Well you think you know someone and then go and do what they want and take the story in a direction that you didn’t see coming and even worse… it’s better because of it. With the way the first issue ended I thought I knew how this issue would begin, but damn if I wasn’t wrong. In a way it reminded me a lot of what Revival does in which it leaves you at a moment that you want to go back to, that you’re looking forward to seeing more of and instead it just moves forward. It never goes back, but because it’s a well told story you know exactly what happened. It’s difficult to pull that off in sequential storytelling, but Dougherty nails it. The last issue left us with quite the cliffhanger, but the issue actually begins two days in the past. A call comes into Dispatch Escort Agency, Travel and Hotel or D.E.A.T.H. if you prefer. It’s a front for hits and their latest job is for Eddie Druccolo. As the “agency” prepares they make a call to the Warden to see if “the Ghost” is available and talk about the price. This ties into the events just after our lawyer Ada leaves from her visit to inform Marvin aka The Ghost that his sister had died. It’s interesting because the man on the phone with the Warden is responsible for watching the sister and tells him that nothing has happened and that she’s alive and well.
The story stays with D.E.A.T.H. for a while as we see how their operation is run. The target is kidnapped and brought to the prison where Marvin is of course still being held. Even though he’s told the Warden that he’s “retired” they still put the kidnapped man in the cell with him. Marvin talks to the man and even demonstrates that his power is gone by touching the evil man before releasing him. I’m sure you’re wondering where Ada is and what’s happening with her, well don’t worry when you read it for yourself you’ll find out.
When I picked up this issue to read, I was expecting to pick right up with Ada. I thought that we were done building the world and the overall plot, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I also couldn’t have been happier to be wrong. Dougherty does a great job of delivering what the story needs rather than taking the easy way out and telling every aspect of it in a sequential storyline. The incredible thing is that in a way it stacks the deck against Ada even more. If you thought she was screwed in the last issue… just wait. Dougherty delivers fantastic dialogue through the issue and even when a character is monologuing more than talking, it’s great exposition. I clung to every word and gathered every detail I could about the world and story.
Dougherty also continues his impressive role on the art as well. The opening scene has a cinematic zoom in from the outside of D.E.A.T.H. headquarters all the way to the piece of notebook paper that our “agent” is writing on. This may just be me, but it felt like I was in a Hitchcock movie. Something about this movement was strangely creepy and the out-of-shot dialogue played a huge role in that. The scenes involving Ada where definitely some of my favorite as the artwork was powerful and built the world. I wish I could say more, but it would just spoil far too much. They’re great though so you’ll at least have that to look forward to.
I thought I knew what to expect with this issue, but I was wrong. Now I have no idea what to expect from this series and that’s fine by me. It’s so refreshing to have a great series not be predictable and that’s exactly what Touching Evil is. I can’t stress enough how much you should pick up this issue and the first. They’ve been some of the best indie comics I’ve read all year and I am desperate for the next installment in the series. Check out the details below on how to get your hands on a copy.
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Dan Dougherty Colorist: Wesley Wong Publisher: Beardo Comics Price: $5.00 Website