Image Comics
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Wes Craig
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rus Wooton
In Deadly Class #55, Rick Remender issued himself, and to some extent readers, an ultimatum. The series will end in death, but who will give and who will receive? The “Marcus” instinct in Remender is grounded, nihilistic. The good guys lose. The bad guys get away with everything. Game over. But the “Maria” in Rick had to wonder, if that’s the realistic ending, what is the point of telling a story? Why spin a fiction as sobering as everyday life? His own character seemed ask, do you want to use your gifts and platform to spread the same darkness you’re rallying against, or should you shine a light on the silver linings? Instill some hope?
Structurally, the longest series of Remender’s career ends in a bit of a flash. Still, there’s enough room for tension, enough time to remind us all of how much we despise Brandy Lynn and Shabnam. And there’s space for genuine resolution, the sort of bloody poetic justice only former students of King’s Dominion can deliver. There’s even a series-spanning full circle moment, with Marcus’ teenage desire to assassinate President Ronald Reagan re-entering the mix. We see entire empires crash down in flames, stirring a media frenzy. But the tale ends in a quiet living room, with two lifelong friends laughing, toasting to sweet victory.
It’s over these opening pages that Remender reconciles the ultimatum posed by Marcus and Maria in the previous issue. Considering the ending of Lone Star, Remender’s in-universe Deadly Class, Marcus says to Maria, “All stories end sadly if you follow them long enough. … Why not just stop some place nice?” For Deadly Class, a series steeped in the blood and misery of so many young characters, it’s a perfectly fitting response.
The bulk of the super-sized issue is devoted to “happier” times, to use the word loosely, back when the King’s Dominion crew was larger, more alive. Marcus goes on and on, as is his wont. There are debates about 80’s music and politics and philosophy. In so many ways the last issue of Deadly Class could have come anywhere during its opening arc. I never thought that was the mark of a good ending, that it fits so nicely with the start.
Thank goodness Wes Craig’s Kaya is off to such a wonderful start; Remender has no immediate plans for a new series and it would be a crime to keep Craig’s talents in the dark for too long. My eyes welled up seeing young Saya, a testament to both Remender’s storytelling and Craig’s subtle redesigns over the last 20+ issues as the characters have aged. It felt like I hadn’t seen this Saya in ages, because I hadn’t.
On a personal note, I have to extend a heartfelt thanks to the entire Deadly Class team. I’ve only been reading comics for about two years now, and Remender’s Black Science was the first book I picked up. I read the first 44 or so issues of Deadly Class in two days and have been following monthly ever since. It’s the first ongoing series I’ve been reading at the time of its conclusion. It got me addicted to deluxe hardcovers. Thank you Deadly Class, I hope to see you all again soon.
Deadly Class #56
Like It
The Good
- A satisfying series end on every level.
The Bad
- Deadly Class is over.
- Remender has yet to announce a new ongoing.
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Story 10
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Characters 10
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Art 10
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