The Department of Truth # 36 Cover D Martin Simmonds Invincible Team-Up Variant 2026 NM-

The Department of Truth #36 is a milestone issue released on March 25, 2026 by Image Comics. Written by series creator James Tynion IV, it marks the beginning of a highly anticipated new story arc. The issue is especially notable because legendary horror artist Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) joins the creative team as a guest illustrator, replacing standard series artist Martin Simmonds for this specific storyline.

Plot Summary & Settings

Set in the early 1990s—a time when cable television dominated American media and pop culture—the narrative explores the legacy history of a Department family and introduces a deep-lore background for a key character.

• The Static Threat: The story introduces a premise where something ancient and malevolent is watching humanity from the literal static of television screens.
• Hunky’s Investigation: The protagonist of this arc is Hunky, the reclusive son of the very first hunter from the field office. Hunky is working in a secure facility nicknamed "Rock Bottom," watching vast amounts of TV for his employer when Hawk drops by to share dark monologues about the history of media as it pertains to the Department.
• The Evangelical Theme Park: Hunky is the only one who recognizes the true extent of the danger brewing in the physical world. He tracks a primordial evil to an evangelical theme park located in the Florida Everglades.
• Charity's Origins: At the center of the supernatural storm is a beautiful young woman named Charity. Hunky goes on a mission to save her from the encroaching cosmic forces, effectively laying down the evangelical origin story of her character within the series lore. (The issue also features dinosaurs.) 

Collector & Key Information

• Artistic Showcase: Ben Templesmith's signature, heavily stylized, scratchy, and chaotic horror aesthetic serves as a perfect match for the 1990s TV static and primordial themes.
• Key Character Development: This is an important world-building issue that unpacks the formative past and origins of Charity.
• Notable Variant Covers: Main distribution featured Cover A by Martin Simmonds, a 1:10 Ben Templesmith incentive variant, and an Invincible Month tribute variant also illustrated by Simmonds.