Well folks, it looks like good ol Marcus is in a literal shitload of trouble and not just at the hands of Fuckface and his band of psychotic rednecks. He’s in some trouble there too. But firstly, he is having some serious issues with girls, job, responsibility, and even intestinal fortitude, that all may contribute to his demise before Issue #10 of Deadly Class wraps up. Of course, if you have been following writer Rick Remender and artist Wes Craig’s ode to teenage angst, murderous intent, and awesome 80s music, then you very well know that good ol Marcus is usually in a shitload of trouble, which has made for some super good reading for the past several months. The primary difference with this shitload and regular shitload that Marcus is in is that shit is the primary element at play, making this one hands down, the grossest issue of the series. And that actually says a lot when we have been laid to bear witness to some pretty brutal stuff within the first nine issues.
I do absolutely love Deadly Class as a series and this issue isn’t all that bad, but we probably could have done without Marcus’ “morning after” a huge punk rock laced bender that has left him severely hung over and emotionally drained due to some choices (and words) he made. Topping that off, he is supposed to be at work early for a big sale. Problems are all around. We spend the first half following this descent into shit, which I guess does help the reader understand Marcus and his many insecurities that he has (and they are many). But we already know that.
It is in the second half of the issue where things pick back up as Marcus and his band of assassin friends get ready for a big raid on the lair of Fuckface and his evil incestuous drug addled minions. Results from the raid are a little bit sketchy in the end. But it is safe to say that good ol Marcus may once again find himself back in a shitload of trouble.
All in all, this issue is not that bad. We receive some of Rick Remender’s excellent writing style of interpersonal reflection demonstrating Marcus to be what he is; a “kid” with a “badass” reputation who doesn’t himself believe that he is badassed. It is written well overall and I find very little fault there. I neither find fault with Wes Craig’s awesome artistic renditions of grainy realism that harbors a hair on the surreal, but fits perfectly within the framework of Remender’s writing style. It all works great and I will continue to follow this title devoutly.
That being said, I think the whole first part of this issue was just fluffy (or shitty as it would seem) filler for the second half. It really wasn’t all that necessary and it may even slow down the second half which is all action and in line to a new area as we see the whole team of Marcus’ clique in action. I would have much rather seen more of that and maybe focus a little bit less on the events leading up to the second half.
But hey, with the ending here, I was able to put aside that first bit and focus back on the big picture which promises to pack a pretty heavy (and possibly, deadly) punch for our gang.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Wes Craig Colorist: Lee Loughridge Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 01/07/2015 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital