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Review: ‘Deadly Class’ #4

Published

10 years ago

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Marcus and Willie recover from their adventure into the city by way of a hallucinogenic quest to Las Vegas to kill Billy’s Dad. “Deadly Class” #4 is one helluva trip, man!

DeadlyClass_04-1WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender

ART BY: Wes Craig

PUBLISHER: Image

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: April 30, 2014

 

We should all take a moment to revel in the fact that Rick Remender consistently delivers insanely paced issues of fun and madness month to month on four separate books without a slight dip in quality. Yet, you can’t help but think a little of Dr. Mindbubble from Captain America beld into this issue of “Deadly Class.”

Turns out last month’s murder wasn’t justified. At least not in the eyes of the school. So the punishment is sitting in solitary confinement for a month, only according to the other kids at the school, no one actually does that shit. So instead Willie is rescued and taken to Las Vegas with a bag of drugs big enough to make Hunter S Thompson jealous.

With his new reputation as a stone cold killer in place, Willie is looking to make a name for himself. So naturally he does this by taking way too much acid. The young mind and drugs don’t seem to mix that well, and the result is a wild trip down a sun soaked highway with a bunch of teens tripping balls. It’s rowdy, fun, and bound to have serious consequences. Remender reminds us by having someone tail the kids the entire issue, and moves around in time to show us that this wasn’t a good idea at all.

Wes Craig is left alone to play this month, and succeeds with literal flying colors. His style warps and waves around the page playfully demonstrating the effects of the many drugs being used. He also takes time to pay around with the conventional paneling of the book and lets the lettering fill the negative space left open by his art. The entire experience is a feast for the eyes that plays around with the conventions we’ve come to expect about page layout. It’s beautiful and thought provoking.

Craig really shines in some larger crowd scenes this month. He is able to articulate a vast group of people and juxtapose it with panels of intimacy between two characters sharing secrets as they push through a sea of people. I was actually so stunned I had to go back through the page a number of times just to take it all in.

The overall story is pushed forward ever so slightly, but it is really Willie that takes the spotlight here. We get to see how he deals with death, and what it’s like to be behind a murder. Its still unclear as to which way he’ll fall, and if this will become a regular thing, but the cracks in these kids are becoming more clear with each passing month. None of them are who they said they were, and none of them are the resident badass they want to be.

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

Published

2 days ago

on

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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