Advance Review – Deadly Class #2 (Image)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Wes Craig
Release Date: 26th February 2014

Rick Remender has been gradually climbing atop my list of writers to watch and follow, but with Deadly Class he hasn’t quite managed to sink the hook in just yet.

The concept of the story is fresh and intriguing but it’s falling flat for me and I’m not entirely sure why. The writing is very well done, it sets the tone for the story and the time frame that it is taking place, but it just hasn’t caught me. You have a young homeless boy who loses his parents in a tragic way, and has been recruited into a secret Academy that teaches the art of Assassination. It’s like the Xavier Institute for upcoming villains. We get to see more development here regarding the events that got Marcus picked for the school, and we get a glimpse at what a normal class day looks like in “Assassin school”. And in many ways it’s not unlike any other High School, featuring the usual cliques and bullies, with the major difference being that they are actual gangs or mobs and they will probably make good on any and all threats!

The writing duties are handled very well. The story is rather engaging drawing you into the various characters introduced, and leaving you curious for what will happen next. Yet something about the story, as I said above, is falling flat for me. I’m not sure if it’s the concept of an Assassin High School or some of the more mature themes interjected at certain times. Make no mistake though, the writing is of a higher caliber than most books on the shelves, it’s just not catching this reviewer by surprise right now.

Wes Craig’s artwork however, is fantastic. The varying look of the characters is refreshing to see, in a time when a lot of artists fail to make every character look distinctively different from one another. And the color choices fit every panel flawlessly. The artistic team has done a great job creating the environments of the story and the personalities of the characters in it.

Rating: 3/5

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