Deadly Class, Vol. 1: Reagan Youth by Rick Remender
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Just read this, this morning. My first completed read of 2019 is Deadly Class. I was motivated to read this once I watched the first episode on SyFy. It’s—violent lol I know that should go without saying but–okay honestly first impressions it felt like a better Kickass. No disrespect to Kickass I just preferred the characters in this. Kickass is full of high schoolers and their moments of characterization were when they were in costumes. Deadly Class is full of assassins who are characterized by high school–like I guess what I’m saying is, despite both being outrageous, this felt more real because the moments of characterization were in school. Like you can find any cliche high school story in here then add a hemoglobin filter and you got deadly class.
So here are some spoilers. If you don’t like those stop reading here:
I thought this volume didnt do Chico justice. He had so much potential, and I think the show is going to treat him with more respect than the book.
The love triangle is hilarious because it takes place during such high stakes, but still doesnt feel ridiculous because it’s high school–like the love triangle between Marcus, Saya, and Maria may be my favorite YA love triangle yet because even though people are dying all around them, it’s not like the Hunger Games where the fate of the world rest’s on Katniss’ shoulders and she has to decide if Gale or Peeta’s breath smells better.
Willie is going to be an MVP in this series I can already tell–I hitman afraid to pull the trigger. He faced multiple opportunities with increasing stakes and remained true to his character, so I wouldnt be surprised if he has the best transformation of the bunch.
I want to get to know Saya and Maria more. The glimpses we have of Maria make her sound incredibly complex, especially when she confronts Chico and reveals how she earned her spot at King’s Dominion.
I’m excited to continue reading this series!
R.K. Gold 