DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #9: Making Magic

Tynion IV continues to plumb the deepest parts of conspiracy theory in this issue. We kick off by learning the history Cole has with the department and the man called Connor Hawk that even he is not aware of and how the department was intrumental in the creation and proliferation of the Star Faced Man thought-form before rejoining the present as Cole wakes up to find Hawk in his bed…

The story operates on two levels. One in the physical reality we follow Cole and Department of Truth hatchet man Hawk through a series of actions that ultimately lead to an explosive ending and a second journey as Hawk educates Cole on how the department does things, the real history of the world, and the true nature of “Magic” Tynion IV once again brilliantly incorporates real world historical elements including everything from Eastern mysticism to the Freemasons, Aleister Crowley and the Third Reich to UFO’s in the writing while still tieing the characters actions to the present and the Denver Airport incident from the previous issue. This comic is exceptional at digging itself into the psyche and making you think about the nature of the things we hold true while still weaving a believable fictional narrative that perfectly blends the factual with the fictional that run parallel to each other often touching at certain points as Tynion really makes you feel like this could be in the real world even while you know it’s not. We learn a bit more about the possible nature of the woman in red and Cole learns something he didn’t know about his partner which is right there on the cover in case you missed it…

Conner Hawk is an absolutely fascinating character. He is a perfect combination of the hypocritical ugly American stereotype with his casual half-joking homophobic remarks to Cole as well and his “the end justifies the means” attitude but at the same time, he is charismatic in his directness. He is a man that works the system and bends the truth the way he wants it to work through whatever means possible as he tells Cole the secret history of the world and the true nature of how symbols are power if you have trained yourself to know them and use them the way you need.

Martin Simmonds continues to be nothing short of brilliant in the storytelling and does an incredible job of telling the Physical reality story through the actions of the characters on page while letterer Bidikar and Tynion relate the secret history and nature of magic discussion through the words. There are symbols everywhere and those symbols trigger thoughts. One, in particular, is at one point Hawk Knocks on a door with a swastika on it a man with that symbol tattooed on his chest answers the door money and goods are exchanged…This is a horrifying idea on its own but once you see the result borne of that exchange you start asking yourself was Connor using a neo-nazi because he wants someone to blame or take the fall for the results of his handiwork or is it something else deeper like the fact that controlling the truth means using any and every tool to do so regardless of its conventional definition as good or evil?