Students Fight For Their Lives On the Streets of Mexico In Deadly Class #34

Marcus, Maria, and a handful of other students from Kings Dominion are fighting for their lives in the streets of a small Mexican town. The Yakuza are hunting them down. They’ve split up, but they’re outnumbered and outgunned. This night will put everything they’ve learned at the school for assassins to the test, but will it be enough to survive?

In addition to the Yakuza, Viktor and Brandy, two students with a grudge, are hunting the kids too. This personal vendetta leads to some of the most brutal violence in Deadly Class #34. When we last saw Marcus and Viktor, they were beating the living crap out of each other in the water. It’s clear that only one of them will walk away from this fight, so it’s a very intense battle.
Viktor killed Marcus’ best friend Willie way back when and that has fueled Marcus, but there’s some hesitation there. Is this what he really wants? Does he need more bloodshed? He managed to escape Kings Dominion with his life and was living a relatively peaceful life up until this point. If he pulls the trigger here and puts Viktor down, can he come back from that?

Writer Rick Remender presents a very interesting dynamic here, especially when Marcus starts to see a vision of Willie standing over him. This elevates an already tense scene to new heights as Marcus tries to justify his actions. You can feel the raw emotion flowing through him as he tries to figure out what to do next.
I’ve praised artist Wes Craig’s work in previous Deadly Class reviews and this one is no different. His artwork is top notch. It is well detailed and filled with energy. Craig brings every single scene to life and I’m not saying that in the cliché manner. Instead, his images feel like they’re alive. We’re seeing glimpses of these characters’ lives as they drift from panel to panel throughout the comic.

This is especially true for the action scenes where you can practically feel the bullets flying past your face. There’s a fantastic sequence where Maria and Quan are under attack by the Yakuza. The gang shoots up the building they’re standing in, sending shattered glass flying into the air. The small pieces of glass are interspersed with “RAT-A-TAT” sound effects, blending together to surround Maria and Quan.
Speaking of Quan, he may be the most hated character in Deadly Class now. He’s not a villain in the traditional sense. He’s a complete coward. There’s a moment where it looks like he might have a spine and then he quickly reverts back to his yellow-bellied ways. Quan is an opportunist and he’s trying to survive just like everyone else, but the way he goes about it makes me sick. He create such a visceral internal reaction.

I have to wonder if colorist Jordan Boyd used up all his reds in creating this issue as there is so much blood on every page. It flows like a river in some areas. At times it appears in a bright crimson while other times it’s a dark black. In any case, you understand how serious this evening’s battle is based on how much blood is shed.
Deadly Class is an incredible comic and it only gets better with each new issue. So many aspects to the story are coming to a head here and it could not be more exciting. This is a total package of a comic with a dynamite story, gorgeous artwork, and fantastic colors. If Deadly Class is not on your pull list, you are missing out.
Deadly Class #34 is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.