As Marcus comes down from his gorgeously destructive acid trip so too does “Deadly Class” wind down its first arc. Issue #6 is horrifically intimate. The confrontation that Marcus was literally running away from last issue comes to a spectacular head with his life hanging in the balance.
WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Wes Craig
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: June 25, 2014
Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners
Rick Remender never ceases to please and this is no exception. His razor sharp writing cuts deep. These boys are not having a minor dispute here, they’re having an exceptionally violent altercation. Remender practically throws the dialogue at us. It makes the tension palpable, every moment could be anyone’s last.
The end of this issue functionally locks down the core group of kids that Deadly Class will continue to follow down the line, giving us some really interesting dynamics for the future. All the major players get stand out moments here. In previous issues, a couple of them felt like borderline throwaway characters, but this time they’re solidified as constants. The one notable exception is Saya, who gets a paltry two lines that don’t contribute anything to the overall plot. This is forgivable, however, because she has already been solidly established as a character.
Wes Craig is out of this world. As much as I love Remender’s writing, I would pick up this book just for the art. Craig’s drop dead gorgeous visuals stand tall on their own. The visual storytelling is brilliant. I’ve read quite a few comics that rely on word boxes like a crutch, stringing together nonsensical panels, but that simply isn’t the case here. Take away the words, and I’d make the argument that “Deadly Class” could work beautifully as a solely visual story.
I’d like to take a moment to talk about how Deadly Class handles the aesthetics of exposition in a comic. Instead of cluttering up the art with endless world boxes letterer Rus Wooton’s are off to the side, in an almost margin like space. There’s something that feels oh-so-natural about it, I find it strange that this is the first time I’ve really seen it.
Steve Orlando and Artyom Trakhanov’s superb series “Undertow” comes the closest. Their letterer, Thomas Mauer, is doing something similar by putting the words directly on the art and forgoing boxes altogether. I’m really digging how creative and bold both of these books are getting with their lettering.
“Deadly Class” #6 has everything you want in a comic: original and captivating writing seamlessly mixed with breathtaking art peppered with some truly creative lettering. Remender and Craig deliver on all fronts, backs, sides, tops and power bottoms.
Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus