DEADLY CLASS VOL.1: REAGAN YOUTH collects issues #1-6 and stars Marcus Lopez Arguello, a Nicaraguan 14-year old homeless kid residing in San Francisco and he has nothing to live for. His parents are dead, his time in the boy's school sucked, and he has a dark past he wants forgotten. About to commit suicide, Marcus's world gets thrown upside down when he finds out some government people are after him and he gets saved by a group of young would-be assassin's around his age group. Come to find out, the group is from King's Dominion High School for the Deadly Arts, a school of teaching youth the ways of the assassin and Marcus has been accepted. Now Marcus has to deal with a school full of jocks, gangbangers, cool kids, and skinheads from the worlds top crime families as they hate him just like any school would for being an outsider.
DEADLY CLASS is a difficult comic to categorize since it has numerous aspects about. From Image, has it billed in the back of the book as "crime/romance/shoegaze", which I agree with most of that statement, but it's also an emotional and funny book as it deals with the pressures of fitting in with the school, the world, and societies expectations. I guess the closet thing DEADLY CLASS reminds me of is John Hughes Breakfast Club with Hunter S. Thompsons Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which Remender does hint at for both). The book delves deep on Marcus's perspective that is equal parts mysterious and understandable. We all felt like Marcus in school growing up in trying to make friends (or enemies like a Russian jock), fit in-and-out of cliques (like smoking out back during lunchtime), and reputations to uphold in front of each other, as well as just trying to have fun. In this case, jumping roof tops, taking a drive to Las Vegas with drugs and alcohol and going on a massive LSD-laced trip throughout town. Seriously, there is a lot going on in this opening volume from Remender that hits home for readers.
As for art, Wes Craig does an amazing style to fit the time period. It's clean, yet has bold lines similar to Frank Miller's work on Sin City. This is further helped by the colorist Lee Loughride who makes each scene vividly flair up with color. It's a dynamic art style that really fits the book.
So DEADLY CLASS VOL.1 is another Image series that readers should try out . Besides the many questions Remender left open, this is another series that I truly enjoyed and will continue to read and review in the future.
