Comic books have always found a way to make it into the hands of their fans. At first, you had to get them at a grocery store. As time went on, comic book shops opened. Now, you can have them delivered to your doorstep or you can purchase them online.
The addition of online purchases allowed creators to no longer need big companies to publish their stories. This also allows them to have the freedom to make the stories they want without being censored or worrying about upsetting the company. And with that comes more representation, depth, and creativity, like what we get in Truth Man, created by Adam Huss, written by Nicole Maines, with art by Christopher Ables.
The tagline for Truth Man is “In a world that fears the truth... He will wear it like armor” and it couldn’t be more appropriate. It’s difficult living in a world where you don’t know who and what you can trust. It’s also easy to hide who you really are. Like Lupe Fiasco said, “Not pretty if you don't comply / Pretty easy if you don't complain.” That’s just in real life. Now, imagine all of that, but the people in the world have been transformed into literal monsters.
In the first couple of pages of issue No. 0, the protagonist and narrator, Truth Man, explains that the world ended. No one knew which atrocity shifted things - just that, on October 8, 2024, people began transforming into monsters. Sadly, he saw the end coming.
After that, Truth Man started taking notes on the former humans and trained himself to fight. As time went on, he started getting more questions than answers. One thing he knows for certain is that these things cannot be saved, but can the rest of the world?
The cool part for readers is that there's a reason why each changed person looks the way they do. During my interview with Nicole Maines, Adam Huss, and Chris Ables, they mentioned that their personalities play a part, but we’ll learn more as the series continues.
Nicole Maines described Truth Man, saying that this comic explores the nature of goodness and evil, and “really taps into the feelings that I think a lot of young people have of hopelessness and feeling like they’re inheriting a doomed planet.” So, while there are various, terrifying monsters, there's depth to the tale.
Truth Man will be 12 issues and will be released on their Patreon. We're only 3 pages in. Thankfully, that sample size is enough to know this will be a fantastic series.
For more, follow the links for the Bam Smack Pow on Spotify or Apple Podcast to listen to the interview with Nicole Maines, Adam Huss, and Chris Ables. You'll get a clearer understanding of the creators and Truth Man.
To follow the story of Truth Man and updates on the story, go to their Instagram. There, you'll get updates on the series as it comes out. So far, they're on issue No. 0, with a lot more on the way.