Review – Deadly Class #1 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Wes Craig
Release Date: 22nd January 2014

A young man living on the San Francisco streets struggles through the cold winter. He is haunted by, it has to be said, a pretty traumatic childhood event. Things are about to change for this poor lad and not necessarily for the better. A strange female phantom with sleeve tattoos is about to rip him from this vagrant existence and take him into Assassin school.

It’s a familiar premise. Just like the Matrix, or Wanted, or Harry Potter, I imagine he’ll be shooting the wings off flies any issue now and kicking some unenlightened ass in the city. The dialogue is fine and the narrative is taken from the journal he uses to document his miserable existence out in the cold. It’s quite sad, if a little direct, but does well to select a few key moments during his countless months on the streets. There is a great encounter with an old stereotypical hobo who tries to make off with his shoes.

The art is impressive but feels a bit ‘cool’ considering the horrid life he is living. I’m sure this art will feel more at home in the future issues where there will be all sorts of stylised violence with guns, swords and all that. The Tetris like panelling is fast paced and again, feels a bit odd considering the subject matter at the beginning.

All in all, this should be a fun ride but it feels pretty similar to the last bunch so far. You never know, it might be different this time.