By Robin Jones
With guest words by Mike Sambrook
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Wes Craig
Colours by Lee Loughbridge
Dust off the Nike air, break out the shoulder pads, whack on your snap bracelets, solve that Rubik’s cube, strike the pose…VOGUE… then find the nearest guy called Corey available to you and shout “GOONIES NEVER DIE” at him, because we’re going back Marty, back to the 80′s.
The buzz around Deadly Class has been smouldering away like St Elmo’s fire for weeks now, so finally we get the chance to sample Remender and Craig’s wares, and lo this writer wasn’t disappointed! We’ve seen schools for “Gifted Youngsters”, schools of “Witchcraft and Wizardry” and schools for Young Avengers, New Avengers, Tiny Titans, Teen Titans and the odd school of assassins, but Remender’s school is so much more than the sum of those parts.
So much is achieved in a single issue, with Remender’s writing providing us with a wealth of deep, interesting characterisation, there are ridiculously kinetic and frantic action scenes and the feel of the book is very much like the better thrillers of the 80′s. A particular scene involving our protagonist Marcus, a whole bunch of cops, a Day of the Dead celebration and a babe on a motorbike conjure up images of Black Rain and Point Break. Marcus’s back story is heartbreaking and grim, with the dark underbelly of the city of San Francisco, it’s depravity, it’s remorselessness, it’s cold heartedness becoming a living, breathing character in it’s own right. Halfway through Deadly Class though, the story is amped up, switching pace from the character driven set-up to a world of car chases (as described earlier), crazy kung fu, katanas and THEN we get introduced to the Asian mentor and figurehead of Kings Dominion School of the Deadly Arts. This comic has everything you love about 80′s action movies, thrillers and blockbusters all rolled into one beautifully worked book.
There’s a rag-tag group of misfits and miscreants who make up the rest of the core group of trainee assassins, each presenting a cool personality and fitting into their own demographic. There’s the streetwise kid with cornrows, kooky girl with day of the dead makeup, the nerd, the jock and then, there’s Saya, the afore mentioned motorbike chick, with the kickass moves and tortured back story. She will easily become a favourite of mine!
Now let’s talk about the art, as Wes Craig breaths life into every panel. There’s a flashback double spread page which is just beautifully drawn, his shift from character driven scenes, with their intense attention to detail and cinematic scope through to frantic action scenes, with backgrounds whizzing past in a blur of bullets and kung fu jump off the page, grab you by the hair, throw you in a sci-fi phone booth and send you hurtling into the action. All accompanied by the perfect tones of colour from Loughbridge, the drab washed out tones initially on show give way to bursts of reds and yellows as the action unfolds. They compliment Craig’s pencil work wondrously.
To sum up, I can’t pick a fault with this book. The story is fantastic, and has room for some brilliant characterisation, soul searching and set pieces. The art was pitch perfect, the colours similarly brilliant. It took me on a tip top, no hold barred rocket ride through my formative years watching films from the 80′s. Remender, Craig et all have got a sure fire hit on their hands, one which manages to leave you both swimming in nostalgia and being struck by the originality of it.
I give this 10 out of 10…easily…
Order Deadly Class HERE dudes and dudettes…
For more comic views and reviews follow Robin on Twitter at @Hulksmash1985
Posted on January 25th, 2014
Category: PULP FRICTION, REVIEWS
Tags: Comic Blogs, Comic Reviews, Deadly Class #1 Review, Image Comics, Lee Loughbridge, Rick Remender, Robin Jones, Wes Craig