By Rick Remender, Wes Craig & Jordan Boyd
Marcus Lopez, after having endured horrendous events and now dealing with the disappearance of his girlfriend, Maria, has come to the delusional conclusion that his former friend, Saya, has been masterminding his downfall all along. He alienates himself from everyone at the school, all the while falling further down a drug-fueled rabbit hole. Through all the haze and grief, Marcus has painted a big, red bullseye on his back…
Rick Remender takes this issue to really delve into Marcus’ state of mind and how he chooses to deal with grief and interpret the recent psychotic incidents. Most comics would just roll right into the next arc of the story and introduce the new big bad, but Remender craftily makes the protagonist his own worst enemy, which makes this current storyline so compelling. Today’s media is full of anti-heroes and Deadly Class is no different, except that this story incorporates teenage angst and drama. Marcus’ self-destructive tendencies are hard to experience, but the creative team makes the content so immersive that readers can’t look away.
Wes Craig is able to create some of the most imaginative drug trips seen in any medium. Having a clown take the audience through a Cold War-inspired high with a touch of mommy issues is only the tip of the Freudian iceberg. This is something that can only be experienced through reading the book! Jordan Boyd is the new colorist, replacing the talented Lee Loughridge. To be honest, if his name hadn’t been on the cover, one may not notice the difference right away – he’s that good. Boyd slips right in and makes the comic his own. He brings quite a bit of vibrancy to the dreary nature of this particular issue. His use of red is very poignant, which is evident from the beautifully minimalist cover. Jordan is a welcome addition to the team and looks to bring some new edge to the content.
Once again, Deadly Class delivers brilliant material. Remender truly knows how voice teenagers and their problems and the art team delivers an impressively stylized 1988, but never loses sight of the reality of the characters and their conflicts. As dense a comic as this is, it makes clear what is necessary to be conveyed to readers. The ancillary elements are what makes the comic worth reading multiple times. This is another must-buy from Image Comics this month!
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