Deadly Class, Book Two: The Funeral Party

Deadly Class #4-6

by Rick Remender (Writer), Wes Craig (Illustrator), Jordan Boyd (Colorist)

Collecting arcs 4-6 of RICK REMENDER and WES CRAIG’s ongoing darkly humorous drama of the lives of '80s teens training in a secret academy to either become assassins or stand up and become humans. Presented in deluxe oversized hardcover format! Collects DEADLY CLASS #17-31

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Thriller, Crime, Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

424 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2018

About the author

Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: Heartrending and raw, it cuts deep with depravity, coercion and heat, singing teenage melodies to a murderous beat.

*Progress updates: Issues #17-19 ◦ Issues #20-22 ◦ Issues #23-26

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waaaaay better than the first book!



I liked Book One but I didn't like being trapped in Marcus' whiny emo-teen head quite as much as I might have if I were perhaps, say...a whiny emo-teen.
This book fixed all of that for me.



Anything I say beyond that will just spoil the story for those of you who haven't read it yet.
All I will say is that I'm glad I continued on, and I'm looking forward to reading what happens next.
Recommended!

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 4.5/5
I gotta admit, a few issues in, I was just a little bit worried about this one. Worried that my unflinching praise and sky high expectations were going to come back to haunt me. No., this wasn't the strongest opening in my opinion, with Remender putting all those things I loved about the first one to the side (how could he), and doubling down on just about everything I was glad this book wasn't. But hot damn did it slowly but surely redeem itself by the end.
Now don't get m wrong, the start wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination. I wasn't about to throw the book across the room, burn it and delivery myself a swift and poorly executed lobotomy to remove the once pristine memory of this series from my mind. It was a little silly, a little goofy, and definitely less than impeccably executed, but it was Ok, I guess. It just wasn't as good as everything that proceeded it. But everything that proceeded it was pretty damn awesome, in my opinion, and thankfully, we soon found our way back to said awesomeness.
There are quite a few twists and turns in this arc, which I will certainly not be spoiling, although one thing that isn't a spoiler, especially if you've read the first book, is how awesome Craig and Boyd's art is here. Few books so perfectly encapsulate the tone of the story, giving it a fresh, evocative and unique look as Deadly Class, but damnit it if those two aren't kicking goals again here. Remender's writing would be generally strong enough to carry even a shitty looking book, but thank god we don't have that book, we have a sumptuous feast for the eyes. If you aren't reading this, then what the hell is wrong with you? This sat on my shelf for two years before I cracked it open. I waited two weeks between books one and two. Not sure how long Ill go before book three makes an appearance. Don't dawdle any longer on one of the best Image titles out there. Just make sure you get it in these spectacular library editions while you can. 4.5/5


OmniBen.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Coloring. The story progresses with many unlikable characters taking the lead as the end of the year purge takes place.

Some interesting action and some backstory about some of our main characters. I don't love this compared some of Remender's other books but I'll be in for the next oversize book (Black Science and Fear Agent are both good!).

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things got interesting and less angsty. Much better than the first book.

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. Deadly. Class. I don't know what else to say, this thing is just amazing.

This deluxe volume started off with an EXTREME bang. Everything was hitting the fan then BOOM the rug got pulled out from under my feet. I didn't know how I would be able to go on. Remender did a thing that I hate where we get, like, a whole new cast of characters right in the middle of a series and that will usually kill a series for me but then the series redeems itself so hard I was literally cheering.

In this volume we get even more character development from the main crew that we've been with since the beginning but not through this long and plot stalling flashback like comics sometimes do. We did get some small flashback segments but Remender will immediately tie the flashback page or two to what is happening at the current moment and keep the pacing of the story moving forward. I commend this style it just keeps the stakes feeling high with no lulls. As I said above we are also introduced to a new handful of main characters and it helps that they are all just as awesome and they all got the same treatment with the character development that we got in the first deluxe volume and I expect they will be built upon more in the third and fourth deluxe.

Again, I love this juxtaposition between these 14-16 year old high schoolers living their lives but also this extreme high stakes, high crime and drama that they are also experiencing. It gives this adrenaline fueled, engrossing experience to the reader (me). I love how badass just everything is about this book.

10/10 recommend Deadly Class. I feel a new favorite comic series brewing here. I can't wait to continue on with the second half of this amazing story and see what kind of trouble our peoples can get into.

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are tearing me apart, Remender!

I thought it won't be possible but the second book is even better than the first one.

