The Department of Truth #1 (2020): Key Issue Guide

Some first issues are about a character, and others are about an idea. This one belongs to the second family: its subject is belief, and the way a belief shared by enough people ends up changing the world. That idea opened a series that found its audience in the middle of 2020, when store shelves were short on new releases and readers were turning to creator-driven titles.

As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issues, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected pages or dialogue.

The issue: autumn 2020, a federal agent facing the false

The Department of Truth #1 came out from Image Comics at the end of September 2020. It is written by James Tynion IV, with fully painted art by Martin Simmonds, who works in murky textures, somewhere between watercolor, ink and scratch marks. The lettering is by Aditya Bidikar. This trio of names is worth remembering, because the series' visual identity rests as much on the painting as on the script.

The hero is Cole Turner, an FBI agent. He investigates a case tied to the world of conspiracists, learns what conspiracy theories hide behind their apparent absurdities, then gets recruited by an organization whose existence is recorded nowhere: the Department of Truth, tasked with maintaining the "official" version of reality against the stories that try to replace it. The first issue sets up this principle, lays out the recruitment and hints that the agency has its own secrets too.

What the issue does not do matters just as much for the collector: it does not introduce a star character with a costume or a name that a studio might want to adapt. It sells a narrative device and an aesthetic. The issue's possible value therefore does not rest on a "first appearance" in the classic sense, but on the launch status of a recognized series.

The publishing context: Image and the wave of creator-owned series

In 2020, Image Comics had long been the home of series whose creators keep ownership, a model our feature on the publisher's thirty years tells in detail. James Tynion IV arrived with an already solid track record: years of scripts at the two big publishers, including Batman titles, and a horror hit at BOOM! Studios with Something is Killing the Children. Moving to Image for a new personal series consolidated that reputation as a writer able to carry personal universes.

The calendar adds a particularity. American distribution channels went through a shutdown and then a chaotic restart in 2020, and store traffic changed. A title launched in those months benefited from attention it might not have received in a normal year, for lack of direct competition on the new-release tables. That cannot be proven with a figure, but it is a reading element to keep in mind before projecting a market value trajectory onto this issue.

The subject itself resonated with the era: rumors, false information and competing narratives filled public debate. The series benefited from that coincidence, which partly explains the media buzz that surrounded it, well beyond the circle of horror readers.

Why this issue became a key

Three mechanisms combine, and none is a single event. The first is the writer's reputation: after the success of the BOOM! Studios series, new launches are followed by readers who buy "on the name." The second is Simmonds's graphic identity, instantly recognizable, which attracts buyers who know nothing about the series. The third is word of mouth from the comic shop: a well-displayed first issue that a shop owner puts in a customer's hands, saying this title has no equivalent.

The consequence is a classic phenomenon of the independent launch: cautious initial orders, demand that exceeds forecasts, then reprints. The existence of reprints is a signal to read with nuance. It attests to demand, but it also limits the scarcity of the first printing: the more the publisher reprints, the more the gap between a first printing and the rest has to be justified by verifiable landmarks.

To place this launch among the publisher's other titles, our overview of Image key issues puts into perspective the first issues that have lasted and those whose market value has fallen back.

What moves the market value: condition, print run, cover

For a 2020 issue, you first have to say what is missing: a track record. The market value of an issue this age is not settled. It had a peak of attention at launch, then phases of retreat, and nothing guarantees that the current level reflects an equilibrium. Our recommendation is to treat it as a recent market, sensitive to announcements and fads, rather than as a classic.

Three factors move it. The first is the printing number: a first printing and a reprint are not in the same category. The second is the cover: the launch came in several illustrations, and their ranking follows demand for each artist as much as their actual distribution. The third is condition. On a copy this age, the market expects an issue close to new, and a spine crease, a blunted corner or an off-center staple is enough to downgrade a copy.

What could change the market value is identifiable without any guessing: the length of the series and its ability to keep its pace through to an ending, the quality of the following arcs, Tynion's news flow and, possibly, an adaptation announcement. We take no side on that last point: as long as no adaptation is announced with certainty, it would be unwise to make it the argument for a purchase.

