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Review: ‘Deadly Class’ #3

Published

10 years ago

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Marcus and Willie take to the city with a grim task ahead of them. Remender uses the mission as a backdrop and focuses on character. “Deadly Class” #3 peels back the thin exterior over both of these tough characters, and shows that they might not be who they say they are.


WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Wes Craig
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: March 26, 2014

Last month focused on the rude introduction to the way things worked around Kings Dominion. Now with all over the exposition out of the way Remender can take a look at his characters. This issue proves all the better because of it. We get treated to some fantastic moments of Marcus and Willie out on the town.

We start to see that most of what happened at King Dominion was founded on performance. The idea of creating a dominating personality as the best defense against those around you is definitely alluring in a school filled with assassins. Now that we’re in the real world the vulnerabilities of such an act start to show.

The action takes a little bit of a back seat this month. Yet, the roof jumping and slum snooping will be enough to whet anyone’s appetite. This is a tight issue that takes Marcus back to his roots. We’re treated to a little more backstory and left with more than few revelations about characters we thought we knew. It’s the type of brilliant deconstruction that Remender is known for making look easy.

Speaking of making things look easy, Wes Craig is just beyond talented. His art of this book adds volumes of substance and style to the book. Lee Loughridge’s colors are neon soaked love letters to the eighties that compliment the art style and cement this world. Craig’s use of paneling playfully dances around the dialogue heavy script without missing a beat. It revels in smaller moments like a rooftop jump and makes them absolutely glorious to witness.

There is a lot of tension within the issue. Mostly found toward the end with the kids actually having to complete their lesson. It doesn’t come easily to them, and since it’s only their first assignment one can only imagine that things will just get more difficult from here. There is a lot of humanity in this story, with both the assassins and the victims. Everything is soaked in vulnerability that makes even the most trivial task, a little uneasy to experience within this world.

So “Deadly Class” #3 proves to be even more successful than the pulse pounding debut issue in demonstrating a grounded and dangerous situation. It’s told through the lens of broken people, and has a lot of development for characters we’ve only just met. It’s the type of story I totally didn’t expect from this book, and I couldn’t be happier to receive it. It has a ton of heart, some more context, and a touch of insanity. Also known as the perfect combination.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls.

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‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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9 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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