Doug Moench (Editor)"The Big Book of Conspiracies", DC Comics | ISBN 1563891867 | 1995 Year | JPG | ~114 Mb | 223 Pages

Each chapter turns the spotlight on a different category of conspiracy theory, beginning with certain unsettling assassinations from the 1960s, and moving through "Big Brother's Greatest Hits" (government conspiracy), "Trouble in Weirdland" (really, really odd conspiracy theories), "Paranoia Potpourri" (stuff they couldn't fit anywhere else), "Odd Passings and Other Assassinations" (suspicious deaths not covered in Chapter 1), "Historical Hysteria" (historical conspiracy theories), and "The Conspiracy Conspiracy" (large-scale conspiracies). The book presents an overview of each alleged conspiracy, illustrated in comic-book form, cites some facts, and leaves it to the reader to draw conclusions, or to do further research. A chapter-by-chapter bibliography appears at the book's end, to assist those who must investigate further.

The overview format permits them to present the more dubious allegations while claiming that, hey, we're just presenting what someone believes. At times, the established facts, allegations, wild surmises, and verifiable nonsense become entangled-- but such is the nature of any examination of conspiracy theory. At the same time, bias becomes apparent in some cases. Our narrator presents as fact some unverified information regarding the John F. Kennedy assassination (as if the established facts aren't wonky enough) without any suggestion the information is suspect. Elsewhere, he notes that he personally can't see some of the structures Richard Hoagland claims he sees in lunar photographs.

The comic-book approach permits for some terribly amusing pages. J. Edgar Hoover condemns Martin Luther King Jr. as a "moral degenerate"-- while clad only in a babydoll. Witness to the J.D. Tippit slaying, Warren Reynolds, who chased the officer's assassin for a block and claimed the man was not Lee Harvey Oswald, runs after the assailant saying, "This guy *puff* does not look like *huff puff* Oswald!"

The art also evokes more sinister moods. A sizeable portion of the cars depicted are black, early-1960s Chevrolets, such as the Men in Black might drive. This detail, incidental and deliberately fanciful, contributes to the sense of paranoia. Many of the artists make heavy use of shadow. Randy DuBurke and Dunan Eagleson use a pointilist-influenced style. Both techniques suggest concealed knowledge and uncertain events, forever obscured by shadow.