So many twists, the evolution of the characters is really well-executed, a bunch of new interesting and entertaining characters...

Deadly Class is masterfully crafted and one of the best ongoing series out there.

I am seriously considering buying the paperbacks so I won't have to wait so long for Book Three.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 4 out of 5]

For being a person with a straight edge pernonality and lifestyle. The drugparts of the story doesn't bother me as much as the alcoholism in Fear Agent by the same writer. I think that truly speaks for what a better story this is for me in that sense.

[Koen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words, but these: Daaamn this is hardcore!!

Go and pick up these books, they're so worth it!!

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Deadly adventures with book two of this excellent series! Book one went crazy in its final part and here we see the fallout of that event, the first part of this book should have been in the first book as it fits better together, but thats just nitpicking as all these books collect three trades. After that brutal first part we get to meet a couple new students, and we seem them bond again like the first group, roadtrippin, doing drugs, meanwhile dealing with being on a murder school, and having affairs and all that, there is backstabbing, conniving and a fuckton of murder, brought to you by Remenders slick scripts and even better visuals then in the first book by Wes Craig, the panels in this book just get better and better and this truly is one of its bigest strengths of the book, the colors again are ace aswell, and this remains my very favorite from Remender, i liked it even better the second time around as i did not had to wait that long innetween trades to continue the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There will be a more involved review coming at some point. Next week if I can get things together.

[Blindzider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was still pretty good with a high octane opening that lasts till about issue 23. It moves the story along but also fills in the backgrounds of some of the characters while a few of them bond. Issue 23 is also where another group of students are introduced and these kids also connect with the intention that the reader bond with them too. In addition to the kids needling each other as well as opening up their souls, Remender writes (frequently) about the music of the time.

I still like Craig's art, but there are times it looks a little sloppy. Not sure if that's rushing to meet deadlines, another inker or what.

The two subplots come together at the end of this volume and it gives a hint at where things are headed. It's still bloody and violent, yet also full of nostalgia and remembrance of those years where you are not only trying to figure out who you are but how to bond with others and determine your place in the world.

So far this series is maintaining a fairly high level of quality.

[TheMadReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m liking it but I’m not loving it. I feel like, this is an interesting take on a possible future film adaptation but, something is holding me back from truly loving it. As I continue to read, I’m sure I’ll be able to pinpoint it. However, I will mention that this arc had way too much mentioning of “shit.” Literal shit. Was it done as some form of comedic relief or is it an analogy for something I’m not picking up? I don’t want my comics like my conversations with women, revolving around bowel movements. Unnecessary information. Also, Wes Craig’s art reminds me too much of Mike Mignola, while unique…not my style.

[Isaac Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

straight gas my dude

tremendo Rick Remender, tremendo Wes Craig

no le seguí con el que sigue aún cuando hay otro cliffhanger nomás porque mañana hay que trabajar, pero que pasado de lanza está este volumen

die for me, carousel y this is not the end
i didn't remember how great they were

[Jendy Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kill the Rats”. Man, from the end of Year 1 with the final exams and Saya unexpectedly being the MVP for Marcus. I was hooked and loved every second of it. Beginning of Year 2 was also fun to watch with the new students enrolling and seeing the change in power dynamic at Kings’

[cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

esta saga solo mejora por momentos

[Lukas Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun read.

[Zachary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as the first volume with the introduction of a new freshman class. I can't say enough good things about this series and Wes Craig's art. Leaves you hanging at the end wanting for more. Still by far my favorite Remender Image series.

2022 Update: I enjoyed this volume even more on a re-read and enjoy it more than volume 1. Such a good series

[Arnela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to talk more about the book itself and how it was put together rather than the stories in it, if you're getting this hardcover omnibi collection then you already know what kinda story you're getting [this is more a collectors piece than a curious buy]. We're just hitting that good ol' school wide rumble that we were expecting back when volume 1 came out.

The art on the covers is beautiful, as always, and I'm quite happy that they kept the same style of and coloration as the regular trade paperbacks [it makes the comics feel unified, like they go together, and it will look that much nicer on your shelves]. I especially love the bright yellow-orange they used [I'm a sucker for yellow]. If I have any complaint about the cover is that its artwork cropped from other volumes. I recognize the back cover as the top half of the fifth trade paperback, and I know I've seen the front art somewhere else but I can't remember where from. I'm just personally not the biggest fan of cropping art to make new covers from it, like you have a great artist working on these comics, I'm sure he could have made something just as amazing as his other covers for the deluxe edition [it's not a huge deal I'm just saying].

