You ever have one of those people that you hate? I mean, really hate? And for no particular reason? Just someone that you hate for absolutely no reason? Someone who just rubs you the wrong way without having to do anything? That's how I view Brandy in a nutshell. The only difference being that she has actually done a LOT wrong, and my hatred is totally justified. In that regard I have to tip my hat off to Rick Remender for creating a character who is wholly unlikable for good reasons.
Of course, all this talk about hating Brandy is really going to boggle the mind when I say that she was exceptional in this issue of DEADLY CLASS. No, I know I said that I hate her, but this issue does her a bunch of favours and highlights her qualities with blood-shedding finality. Which is ironic because I found myself appreciating her because of her ability to get her enemies to shed their blood. Funny how that works. In addition to Brandy showing off, there were some fairly serious developments carried throughout the issue. Usually having multiple characters and then splitting them up when the going gets tough is a task that many authors and illustrators struggle with. That's why more often then not we end up seeing a singular protagonist, and we tend to follow them around over the course of an issue. Every now and then comic creators might switch to the perspective of an up and coming villain, but generally the formula stays the same. Rick Remender, Wes Craig, Jordan Boyd, Rus Wooton, and Sebastian Girner aren't the type of team to stick to the conventional though, and that really comes across in this issue as we quickly run through all of the protagonists in rapid succession. Remender capitalizes on the chaos and murder throughout as we flit between viewpoints. No more than a handful of pages are spent on each group of individuals, and it makes the entirety of the issue feel shorter. There is a deeply kinetic quality that is locked within the pages of DEADLY CLASS that Craig, Boyd and Wooton use to powerful effect. The afore mentioned effect is riveting, and keeps you engrossed as events unfold at pace. That's not to say that there wasn't a lot of obvious outcomes waiting for us at the end of this phase of the Love Like Blood storyline. Maria was already at Quan's throat as of last issue, so watching her peel the rat gives a morbid pleasure that anyone can revel in. Naturally, Maria rushing off to aid Marcus was all but written in the stars at this stage. What really took the cake, stole the show, and had me leaping and shouting like a mad man was reading Brandy as she murders her way through a host of Kuroki Yakazu members like it is her day job. She's still a terrible human, but it has become abundantly clear that her tutelage at King's Dominion was not wasted. Also, the fact that she's been shot and is likely bleeding out really makes all of these events feel like a final stand for a character that everyone hates. Strangely enough, watching her do what she does in this issue makes for a very cathartic moment, and one can almost feel some level of empathy for her in these pages. All of these positive emotions get weirdly tied up in whatever affection one might have for Zenzele and Tosahwi because they subsequently try to murder her for trying to murder them back at the start of this storyline. Frankly speaking, even after the presumed loss of Marcus way back when, it has been a trial to fall in love with the new freshmen of King's Dominion. It isn't that they are wholly unlikable, its just that none of them are particularly attention grabbing. Yes, there is a lot of betrayal and bad blood going around, but none of it feels real in the wake of what readers experienced before their arrival. In light of this, this phase of the story feels much more captivating and really has me feeling for Helmut who spectacularly rescues his classmates with Petra's help. Now, I'm not an expert on psychological states of being. I've never suffered depression so it is literally impossible for me to claim that I understand the emotional paradigms that said feeling embodies. The DEADLY CLASS team does a pretty damn good job of bringing the psychological traumas of killing to the fore front. One need only look at the hallucinations suffered by Marcus to know where his head is at even as Viktor attempts to drown him to death. At this stage I generally have some thoughts about what will happen in the issues to come. This is, after all, the third installment of a five part story. With that said, I say in full confidence that I have no idea where Remender is heading with this. The story has stepped away from the cutthroat King's Dominion, and whether that will factor into current events is entirely in the air. Quan is technically helping the Yakuza, but even he knows that he's on borrowed time. Saya is at the mercy of her psychotic brother. Helmut and Petra have managed to locate both Tosahwi and Zenzele so one might assume that they'll head to the rendezvous point to await the arrival of the others. Marcus and Maria are (have?) faced down Viktor, but given the state of his mind, who can really say whether this is the end of their conflict? DEADLY CLASS is an exceptional work of fiction, and it does a splendid job of bringing together teenage angst, high school life, and murder. There are so many television shows, movies, and comics built upon a similar premise, but there are only a couple that really stay in the public eye. This is a series that gets these elements right, and creates an interesting paradigm about what growing into adult life is all about. Yes, there is quite a bit of death going around, but the grounded premise is the same. Rick Remender, Wes Craig, Jordan Boyd, Rus Wooton, and Sebastian Girner are an exceptional team, and their dedication to the series is palpable from panel to panel. If nothing else, this issue of DEADLY CLASS gave a lot of shine to characters who are often overshadowed by their class seniors. Next issue has no choice but to take this story to new heights, because at this stage anything can happen! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH
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There are only a handful of stories that are so enriching as Morning Glories. Over the course of the last five years, the story has done a stand up job of keeping readers in a state of perpetual suspense. There are so many mysteries locked inside the forty plus issues that are already out, and with roughly another sixty issues planned for the future there are going to be many more head turning events ahead. It's because of the overwhelming questions that readers have about what exactly is going on that a segment called Notes from Study Hall has been added to the end of each issue. You know a series is going to drop you for a loop when the authors need to add something like that to a comic. The best part, however, is that Notes from Study Hall doesn't detract or bore you. On the contrary, the segment does an superb job of keeping readers informed and reminding you about stuff you may have forgotten or missed following the advent of any number of mind-blowing scenarios that occur over the course of the story.
