by Rick Remender, Wes Craig, and Lee Loughridge, and Rus Wotoon; Image Comics
Deadly Class is a comic about a school that trains children to be assassins. It follows Marcus Arguello, a youth orphaned in a terrible accident, who eventually joins the school and swears vengeance on the man he blames for his parents death. It's a solid premise that is delivered in a way that leaves me with some conflicting feelings. What I love about this comic, and why I absolutely think you should try it, is the art. Deadly Class: Regan Youth is a fantastic looking comic that marries solid storytelling and character work to some of the most audacious and dynamic layouts that I've ever seen. And this is further wedded to some remarkably smart and, there is no other way to describe it, kinetic colouring. Deadly Class just rockets along visually. Seriously, read this comic if only for the art. The story is more of a mixed bag for me. The central premise is interesting and the parts that are good are chilling and brutal and fascinating. However this is balanced by... okay, nailing a transgressive world is a balancing act between going far enough to be uncomfortable but not going so far that it becomes silly. And for me, Deadly Class overshoots transgressive and delves into goofy crassness a bit. Some of the story choices really detracted from my enjoyment of the comic. Still, Deadly Class is interesting if imperfect and visually fucking stunning. You should give it a look.
Word count: 242
No comments:
Post a Comment