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As Deadly Class approaches thirty issues, the new crop of students are really starting to find their footing. Creators Rick Remender and Wes Craig threw readers in an emotional meat grinder not too long ago by wiping out nearly half of the main cast. They boldly replaced them with new freshman characters who are now stepping up in a major way.

***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***

Kings Dominion is full of horny teenage assassins desperate to gain leverage and climb the ladder of school hierarchy. What initially looked like just another wave of 80’s cliches are now blossoming ito fully formed characters. The new class kicks as much ass as the previous one.

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With Saya out of commission, in the clutches of her brother, and Marcus and Maria in hiding, the characters closest to our hearts are vulnerable. They’re fragile little eggs that Remender will purposely carry forward with a noticeable wobble. This series has always been able to deliver major gut wrenching drama. Right now, it’s trending towards a read that’ll have readers on edge. At the center of all the Saya deception is Quan, who’s backed himself into a corner. By trying to snake his way into the good graces of not only the school but also Saya’s Yakuza asshole brother, he’s found his balls firmly in the clutches of both he and Viktor.

Zenzele finds herself abandoned by her mentor, Saya, and steps up big time in this issue. White power loving redneck princess Brandy gets served by Zenzele who ditched strong & silent for ready & able. Big Z is quietly becoming a prominent force, poised for a key moment in the near future.

The second half focus of Deadly Class #29 is Helmut as he attempts to shake a certain member of the student council out of a funk. Helmut and Petra debate the future of certain music genres and their sellout potential while terrorizing a random man with a frozen burrito.

The heart and soul of this issue is the night these two shares together. The narrative stars are aligning elsewhere, but this intimate experience between these two is another example of the heart that Deadly Class is capable of at any moment amidst the gruesome chaos.

Deadly Class continues to be one of the most compelling comic books available right now. If you’re not reading and sharing this Image Comics experience, you should reconsider the priorities of your pull list.

Remender and Craig are one of the rare gems of comic book chemistry today, their partnership should be the goal of every creative team. One would not meet the artistic potential they achieve each issue without the other.

If you’re someone who was concerned about the new students coming aboard, fear not. These new kids are fully acclimated and as crucial to this book as those who didn’t make it past the King’s Dominion Freshman Final.