Cover to A Thing Called Truth 1 by Elisa Romboli Reviews 

“A Thing Called Truth” #1

By | November 4th, 2021
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

“A Thing Called Truth” #1 feels in turn both lighthearted and highly dramatic. This story twists and turns (both figuratively and literally), and while it has some dips, it never feels like it’s truly left us in the dust. The characters are strong, their motivations are clear (or purposely vague), and everything is simply left on the table. As we delve into this rapidly evolving tale, note that some spoilers may follow.

Cover by Elise Romboli
A Thing Called Truth #1
Written and Lettered by Iolanda Zanfardino
Illustrated by Elisa Romboli
Reviewed by Kobi Bordoley

A chaotic LGBTQ+ road trip! A workaholic scientist who wants to save the world and a woman who fears nothing but discovering her own destiny find themselves mixed up in a chaotic, on-the-road adventure through Europe. Will they manage to find a middle ground between their opposing ways of life—at least for long enough to complete their mission? And could this trip lead to an unexpected romance?

“A Thing Called Truth” #1 opens with a classic, cinematic set-piece that’s on brand for stories involving major hijinks: two people driving across a drawbridge as it goes up, police in pursuit. Clearly, something major happened to get our heroes, at this point unnamed, to this spot. Insert record-scratch freeze-frame moment, and we jump back to the past where a frazzled Dr. Magdalene Traumer sits in a dark science lab, illuminated by the iridescent glow of a laptop screen. We’re then hit with a bit of exposition, but it’s not too bad. Dr. Mags starts off the dialogue by noting that it’s day 2136 — meaning it’s been seven years or so since she started whatever she’s doing. The reason for the exposition also fits well enough; we’re given a monologue about Dr. Mags’s research as she records a vlog.

And what exactly is she narrating? The details don’t matter as much (and are a bit vague) as the outcome: Dr. Mags is on the cusp of developing medical devices that could dramatically reduce the cost of medication administration around the world. She’s been working at a pharmaceutical company, and while we don’t see much about her life so far, it’s clear that this project is her everything. Visually, things are clean. Romboli’s illustration are generally realist in nature. Dr. Mags’ office looks clean but lived in. In these scenes, her gestures are dynamic, her appearance is clean, and we get the vibe that she is an industrious, straight shooting researcher. At this point, there’s such a discrepancy between the opening scene and this scene that as an audience, we’re drawn in. Dr. Mags seems so far from the action here.

Things shift dramatically in the next sequence of “A Thing Called Truth” #1, and Zanfardino really delivers on the story, assisted by Romboli’s crystal clear illustration. We move from the lab to home, and it’s clear that Dr. Mags may just have some time management issues. Her apartment is disheveled, unopened mail clings to surfaces like dust, and her bed is covered in layers and layers of laundry young and old. The color scheme here is similar to the color scheme in the lab–blues and purples–which is a subtle nod to the fact that for Dr. Mags, work and home are pretty much the same thing. That subtle visual nod does a lot of work here and ties things together nicely. “A Thing Called Truth” #1 really is well thought out, and well paced too. Just as we see Dr. Mags drop to the couch in exhaustion, she gets a call from her husband. Here Zanfardino’s dialogue really shines, and we see the two bicker over a bitter divorce. Dr. Mags was too obsessed with her work, and got called out for it. The conversation here feels real, and not overblown. We feel or Dr. Mags, but also see the faults in her ways.

From here, the story picks up and pivots. Dr. Mags comes to work the next day only to realize that she’s “resigned,” which is really a plot by her Big Pharma bosses to fire her on the pretense of being erratic, which they can get away with given her long nights in the lab and obsession with her work. Really, they just want to claim the discoveries she was about to make for themselves and turn a profit. While this plot line feels a little helter-skelter, we’re left really feeling for Dr. Mags. Emotions run high in “A Thing Called Truth” #1, and are delivered well by the comic creators.

Continued below

The last third of “A Thing Called Truth” #1 feels more lighthearted. We see Dr. Mags absolutely lose it at a bar after her forced resignation. She passes out in her car and wakes up with a beautiful stranger at the wheel — and the kicker, they’re in Italy! This feels like a pretty extreme escalation (how exactly did they cross country borders? How long was Dr. Mags out for?) that defies logic, so hopefully further issues of “A Thing Called Truth” unpack some of the wackiness. There’s no romance in “A Thing Called Truth” #1, but given that the story is billed as a chaotic queer road trip, we’re sure things will get sentimental in the future.

Overall, “A Thing Called Truth” #1 is well-paced, lighthearted with its moments of seriousness, and just all around fun. The is direct and visually appealing, making for a remarkably readable story. We’re excited to see what elements of the story expand in future editions and if this can turn up from just a jolly tale to a must-have on your pull list.

Final Verdict: 8.0. Twisting and turning, this intimate story starts big and only gets bigger.


Kobi Bordoley

comic reviews, as a treat.

EMAIL | ARTICLES