I was a little confused as to how this book was so thick, compared to the 3 volumes that make it up. I was hella excited to see that almost an entire trade paperback worth of pages was dedicated to cover composition, coloration techniques, variants, scripts, and panel layouts. I love seeing how a comic book is brought to its final look, I love the process. The last thing that I'm very happy with is the size of the pages, I'm not saying the regular comic book size isn't good, but there's just something about larger pages that makes me feel like I get to experience the art better, I can see all the tiny details clearer, it's a preferable size for me and my janky glasses wearing face.

My only issue with publishers making large, hardcover [even though I prefer hardcover books], omnibus issues of a series is that so many pages bound together [not matter how well done] is very heavy on the spine, and will [sooner rather than later] start breaking apart due to weight [not overuse but just from the weight of the book itself]. That makes it harder to read the comic cause every time you open it or turn the page you can hear the spine slowly coming undone, creaking, coming loose, wiggling in your hands. It makes me think that these aren't even meant to read just to look nice on the shelf, at that point it's just a collectible and you can't enjoy your comic from it.

I love comics, I love hardcovers cause they tend to last longer, I love having more pages to read cause that means I get more story and am not as sad or as impatiently waiting for the rest. But when they're this big and this heavy I feel like I can't enjoy the book without being worried that I'll mess it up by just opening it. I would prefer a sort of boxed set scenario, a nice sleek outer box with exclusive hardcover versions inside to replace these deluxe editions that they keep putting out. And I don't want it to happen every so often but at the end of a series, when we have all the books. Admittedly, having so many individual hardcover comics might be a bit much, in that case I feel like we can bind them up by two's; volume 1 and volume 2 together as one hardcover and so on, if we end on an odd number of books that last book is gunna be a bit thicker [what can ya do at that point]. I mean sure you could make the final volume its own individual hardcover and then make the rest of the book bonus features; like an extended art gallery for the series, but I would rather have a bonus book just for that, for the scripts and the page layout, color tests, developing the covers, I feel the process deserves to be seen so people know just how much work goes into every single comic out there, not just the ones they like to read.


Too long didn't read? The book is amazingly sized and great if you want to just binge a huge chunk of the story all at once. But if you, like me, want to laze around and enjoy the story be careful, the deluxe omnibi spines are under a large weight strain due to the amount of pages and even the slightest of reading will loosen the spine and affect the connectivity of the pages.

[Chris Bromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first Deadly Class big omnibus. There's a lot to like: punk 80's kids, assassin school, Rick Remender's writing, Wes Craig art (which is just the best. The colour palette, yes please). It was very good but I wouldn't say it blew my mind. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed it but didn't feel the need to pick it back up immediately and start again. (That said this never actually happens right. There's too much to read!) But for Book Two everything has been turned up to 11. Minds were blown. A few literally.

Without spoilers this book starts of where the last finished with a lot going down at King's Dominion. While the first 3 volumes were full on this is just brutal. And not just the violence (though it is very) or the stories twists and turns but just... everything. The colours. THE COLOURS! My eyes stung. Like the acid king issue way back but for 5 whole issues. So fast and so much going on it was hard to catch your breath. And it hangs together very well. With the next volume we start the next school year and have a new influx of kids. And they're all good. You'll like them (as much as you can like the murderous little so and so's) and care about to their stories. Again there's a lot going on and it all works. And it all looks unbelievably good. I can't say enough good things about Wes Craig and his work here. If the story was trash you'd still give this 4 out of 5 for the way it looks. And in this extra-large format the whole presentation shines.

I've just pick up the 3rd omnibus and it's tempting to dive straight in but I'm going to try and sit on it for a while. There's other stuff in the queue. Plus it's a good excuse to go back through this one again. Something I'm sorely tempted to do now. Which is a good sign I think.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is becoming rarer and rarer to have an independent comic of this quality constantly being released. Rick Remender remains one of the few comic creators able to consistently produce high quality material on an ongoing basis be it with this series or the soon to conclude Black Science.

This volume takes the existing Deadly Class cast in some surprising directions with some intense deaths and welcome additions. By shifting the primary focus onto a new class of students Remender adds another layer to the narrative while continuing to show glimpses of Marcus and his friends.

The 1980s setting continues to be an effectively used highlight and I appreciate the level of detail Remender incorporates into his scripts. Wes Craig sets a high bar for artistic achievement with uniquely crafted panels and a consistent tone.

