True Psychic Tales is a series of comic magazines aimed at children that tell supposedly true stories about the heroic adventures of Psychonauts, though a good amount of the magazine's content is most likely romanticized, according to Ford Cruller. The magazine is a product of "Double Fine Publication", and costs 25 cents per issue.
Each issue of True Psychic Tales appears to contain 12 stories. Aside from these, it also has advertisements for gadgets, as is typical of classic pulpy comic books, and features a "True Psychic Submissions" corner near the front of the magazine where readers can send in their own tales to be published. Razputin writes in regularly, as seen in the Previously on Psychonauts recap video, but as of the beginning of Psychonauts 2, his submissions have never made it to print.
In Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, two issues can be found on board the Pelican at the start of the game. A comic that might be the series' first issue is a collectible in the scavenger hunt in the first game, though it's titled simply "Psychonauts #1" and is referred to in-game as "Psychonauts comic".
Known Issues[]
- Psychonauts Comic #1: This issue is titled "Psychonauts", which might indicate that the series was only later given its current title, unless this is simply a different comic series entirely. Its cover features a close-up on half of a stern-looking man's face, with a mysterious shadow behind him. Its description as a scavenger hunt item claims this is the origin issue, in which the Psychonauts get their name and design their costumes. It also introduces the character of "Clyde the Cautious Cougar", who teaches firestarting safety.
- Issue #1: Raz also mentions Issue 1 of True Psychic Tales in Psychonauts 2 while he admires the mural of the Psychic Six at the Motherlobe: apparently, they are prominently featured in the issue, as he says he "read all about them in issue 1".
- Issue #43: This issue is seen at the very beginning of Previously on Psychonauts, and Raz has it with him on board the Pelican in Psychonauts 2. He carries it with him throughout the game. Its cover depicts Maligula destroying a town. The issue features 12 stories, including the one about Maligula, entitled "The Deluge of Grulovia", as well as another titled "Rhombus of Ruin REVEALED!". The True Psychic Submission in this issue is a story of a reader's run-in with a psychic bear near a local park. The next page is taken up by an ad for "PSI Spex", as worn by legendary psychic knight Arker Marteau.
- Issue #62: Raz mentions this issue to Otto Mentallis in Psychonauts 2. It involves Otto himself, going undercover and at one point hypnotizing sixteen Trance Troopers at once using a device of his called the "Defribu-lober". Otto responds that the magazine embellished a lot, but then goes on to boast that there were actually seventeen troopers.
- Issue #146: Raz brings this issue up to Hollis Forsythe in Psychonauts 2. In this one, Hollis and Truman Zanotto fight the Noodler.
- Issue #245: One of the issues found in the Psychonauts' jet. According to its cover, this issue contains 12 stories, including "The Crystal Ball Murders", and features the return of a psychic supervillain named Frontal Lobe.
- Issue #314: Only mentioned in Psychonauts. The plan to meet up at the boathouse for debriefing about the strange visions at the camp reminds Lili of something from this issue, though she doesn't say anything more about its contents.
- Issue #417: One of the issues found in the Psychonauts' jet. It features 12 stories, including "No Sleep for the Subconscious". Its cover depicts Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello struggling against a psychic assault from The Noodler.
- Issue #424: Mentioned in Psychonauts. Raz recalls that he learned what a U.P.E. or "Unregistered Paranormal Entity" is from this issue, and that it also featured Sasha Nein fighting a clairvoyant grizzly bear.
- Issue #500: This issue's cover is sold as a poster in Double Fine's merch store on Fangamer.com.[1] It features Sasha and Milla standing back to back and posing with their hands on their temples. The cover story is called "You read my brain, so why can't you read my heart?". Once again, the issue features 12 stories.
Trivia[]
- One of the figments floating around in the dark as Razputin recalls the events leading up to the opening of Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin depicts an issue of True Psychic Tales with Raz himself on the cover.
- When Raz writes the magazine to tell the story of Psychonauts and Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, he claims that this story is different from his usual submissions in the sense that it's true, implying he typically just submits made-up stories.
- Despite the cover of issue #417 claiming it introduces the Noodler, Raz claims that he makes an appearance in issue #146.
- In one of Dr. Loboto's memory vaults, Enhancement Under the Sea, the doctor is seen hanging around his lab at Thorney Towers reading an issue of a similar magazine called "True Dental Tales".
- One of Razputin's idle animations in Psychonauts 2 has him pull True Psychic Tales issue 43 out of his bag and look at the cover. He then notices some dirt and brushes it off before putting the issue away again.
- Donatella shredded Raz's copy of True Psychic Tales #1 to make filler to line the trailer of Sugarcube, the World's Smallest Pony.