In this review of The Department Of Truth #0, we meet Hunter Hill, a military vet who starts to learn that the nature of conspiracy theories has a bit more to it than he may have initially thought.
The Department Of Truth #0
Writers: James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder
Artists: Martin Simmonds, Josh Hixson
Main Cover: Martin Simmonds
Variant Covers: Joshua Hixson, Tom Muller, Tyler Boss, Martin Simmonds
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: October 1, 2025
The review contains spoilers
The Department of Truth #0 begins in 2016, Hunter barges into a pizza place/kids’ entertainment establishment, demanding access to the basement because he’s heard there are kids being held down there. The nerdy kid working there is both terrified and in denial of there even being a basement. So imagine his shock when a door he’s never seen before shows up.
As they get the door open, and this kid hears the sound of crying…the two are stopped and brought out for a debrief. Hunter is told something cryptic about the nature of those kids, before being sent to prison for a while.
In the present, Hunter is given a proposal. Because he’d broken in to help those kids he was sure were there, they ask if he’d like to help usher in a new “golden age”. They feel that the US has been made weaker in previous years and want to remedy that, get people believing in Christianity again…They’ve gotten Hunter a pardon, but he also wants nothing to do with their goals.
Which is when they show him a bit more of what they’re dealing with. It turns out that when an internet conspiracy theory gains enough traction, it gains its own sort of life and becomes a physical Fiction. The current target is a guy named Cole Turner, who they suspect is harboring and feeding the Devil. Hunter eventually agrees to join, and they take him to meet their boss…Lee Harvey Oswald.
A bit of Oswald’s history is given, along with more information about Fictions and their classifications. There are “Spooks/Specters”,”Visitiations”, and “Critters”. But then there are the unidentifiable ones (like Marilyn Monroe). A bit about how one knows a Fiction is near, and then the big one: there’s a fourth, more dangerous type that hasn’t been figured out yet.
Where to start on this one…We’ve got a lot going on in The Department of Truth #0, and those goings-on are definitely a bit bonkers. And it wasn’t until a bit later that I found out that this isn’t a new series so much as a new start to it. Much of the time, when someone puts forth a conspiracy theory, they’d deal with ridicule and eye rolls. But in this world? In this one, when enough people believe in that theory, it becomes a reality.
The main Department is definitely a bit suspicious to me. When one group that lurks in the shadows states that they’re out to stomp out evil, the very first question that comes to mind is: “Wait, what’s their definition of ‘evil’, here?”. And with each passing reveal of the Department’s nature, the more those little red flags pop up. But at the same time, I can’t help but be fascinated by these people (despite probably ticking off a couple of their “EVIL!” boxes).
Charity, the woman explaining much of this, especially reads as a walking red flag. Something about her features comes across as just a teensy bit sinister (particularly that wide perma-grin). With Hunter, one can tell that his heart is in the right place, with him being fully convinced that he’s helping children. Which would be easy enough for the Department to exploit for their own purposes. Will be very curious to see how things progress, there.
The idea that their boss is Lee Harvey Oswald, of all people, is honestly the most fitting thing I can imagine. Mr. Grassy Knoll himself being involved in this whole deal? I couldn’t think of anyone more apt. .
As for the artwork in The Department of Truth #0, the style is immediately striking. It, for the majority of the issue, has a very painterly style. Given the nature of what the story deals with, it kind of gives everything a slightly otherworldly quality. Lines get a bit blurred. When it breaks from the watercolor style, like in that vision of what they’re trying to make the country into, it takes on a much more linework-heavy, stylized quality, with plenty of bright color, reflecting that they really think their vision is a good thing (despite it all being suspicious as hell). Lee’s flashback at the end has a desaturated, almost nostalgic bent to its color scheme.
I do wonder about one character, though: Chuckie. His design looks VERY similar to the kid working at the Pizza GoGo at the beginning. Even if they aren’t somehow the same guy (which makes me wonder about the timeline), they look close enough that it has to be intentional. And the reason I bring up the timeline is that the kid at the beginning is of working age in 2016.
When Chuckie is introduced in the present day, that could reasonably be assumed to be 2025, with him being 19. On the one hand, it could be argued that they’re not the same guy, because if they were, he’d have had to be about 10 at the beginning (and unless Pizza GoGo is VERY irresponsible with their hiring practices…). Also, it’s not too unbelievable for Hunter to encounter two skinny dudes with thick glasses. But on the other hand, this is a series where conspiracy theories are made real, so I wouldn’t rule anything out just yet. (Or the conspiracy stuff’s rubbing off?)
Final Thoughts:
Break out your tin foil hats and red-string conspiracy walls for this one, because with The Department of Truth #0, we’re sure to be in for a ride. If you’re already a fan of this series, you may have some idea of what to expect. If you (like myself) are entirely new to this, it’s definitely an intriguing jumping-on point.
