“The Department of Truth” #4 variant cover (2020) by Tradd Moore, after “The First Tribute to Columbus” by José Garnelo y Alda (1892) and “Fireside Angel” by Max Ernst (1937). “The Department of Truth” is by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds.
Drawing from two historical paintings, Tradd Moore’s scene of the first encounter between Europeans and indigenous Lucayans, includes “the woman in red” as well as a massive thought-form emanating from the Christian cross. This serves to instantly extend the historical reach of Tynion’s lore about the exchange and dominance of ideas, while being in-itself, a commentary about the inherent malicious nature of religious colonialism being a mode of fascism. More than merely an homage to how the artistic form of surrealism confronts fascism, Moore employs his distinct style, presenting a brilliant, memorable, and stunning work of art. Appearing to the public as a variant cover for “The Department of Truth
, he chose to up the stakes of the damage that could be inflicted on Peter as Spider-Man and made the general tone of Spider-Man a lot heavier and darker. Throughout his run in 1990, McFarlane introduced Spider-Man to more horror-inspired iterations of his foes. Many of these decisions about how to handle the Spider-Man character (and his relationship with Mary Jane Watson) in this run feel indicative of McFarlane’s later development of the standalone comics series Spawn.