Deadly Class is one of the few series where you can't really anticipate what is coming next, everything orbits around characters you actually care about and their survival amongst increasingly devious and deadly enemies (and less than loyal allies). This series carries the torch for all that independent comics can be and their vast potential for unique and engaging storytelling.

[Buj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bless the art and coloring in this series. This team continues to throw some of the most clever panel and text layouts, color schemes, and style choices out there, and it keeps each issue as eye-catching as the next.

Honestly, I needed a break after the end of the finals arc because it was heartbreaking how things developed, but it added some very interesting developments for the surviving characters that shifted the story drastically for the better. A shift like this can be risky, but Remender pulls it off by introducing new characters with just as unique designs and fresh personalities and motivations.

And I really appreciate when a writer doesn't simply kill a character for shock value and forget them. There's some great tidbits as the story continues that shows what happened to these characters has impacted the surviving ones. I hope this is explored further as we learn more about the newbies.

[Ricardo Noronha · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kill the rats", said Master Lin.

These were the words that ended the headmaster's speech and started the King's Dominion finals. What followed was an outstanding and mind-blowing event where every Rat had to fend for himself, given teaming up could result in being betrayed. No one is safe until the night ends and the sun rises. Rick Remender continues this brilliant story by showing us the next chapter in Marcus' life, the year 1988. If at first I thought this was like Harry Potter but for assassins, with a much darker tone, after reading this volume, I know think this is also Game of Thrones, because... Well, let me just give you the same advice we give anyone new to Game of Thrones: don't get too attached to the characters... You never know who will survive!

[C. Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yes please.

Before getting into the positives I have one major gripe. I really wish there was more variety to the plot points outside of 'betrayal-by-friend'. I mean it's happened twice already and came off as stale. Also, there was some redundancy to this story after the first arc. This was mainly in the form of some characters appearing to be copies or exact foils of others, however, after a few issues this cleared up well. Leave it to Remender to make it work.

It's edge of your seat entertainment drawn and painted with a beauty that should be hung on canvas. It's a story of redemption, revenge, and forgiveness...

...And it'll probably be another two years before I get to finish the final book.

Damn.

4/5 stars.

[Terry Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read quite of bit of Remender's work.

And it is consistently fantastic. And his work here is stellar. Truly.

But let's put him aside for a moment, because the pencils by Wes Craig are nothing short of a marvel. What he accomplishes, page after page and panel after panel is genuinely the best art of any book I am reading right now, and possibly Top 3 ever.

It is really that good.

His ability to draw dynamic action and build out the entire moment is second to none.

The absolutely gorgeous physiology and breakdowns of human movement are nothing less than incredible.

And perhaps best of all: it isn't showy. There's no posing. There's no artifice. It's just expertly drawn work and allows the story to be live and breathe.

Grab this book. Don't wait any longer.

[Adam Osth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't grab me as much as the first one did. The first book grabbed me right out the gates. Even though it was a surreal comic about a high school for assassins, the angst and competitiveness of the characters really rang true. It felt *real* - a lot of the dialogue felt like it came straight from conversations I had with other kids when we were teenagers.

I felt like this one jumped the shark a bit. While it was really bold to focus on an entirely new set of characters, they were much more stereotypical than the original set and I just didn't find I really cared for them the way I did with the initial set.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book keeps on delivering and a new surprise might jump at me at every turn of the page. Multiple times I went 'hell yeah', while reading this.

Although the book has a very slow mid-part, where new characters are introduced, the book quickly hits the accelerate button again. Finally some much needed backstories and reveals are shown here. I really look forward to a particular conflict that is looming in the horizon.

The artwork is growing on me, as the characters all look great here. The covers are fantastic as well.

Jumping straight into Vol. 3 after writing these sentences, I need more!

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been waiting for this one for a while and definitely wasn't disappointed. Loved seeing what happened with the Freshmen Finals, seeing the aftermath, learning more about Saya, and seeing the new Freshmen class - knowing what will probably happen for Finals once again. This was really good as always. Can't wait for the next volume in a few months. ^_^

[Vivian ¥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely liked better than the first book, character development was great in this one. I’m glad I learned more about Saya’s past, also her plan was so well done. Looking forward to reading what happens next.

P.S The art is amazing, I love it so much

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the first book this is just so awesome to read and a pleasure to the eyes.
I can't expres just how much i love this series.
Even more great new characters and building on the existing ones. Can't wait to read book 3!