Marcus and the gang return to school in “Deadly Class” #7. With this issue, “Deadly Class” cements itself as one the absolute best series of the year.
Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated Wes CraigCLASS IS BACK IN SESSION AS RICK REMENDER & WES CRAIG’S HIT SERIES ROLLS INTO ITS SECOND ARC! Narrowly escaping death in Las Vegas, Marcus and his remaining gang return to Kings Dominion High School for the Deadly Arts. But they’re about to learn a hard lesson: blood begets blood, and no bad deed goes unpunished.
It’s been a bit of a long summer vacation for the “Deadly Class” gang. Last we saw them, writer Rick Remender and artist Wes Craig sent the kids to Las Vegas on a “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”-like road trip, where the violence went to a whole new level as Maria was forced to kill her boyfriend Chico to save Marcus’ life.
“Deadly Class” #7 picks up a time after this. It’s 1988 now. Marcus and the rest of the crew are back at school and settling into their studies. Everyone is still connected in some way but they have also settled into their cliques. Marcus has begun a new job and has more or less gotten acclimated to how the school works. He’s got a roommate he doesn’t want to kill, and even a little romance has entered his life. Meanwhile, the man who stole Chico’s body is still out there. The entire issue acts as a set up to bigger things. That is just one highlight in what could be argued as the best issue of the series thus far.
The thing about “Deadly Class” #7 is how normal things seem. The one complaint I had about the first arc was that I didn’t have a feel for the school; I didn’t feel like these kids were students. Remender really does a fabulous job of setting up the school better. Just seeing Marcus sitting in his dorm room writing in his journal does a lot to help build that contrast the series began as. These are violent kids at a school learning to be world class assassins and spies. Looking at the normalcy of partying and then seeing Saya hunting future prey is a brilliant way to bring together the two big concepts of the series as a whole.
“Deadly Class” #7 is a fairly wordy comic book. There’s a ton of exposition and narration. If this were a less capable writer it would be tough to get through, but at no point does it ever read like Remender is spinning his wheels. Everything flows well and not a single bit of it feels unnecessary. Telling much of this issue from the perspective of Marcus’ journal entries also helps the framing of the story; a lot is covered in this one issue. Instead of jumping around to different narratives, using Marcus’ journal as the vehicle to basically catch up readers allows it all to be streamlined in one direction. It’s a smart move on Remender’s part and shows off his talent as a comic writer. Craig compliments this in every way by not only keeping up but by doing things no other artist can.
As I read “Deadly Class” #7 I found myself very emotionally attached. That’s been a constant since the series began. Despite existing in a world that doesn’t exist at all, there’s a real connection made with these characters that’s brought out even more in this issue. While the first arc was action packed and drug fueled, this arc has started off on a more personal note. These kids are messed up psychologically, and Remender and Craig are starting to allow us to see this more.
Depression, loneliness and trust are big running themes in this issue. All three are things Marcus is dealing with head on but so is the villain of this story. The disfigured man who stole Chico’s body is also a layered character worth examining, and we’re starting to see this curtain opened just a little bit more in “Deadly Class” #7. He’s just as messed up but he isn’t quite sympathetic just yet. We don’t enough about him to feel the same way about him that we do for all the other killers in this story, but it’s an interesting situation when you think about it. Remender and Craig have put us in a place where we are sympathetic to killers but they’ve kept the villain a villain.
Continued belowWes Craig is a masterful artist. This is a dense script and he nails it in every sense. He shows us absolutely everything without visually overloading us. Craig is also who I credit with making this issue so ‘hip’; he drops things like a panel of the “Thriller” video or an Eraserhead poster to keep us in the time period. “Deadly Class” #7 has a distinct retro feel to it, as it is supposed to since it takes place in the late 1980’s — however it never appears dated or old. It looks like modern art created to appear like something from the past. Credit is due to Lee Loughridge on colors because that has a large impact as well, as he uses a muted and darker palette that visually channels teenage angst.
Craig has also created character designs that scream ‘cool’. Saya scaling rooftops in the dark is just the coolest thing ever. You’re drawn to her. She moves like a ninja and despite the fact that this is a comic book and is by rule stationary, she appears to be moving. The characters, even while having normal, calm conversations are still so full of expression. Wes Craig is creating what is easily one of the most visually stunning and unique books on shelves today.
“Deadly Class” #7 is a phenomenal book and damn near perfect. The groundwork is set for an explosive second arc that’s going to test Marcus in many different ways. Rick Remender is writing three series for Image Comics and while “Black Science” and “Low” are excellent, this remains his best one.
Final Verdict: 9.3 – Absolute must buy. The cool kids like Deadly Class. You want to be a cool kid right?
