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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