DEADLY CLASS #30
Writer – Rick Remender
Artist – Wes Craig
Colorist – Jordan Boyd
Publisher – Image Comics
Taking a break from school, we find our motley crew out of the classroom and heading to Mexico. From previous issues, we know that Saya’s ex, whom she claims to’ve killed, actually escaped to Mexico. With Quan tasked at finding him, the crew hits the road.
Traditional, road trip storylines are comprised of one of two options. Either the cast finds themselves in ridiculous situations and hilarity ensues, or everyone get’s stir crazy. The littlest noise by a fellow traveler sends everyone else up the wall. If you have any familiarity with this series, you can predict which one of these situations our boon companions find themselves in. (Hint, hint, it’s the latter.) But, the predictability doesn’t stop there. More on that later.
The problem with road trip plots is keeping them interesting while confined to a limited setting. It can be directly compared to a “bottle episode” of a TV show. Very limited cast, very limited setting. And the audience reaction is generally the same. Ask 100 die-hard Breaking Bad fans to name their least favorite episode, and 99 of them will groan and say “The Fly.” It’s not that it’s a bad episode, it just feels like its so long and nothing happens. That’s how this book read.
While the conversations in the car delve into heated fights over subjects such as race, religion, and prejudice, it felt forced and not organic. About as fake as the drawn out shout out to Slayer. Just, nothing about it felt natural.
My favorite part was actually when they stopped to get some grub at McDonald’s. Not just because it was finally a change of scenery, but because it was a prefect recreation of the McDonald’s I remember from my childhood (the book is set in 1988, after all), and this is a testament to the skills of Craig and Boyd.
Back to my predictability claim: Read the “Story so far . . .” recap at the beginning, look at the first page of the book (you don’t even have to read the dialog, just look at the pictures) and take a guess at what is going to happen on the last page. I promise you, you’ll already know.
Artist – Wes Craig
Colorist – Jordan Boyd
Publisher – Image Comics
Taking a break from school, we find our motley crew out of the classroom and heading to Mexico. From previous issues, we know that Saya’s ex, whom she claims to’ve killed, actually escaped to Mexico. With Quan tasked at finding him, the crew hits the road.
Traditional, road trip storylines are comprised of one of two options. Either the cast finds themselves in ridiculous situations and hilarity ensues, or everyone get’s stir crazy. The littlest noise by a fellow traveler sends everyone else up the wall. If you have any familiarity with this series, you can predict which one of these situations our boon companions find themselves in. (Hint, hint, it’s the latter.) But, the predictability doesn’t stop there. More on that later.
The problem with road trip plots is keeping them interesting while confined to a limited setting. It can be directly compared to a “bottle episode” of a TV show. Very limited cast, very limited setting. And the audience reaction is generally the same. Ask 100 die-hard Breaking Bad fans to name their least favorite episode, and 99 of them will groan and say “The Fly.” It’s not that it’s a bad episode, it just feels like its so long and nothing happens. That’s how this book read.
While the conversations in the car delve into heated fights over subjects such as race, religion, and prejudice, it felt forced and not organic. About as fake as the drawn out shout out to Slayer. Just, nothing about it felt natural.
My favorite part was actually when they stopped to get some grub at McDonald’s. Not just because it was finally a change of scenery, but because it was a prefect recreation of the McDonald’s I remember from my childhood (the book is set in 1988, after all), and this is a testament to the skills of Craig and Boyd.
Back to my predictability claim: Read the “Story so far . . .” recap at the beginning, look at the first page of the book (you don’t even have to read the dialog, just look at the pictures) and take a guess at what is going to happen on the last page. I promise you, you’ll already know.
A Look Inside
