COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Deadly Class #2

Written by Rick Remender

Art by Wes Craig

Colors by Lee Loughridge

Published by Image Comics

It’s 1987 and Marcus has just been inducted into one of the most prestigious schools in the world. This isn’t just any school though; this place trains the most highly skilled assassins in all walks of life, all over the globe. In the second issue of this series Marcus is learning that this dark, dangerous place of learning is like every other school you could imagine. There are cliques of rich kids, gangsters, spoiled government brats, and even the ‘freaks’…just like any other school, right? The only difference is that here, “the dagger they put in your back is real.”

Rick Remender has done a tremendous job building the world around Marcus in this story. His supporting cast, after just two issues, feels totally fleshed out and real and so do the stakes he’s dealing with. Marcus has some really lofty goals that he hopes to accomplish when he completes his training, but Remender shows us that there are plenty of trials that Marcus will have to overcome if he even stands a chance of succeeding in his quest for revenge. It’s really rare that we get such a sense of the world just two issues in to a series, but somehow Remender has given us just enough to have an idea as to what’s happening, but sprinkles in just enough intrigue, action, and danger to keep us hooked in.

I find Wes Craig’s unique brand of art in this book really refreshing. It’s a very dark, gritty story and the art compliments it absolutely beautifully. So far most of the story we’ve been given has been introducing us to the characters and the plot of the story, but this series is pretty much guaranteed to pick up on the action pretty quickly now that we know the who/what/where of it all and I can’t wait to see what this art team does when the time comes. I really love the color palette Lee Loughridge chose for this story too. Something tells me that things are about to get bloody and I think that this book will still be beautiful to look at regardless of how gory things might get.

This is a book everyone should be reading. Rick Remender and his team have managed to pull off as close to the perfect opening issues to a series as anyone can get. Watching Deadly Class being fleshed out is like watching what will eventually be your favorite action movie for the first time. I’m honestly having a ton of fun with it, which is awesome because I hadn’t seen any solicits for it or anything; I merely picked it up on a whim at my LCS when I saw it. Anyone who’s a fan of action movies or tales of assassins, full of intrigue, action, and secrets should read Deadly Class because it’s the closest thing to the perfect comic book we may see for a long time. Not to say that this is for everyone, when I say ‘perfect’ I mean that this book knows what it is and doesn’t shy away from it at all; I’m fully hooked!

5 out of 5 nerds