Comics
Review: ‘Deadly Class’ #3
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.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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