Today, the panelists discuss The Department of Truth Vol. 1: The End of the World. Join us for a discussion on suggestibility in art, what even makes art "comic book art" at all, and depicting conspiracy in 2025

Content Warnings: General horror, violence, conspiracies, the satanic panic, far-right white nationalism, child peril, and gun violence.

• (00:00) - “The Department of Truth” by James Tyrion and Martin Simmonds
• (02:24) - Front matter
• (02:46) - Content Warnings
• (03:08) - Synopsis
• (04:06) - What we thought about the book
• (08:46) - Suggestibility in the art
• (10:17) - The first issue
• (11:01) - Scout has critiques on Simmonds’ vomit art
• (11:46) - The art we love
• (13:53) - Scout loves pathetic men
• (18:45) - There’s a television adaptation coming
• (21:17) - The color work
• (22:11) - X-Files
• (25:46) - The other puking scene
• (26:13) - This art doesn’t feel like a comic book
• (29:37) - J. C. Leyendecker
• (31:48) - Using space just to set mood
• (34:47) - Some layout gripes
• (39:34) - Angela: Asgard’s Assassin
• (41:09) - Fashion corner
• (42:22) - Bad faith caricatures
• (46:26) - James Tynion, the queer edgelord
• (50:55) - This book is still ongoing!
• (51:37) - Further Reading
• (55:38) - “I know what a fucking tulpa is, Cole.”
• (56:07) - Back matter

• Universal Monsters: Dracula by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds
• Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, and Miquel Muerto
• Talon by James Tynion IV, Christy Marx, Scott Snyder, Guillem March, Miguel Sepulveda, Juan Jose Ryp, and Romano Molenaar
• Exquisite Corpses by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Pornsak Pichetshote, Marianna Ignazzi, and Valentine De Landro
• “You’re Wrong About” episode on “Michelle Remembers”

A comics podcast for everyone, proud to be a part of The Worst Garbage network.

Find us on Bluesky or Tumblr.

This week’s panelists can be found at:

Matt

Scout

Editing by Matt Horton and AJ Fillari.
Cover art by Scout Wilkinson.
Intro/Outro music by Boqeh.