Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
what the fuck.
Idk what I was expecting but it wasn't that
Idk what I was expecting but it wasn't that
I understand this series got picked up to be turned into a show, and I'd heard good things about it. I can't say that I'll be interested in trying the show or continuing the comics.
This felt like an offbrand Hunter S. Thompson creation, with lots of heavy use of racial and social stereotypes on top of that. Oh sure, the older Chinese man that runs the secret academy has the typical face, facial hair, and dress of any old Chinese man in American cinema. Of course, the primary girl we see as representative of the Japanese clique in school already has two half sleeves of tattoos and carries a katana. Definitely, the primary couple in the Latinx contingent is in a dysfunctional relationship and she dresses like La Catrina for one scene, but apparently that's a defining characteristic since it's in all the cover art.
It is definitely very 80s, so you could argue that some of the stereotyping is excused, as it was definitely common at the time. And apparently Remender had a pretty rough youth, which he used as inspiration for this story. I don't want to downplay that his experience was difficult, but the story that he grew out of it frankly is not great. I'm sure the pseudo-philosophical contingent finds it intellectually stimulating, but I had to force myself to listen to the monologuing of the main character.
The art at least, was fantastic, and did a great job of conveying the tension and mental state of the protag. So there's that.
This felt like an offbrand Hunter S. Thompson creation, with lots of heavy use of racial and social stereotypes on top of that. Oh sure, the older Chinese man that runs the secret academy has the typical face, facial hair, and dress of any old Chinese man in American cinema. Of course, the primary girl we see as representative of the Japanese clique in school already has two half sleeves of tattoos and carries a katana. Definitely, the primary couple in the Latinx contingent is in a dysfunctional relationship and she dresses like La Catrina for one scene, but apparently that's a defining characteristic since it's in all the cover art.
It is definitely very 80s, so you could argue that some of the stereotyping is excused, as it was definitely common at the time. And apparently Remender had a pretty rough youth, which he used as inspiration for this story. I don't want to downplay that his experience was difficult, but the story that he grew out of it frankly is not great. I'm sure the pseudo-philosophical contingent finds it intellectually stimulating, but I had to force myself to listen to the monologuing of the main character.
The art at least, was fantastic, and did a great job of conveying the tension and mental state of the protag. So there's that.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read at ur own risk lol :_)
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reasonably compelling pulpy comix. But I read the ebook on my phone. Ugh. Don’t DO that.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i really liked this first installment! (and the second, this is a review for both) the art and colors gave everything a distinct vibe, the introduction to the characters and world were compelling. saya is very hot. yes the characters are very stupid sometimes but they are also 15. and the craziness just draws you in. don't know why the author keeps on writing about poop situations tho.
ok the cons. i get the most people seem to be a racial stereotype is kind of like. an even playing field and once you get to know the characters you find out they have more to them but like. it really seems to play more into the female characters. saya and maria are such stereotypes it hurts sometimes. maria especially like. the fans and the makeup are really cool! why didn't you give another character a distinct fighting style like that?
ok time to go put the most content warnings i think ive ever put on a book before
ok the cons. i get the most people seem to be a racial stereotype is kind of like. an even playing field and once you get to know the characters you find out they have more to them but like. it really seems to play more into the female characters. saya and maria are such stereotypes it hurts sometimes. maria especially like. the fans and the makeup are really cool! why didn't you give another character a distinct fighting style like that?
ok time to go put the most content warnings i think ive ever put on a book before
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
I genuinely don't know what to rate this one. It was trying to say some interesting things but its also like. Got all the problems inherent with this era of comic and being written by Remender.
The whole thing is a mess. There are elements that work really well, and there is a story here that could be quite compelling with characters that are dynamic and interesting and create a new spin on the assassin school trope. But 'Deadly Class' Vol. 1 is bogged down by it's premise that it never fully embraces, and this makes for a very confusing first volume.
It never quite embraces its premise of an assassin school, the plot is rushed and the setting is unconvincing, but at the halfway mark it changes into something different and arguably better than its premise proposed. But what it changes into, while more compelling doesn't fit with its set up of a school of mafia offspring come to realise their bloody legacies. (At least in how it is presented.)
The second half follows the group of kids from various crime families (and the main character who has no such pedigree) trying to reckon with the violence that they've inherited and must make sense of, if they hope to survive it.
The story turns away from a school of would be assassins into a rag-tag group of messed up kids, with nothing connecting them except the expectation of violence and the want and need for something more.
This second half leans itself towards the coming of age story, much more than the begining half does. The story suddenly slows down, seeming to be much more interested in exploring these teenagers' budding frienships and their problems that stem from the seedy world they've been dumped in.
This story works better, but only because the volume finally takes its time to set up the characters, setting and plot. Everything that came before feels unnecessary, vol. 1 feels almost like two stories slapped together, but the characters are what pulls it together and keeps it from completely collapsing in on itself.
Volume 1 ends feeling like its plot and characters are opposed, that they have been crafted with two different stories in mind.
With that all being said, I'm still interested to read on in the hopes that vol. 2 is able to recify the rift that I felt brought down vol. 1. And marry the 2 stories Deadly Class is trying to tell.
It never quite embraces its premise of an assassin school, the plot is rushed and the setting is unconvincing, but at the halfway mark it changes into something different and arguably better than its premise proposed. But what it changes into, while more compelling doesn't fit with its set up of a school of mafia offspring come to realise their bloody legacies. (At least in how it is presented.)
The second half follows the group of kids from various crime families (and the main character who has no such pedigree) trying to reckon with the violence that they've inherited and must make sense of, if they hope to survive it.
The story turns away from a school of would be assassins into a rag-tag group of messed up kids, with nothing connecting them except the expectation of violence and the want and need for something more.
This second half leans itself towards the coming of age story, much more than the begining half does. The story suddenly slows down, seeming to be much more interested in exploring these teenagers' budding frienships and their problems that stem from the seedy world they've been dumped in.
This story works better, but only because the volume finally takes its time to set up the characters, setting and plot. Everything that came before feels unnecessary, vol. 1 feels almost like two stories slapped together, but the characters are what pulls it together and keeps it from completely collapsing in on itself.
Volume 1 ends feeling like its plot and characters are opposed, that they have been crafted with two different stories in mind.
With that all being said, I'm still interested to read on in the hopes that vol. 2 is able to recify the rift that I felt brought down vol. 1. And marry the 2 stories Deadly Class is trying to tell.