Dispatched #2 – Keep The Details Under Wraps

Morgan Powers thought he was just going to have another normal day of work delivering packages. That all changed when the supremacist group The Sons of Liberty took over the Financial Commerce building. Morgan living under a government alias is in a race to save everyone before the Sons figure out who is picking them off one by one.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: B. Clay Moore
Artist: Daniel Gete
Color Artist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Cover Artist: Daniel Gete

Writing

I felt like B. Clay Moore used the delivery driver aspect to take what is a previously done idea and make it fresh and new. The delivery truck being used as a source of options felt very MacGyver-like and really added something to the story. Moore really focused the bulk of this story on how this takeover was affecting the people inside of the commerce building after it was taken over. The result was that we got a real chance to see how folks would react in a situation and a pretty awesome plot twist out of it.

In addition to seeing more about the folks stuck in the building, we get a little more action and a lot more violence in this issue. We don’t see a ton from Morgan, or “Ben” as his coworkers know him, but Moore does give us a great glimpse of what exactly Morgan is capable of. I like that Moore continues to hide the full story from us of how Morgan ended up in this position, but he cleverly uses this issue to raise more questions and maybe even some ideas of what exactly it is that Morgan may have done in a past life to possess the set of skills he has.

Art

Daniel Gete continues to stun with his work on Dispatched. His art continues to set the tone for the entire story. The lines are intentionally rough, highlighting the grit of this story. There are some visceral moments in this issue that Gete really does an amazing job of drawing out. Gete captures emotion really well on the faces of the characters in this issue.

Lee Loughridge does a superb job with colors. The choice of palette helps set the tone. I love the choice of continuing to use subdued tones with Morgan. It really helps you feel the isolation that Morgan feels and provides a sharp contrast against the bright lights of the office. This issue sees Loughridge do some particularly good work with shading and shadow.

Final Thoughts

This is a solid second entry into this series. The story is intriguing, and while other stories have managed some combination of this style of story, Morgan’s ability to use his delivery truck as a source of inspiration evokes a feel of MacGyver for a new generation. This issue was filled with twists and a cliffhanger leading into the next issue that will keep you coming back.

Overall Grade: 9/10

What did you think about this story? Let me know in the comments