PORTLAND, Ore. 03/29/2024 — Image Comics is pleased to announce the upcoming release of The Department of Truth: Wild Fictions. This deluxe hardcover will collect the in-world case file reports of the unexplained phenomena at the center of The Department of Truth, the bestselling series from multiple Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (W0RLDTR33, The Deviant) and artist Martin Simmonds (Universal Monsters: Dracula). This oversized collection will also include the breakout Bigfoot story arc of the original series, plus exclusive additional material. It hits shelves this October from Image Comics.
Exploring beings like Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the Flatwoods Monster, and other cryptids, myths, and urban legends, each entry in The Department of Truth: Wild Fictions features stunning art from some of the most renowned illustrators in comics. It includes contributions from such talents as: James Stokoe (Godzilla), Bill Sienkiewicz (Moon Knight), Yuko Shimuzu (The Unwritten), Erica Henderson (Dracula, Motherf**ker), series co-creator Simmonds, and many other major artists—all accompanied by detailed case files mixing real-world research and series lore.
Some fictions manifest in reality as dangerous, half-formed things. The Department of Truth relies on hunters to track down and contain these wild tulpas before they become too real. In these in-world entries from the Department of Truth Field Office, readers will discover the truths, hoaxes, and lore of some of the most dangerous cryptids the rangers have ever cataloged.
“One of the great thrills of the last few years was getting to bring together such phenomenal artists to illustrate this incredible roster of strange creatures. The Department of Truth: Wild Fictions is not just a gorgeous art-book, it shows the many ways all of my favorite cryptids and urban legends fit into the larger mythology of Department of Truth. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the series return to comic shops this year," said Tynion IV.
Hot on the heels of Tynion IV and Simmonds' recent round of accolades for their definitive spin on Universal Monsters: Dracula at Skybound Entertainment, the entire creative team will reunite to lead readers back down The Department of Truth's rabbit hole of conspiracies. Fans will rejoin Cole, Ruby, Lee—and the rest of the cast of the smash-hit series—when issue #23 kicks off a new story arc this June and brings the series back into full force ahead of the milestone issue #25.
Simmonds added: “I’m so excited to be back painting the next story arc of The Department of Truth, and with big things planned in the run up to our 25th issue, it’s great to see Wild Fictions about to hit the shelves shortly thereafter."
Upon its launch, The Department of Truth sold over 100K copies—an impressive number which snowballed with multiple reprints, industry praise, and critical acclaim from nearly every major outlet from Entertainment Weekly to Forbes. Interest in the series kicked up further when news dropped that The Department of Truth had been picked up by Sister—best known for producing HBO's Chernobyl.
In The Department of Truth, readers meet Cole Turner, a man who has studied conspiracy theories all his life—but never prepared to discover that all of them are true. From the JFK Assassination to Flat Earth Theory and Reptilian Shapeshifters, one organization has been covering them up for generations. What is the deep, dark secret behind the Department of Truth? This is the perfect series for fans of The X-Files and Something is Killing the Children.
The Department of Truth: Wild Fictions hardcover (ISBN: 9781534388536) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 25 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo on Tuesday, October 8.
The Department of Truth: Wild Fictions will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play. The Department of Truth series proper is available in trade paperback and deluxe hardcover editions:
- Vol. 1 trade paperback - ISBN: 9781534318335
- Vol. 2 trade paperback - ISBN: 9781534319219
- Vol. 3 trade paperback - ISBN: 9781534321199
- Vol. 4 trade paperback - ISBN: 9781534323414
- Book One deluxe hardcover - ISBN: 9781534399723
Select praise for The Department of Truth:
"Genuinely one of the best comics you'll read this year. Do not miss it." —Scott Snyder
“A story for our zeitgeist. Simmonds’ art invokes Bill Sienkiewicz.” —Entertainment Weekly
"A wonderfully dizzy mixture of Men in Black, John Carpenter, Stephen King, The Matrix, and 1970s conspiracy thrillers." —Forbes
"It is FANTASTIC. Can’t wait to read the whole series!" —Patton Oswalt
"A new conspiracy thriller comic that should appeal to anyone with a fondness for The X-Files." —IGN
"The hype on this is real." —Brian Michael Bendis
“Hickmanian conspiracy games, Burroughsian crime, Sienkiewiczian style. The Truth: you want it.” —Kieron Gillen
Gallery
