The central premise of The Department of Truth, since the very first issue, is how stories shape our reality — specifically focusing on conspiracy theories. But what the blockbuster The Department of Truth #25 posits is: maybe there’s more than one truth that can exist simultaneously. And wildly, they do that all by once again making you feel sympathy for Lee Harvey Oswald.
Since James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ series returned from hiatus, it’s been delving into the conspiracy theory that, in the modern era, kicked the movement off: who killed JFK? While the other issues leading up to this one laid the groundwork, without getting too far into spoilers the team throws out there that it was Oswald, and also, it was not. If reality is malleable, then ultimately whatever we believe is the truth. Not what newspapers tell us, or perhaps even our own sight and memories.
That’s the second revelation that powers this issue in particular, that memory is fallible. The years take most of our memories, twisting the stories we’ve told ourselves into subjective truth. Scale that up to a global memory with a million — or perhaps billions — different perspectives, and there are more stories than can be reconciled. One person sees a second shooter on a grassy knoll, or perhaps it was a glint of light. Someone sees Oswald running out of the book depository, while someone else sees a woman in red. From the second the past becomes the past, it exists only in memory. Even photographs are not exact replicas of history, nor are words. They all tell a version of the truth.
So what does this mean for this series going forward? Well, it’s anyone’s game now. And it’s clear by the end that what Tynion and Simmonds have been laying out for 25 issues is very much a game. It’s less about finding the actual truth than who wins at any given moment. That winner is the person currently telling the story; but they’re not necessarily telling the truth.
The Department of Truth #25 Rating:
The Department of Truth #25 Official Synopsis:
Since the very first page of THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH, questions have swirled around Lee Harvey Oswald, the director of the DoT—his motivations, his allegiances, and his true identity. Now, in our landmark 25th issue, prepare for answers that will change everything. Starting with…what really happened in Dallas?
JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33, Nice House on the Lake) and MARTIN SIMMONDS (UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: DRACULA) set their sights on a 25th-issue blowout for the multiple Eisner Award-nominated series!