Recognizing a first printing from a reprint

At Image, the first printing carries no printing mention, whereas a reprint displays one. The block of legal notices, or indicia, printed in small type in the first pages, is the only place that serves as proof. Look there for a mention such as "second printing" and a later print date: if it is present, you are holding a reprint, however beautiful the copy.

Reprints also differ in their cover, often treated with a different tint from the first printing, sometimes with a marking on the image itself. But do not rely on that clue alone: an alternate illustration exists for first printings as well as for reprints. The general method is detailed in our guide to recognizing a first printing at Image.

Finally, compare the copy with the catalog entry before paying: covers are listed there by edition, and it is the fastest way to know whether the illustration shown in a listing belongs to the printing being sold to you. If in doubt, ask for a shot of the indicia, not one more shot of the front.

Buying pitfalls

The first pitfall comes from the multiplicity of covers. A launch released in several illustrations produces listings that present as "rare" what is only an alternative. For a variant to mean something, it needs a truly limited print run; for a recent title, the exact distribution is not always public. Never pay for a rarity claim you cannot tie to a source.

The second pitfall is confusing the series' first issue with its collected editions. The first collected volume gathers the first issues, is sold as a book, and is not part of a collection of single issues. The reverse also happens: an issue presented in a lot as a "launch edition" when it is a reprint.

The third pitfall concerns signed copies. A signature from Aditya Bidikar, Martin Simmonds or James Tynion IV may have real sentimental meaning, but it is not an automatic added value on a 2020 issue, especially if it was put in marker on a painted illustration. If your goal is preservation, favor an unsigned copy.

Neighboring issues that matter too

The following issues of the series, published at the usual pace of a monthly, were printed at levels closer to real demand. They lack the scarcity of the launch, and that is normal: the publisher adjusts its print runs once the trend is confirmed. A collector of the series can therefore complete a run without fearing to miss a rare piece in the middle of the arcs.

For the same writer, it is useful to place this launch against Something is Killing the Children #1, whose market history is older and better documented. The two issues illustrate two ways of becoming a sought-after issue: one through demand that saturated a print run that was too small, the other through an author's reputation that predated the launch. For a wider path, our page on James Tynion IV gathers the available landmarks.

Finally, if you follow Martin Simmonds for the art rather than for the series, remember that those painted covers and pages are collected by a different logic, closer to original art than to the single issue.

What grading changes

Having a 2020 issue graded is a cost and benefit decision, not a reflex. The cost of grading and shipping is fixed; the benefit depends on the gap between the market value of a raw copy and that of a certified one. On a recent title, that gap is sometimes narrow, and it can be negative if the grade obtained is disappointing.

Grading nevertheless brings two useful things here. First, it freezes the condition: on a modern issue, a defect appearing after purchase happens easily, and the sealed label protects the copy. Second, it fixes the edition when the label mentions the printing or the cover, which removes the main risk of error. On a copy in exceptional condition, these two benefits can justify the expense; on an average copy, better to abstain.

How to track it in a collection

Issue #1 of The Department of Truth calls for slightly finer tracking than a simple "series and issue" line. Note the printing number read on the indicia, the identified cover and, if there is one, the grade. Add the date and source of the purchase: knowing whether you hold a copy bought at a shop on release or bought later on the secondary market will help you the day you want to resell or insure it.

Also separate, in your value tracking, recent launches from classics. A 2020 issue reacts to news about its creators; an issue from the sixties reacts to condition and supply. Mixing them in one average says nothing about either. If you are building a set centered on the publisher, our Image collecting guide offers a method for ranking priorities.

Conclusion: a launch to judge piece by piece

The Department of Truth #1 is not an issue whose value can be read in an old ranking. It is a launch from autumn 2020, carried by a writer on the rise, a singular painting style and a strong idea, and its market value is still to be settled. The serious landmarks are known: the printing number, the cover, the condition, and the series' ability to keep its promise over time.

If you buy it, do it for the series, which reads easily in collected editions or single issues. If you are valuing it, first cross-check the indicia, the cover and the sales actually completed, and keep in mind that the market for a title this recent can turn faster than that of a classic.

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