Currently, Morning Glories is nearing the halfway mark with almost fifty issues published. A lot has happened since the Glories first arrived at MGA and things have only gotten more and more confusing as each issue was released. Yes, we have received some explanations, but there are still a lot of long standing questions looming on the horizon. In order to try to understand some of the current events. I figured it might be in everyone's best interest if we broke down what has been happening so far and what that means for the future of the story. Let's catch you up on what has been going on in the comic so far. Casey returned from the past with Hunter's help, and subsequently lost her memories. The only reason Hunter was able to draw Casey back to the present is because Future Hunter created a device to do that exact job. As an added bonus, by activating this device Hunter effectively removes the supernatural abilities that both Casey and Irina have been show casing. As a result Irina's plan to assassinate Ike fails, Jun and Hisao pull a body shuffle, Akiko is thrown into a coma, and Fortunato loses his eyesight. All in all, Hunter effectively sabotaged everyone. The question at this point is why, and to what end? In order to understand the events that have transpired here, we need to take a look at time travel. It's unclear what Casey experienced when she traveled back in time. We can only assume that her "eyes were opened" for lack of a better term. Her actions, which seem to be completely counter productive with regards to her original reasons for heading back in time, only make sense if we assume this. This theory is supported by the precognition that Mary, the girl from 1693, displays with regard to game of Woodrun. Through her presumed precognition and despite the knowledge that her parents will die, Casey still sends her past self to Morning Glories Academy. In doing so she also preserves the current timeline, effectively looping the events that have transpired over the course of the story. This is important because without this loop the Glories would have died earlier in the second issue when Daramount tries to drown the kids. The only loose end here is David, who as it turns out is Casey's son. This should throw up a couple of red flags because David is the name of the monster that has been going around murdering and throwing people into comas. Future Jade and Future Hunter are pivotal characters at this point in the story. Although we haven't even seen Future Hunter, Hunter might have never been able to reset the events of Woodrun if not for his intervention. This then begs the question that since Future Hunter has already lived the events leading up to and following after Woodrun, why would he purposely attempt to sabotage most, if not all, of the major plots? Again we need to assume that both Future Jade and Future Hunter have access to their supernatural gifts. Since Future Jade is actively monitoring and interacting with the Glories, it makes sense that she to must be trying to loop time in the same manner as Casey. Future Hunter is probably still working with Future Jade, and as such has built the device that ruins all of the main plots. The reason for this is two fold. Future Casey may or may not be dead, if she is then the Future Glories no longer have access to her precognitive powers, but if she isn't the time loop her must be necessary to bring about a "good ending". Now the final question that we want to discuss is, what does all of this even mean? Well, it ensures that the events that are currently unfolding occur exactly as they did once before. This means that all the events following the reset were necessary to bring about a particular future. For the time being we can only assume that this future is the most lucrative as a precognitive Casey has likely put the group on this path. However, none of this answers Irina's obsession with murdering Ike. The only way to explain this as of yet is the parallelism that has been occurring between the Truants and the Glories. This theory is supported by the fact that Irina seems to have the same compulsion ability that Casey displays when she travels back in time. From this it isn't all that far fetched that she may also have the precognitive abilities that Casey possesses. If we acknowledge this then Irina's alteration to the Truant's original plan seems to make more sense. Add to this the fact that she may have seen the Headmaster, and it becomes a lot harder to refute her behavior has senseless. I've laid a lot on you readers at this point. There is a lot to think about, and with a little more than fifty issues left to go there is still plenty of room for further speculation. Although these aren't all of our theories, I did want to share some of the key ones with you as the series heads into a new direction with both the Glories and the Truants. The only questions left at this point can only be answered by continuing to read Morning Glories! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH NOTE: Regrettably, Nanami was not feeling well and could not be in attendance for this particular podcast. |
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