Deadly Class is an actiongenreAmerican comic book series written by Rick Remender, illustrated by Wesley Craig, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Rus Wooton. Deadly Class is set primarily in the 1980s and follows students enrolled at King's Dominion Atelier of the Deadly Arts, a secret boarding school in San Francisco, as they train to become the next generation of top assassins for crime families across the globe. Image Comics has published Deadly Class on a mostly monthly basis since the first issue was released on January 22, 2014.
Plot
The first issues of Deadly Class focus on the story of teenage orphan Marcus Lopez Arguello as he transitions from living on the streets to being enrolled into a school of assassins. The academy, run by Master Lin, is composed of children of mob bosses and mass murderers, learning the same trade as their parents. Marcus's decision to attend the school is one of the only decisions he gets to make for himself throughout the arc and history. His entire life has been composed of unfortunate events, each leaving him further ostracized from humanity. Marcus is homeless largely because his parents died in a horrible accident when he was young, leaving him in an orphanage whose headmaster required his manual labor for him to retain residence. This continued degradation of his sanity through the abuse by the hands of his roommates and guardians eventually drives him to committing a massive act of violence. Deadly Class then follows the students in the academy and many of their eventual downfalls.
Characters
Marcus Lopez Arguello is the newest addition to King's Dominion. Plagued by tragedy and trauma, Marcus still finds himself an outcast at the school in regards to both the students and the teachers.
Saya Kuroki is the leader of the Kuroki Syndicate at King's Dominion. Her preferred weapon is a katana, which was passed down through her family.
Willie Lewis is a member of the Final World Order at King's Dominion and is one of Marcus's best friends. Willie is a sharpshooter who specializes in firearms.
Maria Esperanza Salazar is Marcus's girlfriend; a member of the Soto Vatos and Chico's former girlfriend. Maria's preferred weapons are bladed fans, and she is often seen adorned in Dia de Los Muertos attire.
Master Lin is the ruthless headmaster of King's Dominion.
Viktor is a Russian brute who is the son of Joseph Stalin's personal assassin. Viktor utilizes his brute strength to overwhelm his opponents.
Petra Yolga is a goth girl who comes from a death cult. Petra specializes in poison, and gained honors in a class because of this.
Shabnam is a portly, nerdy boy who is Marcus's former roommate. Being the son of a wealthy banker, Shabnam uses his intellect and wit to strategically win battles.
Brandy Lynn is a Southern belle, and is known as the daughter of a famous neo-Nazi that assassinated dozens of civil rights activists. She is considered loud, racist, and a generic Confederate redneck. Brandy is adept at hand-to-hand combat, and has been seen utilizing various throws and grapples that make her a deadly opponent.
Billy Bennett is one of Marcus's best friends. He is kindly and soft, and needed help to kill his father. He seems friendly and funny, and he likes to skate.
Kelly "Grogda" is Shabnam's girlfriend who seduced Marcus at one point.
Shawn Parcel
Chico Salazar is the leader of the Soto Vatos, Maria's former boyfriend.
Kendall is Stephen's former boyfriend. He is one of the students who helped Marcus in the first issue.
Stephen is Kendall's former boyfriend. All he wants is to be one of the top students at King's Dominion.
Tosawhi is one of the new students. The others do not really like him but he does not seem to care. Like Billy, he is a skater.
Quan is one of the new students. He is both proud and arrogant. He attempted to hook up with Saya but finally gave up.
Helmut is one of the new students. He is German, loves metal, and also loves other "hardcore" things.
Zenzele is one of the new students. She is a bit weird and Brandy does not like her at all. She writes a lot of letters to her parents.