving everyone a huge headache given the nature of the show.) Hunky would be going to Florida alone were it not for the fact that the tin foil hat guy is interested in a road trip as well. Two outcasts head it out on the road to Florida. They’ve got access to information that would make anyone have a psychotic episode. What’s the worst that could happen?
It’s deeply gratifying to know that Department of Truth has reached the beginning of its fourth year. One of the biggest factors in its continued success is its durability. Tynion has created a premise that allows for a very wide-ranging ensemble of deeply appealing characters who pepper the landscape of the 20th century and beyond. When he was first introduced, Hunky came across as a bit of a weak stereotype. Tynion allows the 37th issue to define him a bit more and he’s actually a really fun guy. It’s the same with the tin foil hat guy...who seemed like comic relief until Tynion entrusted him with half of the heroic duties in the current plot arc.
Templesmith’s Gary Larson-esque art lends a rubbery, cartoonish feel to the dark visuals of the Department of Truth universe. It’s impressive stuff that clings to the page quite well and fits the overall mood of Tynion’s latest plot arc quite well. Templesmith’s darkly comic rendering of horror bring Hunky and the tin foil hat guy to the page with a respect for the darker edge of Tynion’s theme while respecting the fact that they are still, on the surface, comic relief-style stock characters. The cuteness of Templesmith’s art lulls the reader into a casual sense of relaxation that allows the deeper darkness to seep-in around the edges of the panel.
Tynion and Templesmith have carved-out a story set in a very specific pop cultural landscape that feels deeply engaging on a whole bunch of different levels. It’ll be interesting to see where they take this particular story as it is the case that it’s covering specific thematic ground not specifically explored elsewhere in the series as of yet. Science-versus-religion in a Florida theme park? Sounds like a lot of fun.
