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Deadly Class
Deadly Class, Volume 9: Bone Machine
The Sophomore exam draws near as another year comes to a close in RICK REMENDER and WES CRAIG’s smash-hit series.
Collects DEADLY CLASS #40-44.
Collects DEADLY CLASS #40-44.
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2020
18 people are currently reading
846 people want to read
About the author
Rick Remender
1,203books1,385followersRick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
July 19, 2024
(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: A story of snaps and strain, it mirrors, inverses and wrangles with tangles: repeating the past from alternative angles.
*Progress updates: Preamble � Issues #40-41 � Issues #42-43
Notes: A story of snaps and strain, it mirrors, inverses and wrangles with tangles: repeating the past from alternative angles.
*Progress updates: Preamble � Issues #40-41 � Issues #42-43
February 1, 2023
The teen assassins' angst, isolation, rage and love masterpiece continues as Marcus and Maria's status rises at the school their antagonists' fall. But you have to be prepared for anything, good job he has a plan,; problem is that so does everyone else. As the students party in a remote cabin death approaches from all sides, include inside!
The superb quality threshold of this drops in this volume but it's still streets ahead in its portrayal of disaffected youth compared to pretty much anything else. I should mention the utterly superb diverse cast that is not only realistic in the context of the series but is played so well. Last but not least the music appreciation, the art and carnal fight scenes are just woo woo. If you read one graphic novel series featuring older teens in your life, this is it. A weaker 8 out of 12, but still a Four Star read.
2023 read
The superb quality threshold of this drops in this volume but it's still streets ahead in its portrayal of disaffected youth compared to pretty much anything else. I should mention the utterly superb diverse cast that is not only realistic in the context of the series but is played so well. Last but not least the music appreciation, the art and carnal fight scenes are just woo woo. If you read one graphic novel series featuring older teens in your life, this is it. A weaker 8 out of 12, but still a Four Star read.
2023 read
July 18, 2020
Deadly Class ramps up as it closes out it's second year.
So if you thought all hell was going to break loose...well you're right. Actually, the start of this volume had me a bit worried. The last volume, while good, didn't blow me away. This volume consist a lot of Marcus kind of being a depressed asshole and I know I'm used to it by now but it's slightly annoying at this point. BUT THEN...those final two issues kick in and shit goes bonkers.
Some of the greatest fight scenes in the series take place here. Some good funny moments, some emotional bits, and some MAJOR freaking deaths. Characters I didn't expect to bite the bullet did while others are somehow STILL alive. The ending especially leaves it up the viewer to wait for more and it is said to be awhile before we get another issue.
While not the best volume it ended pretty damn great. A 4 out of 5.
So if you thought all hell was going to break loose...well you're right. Actually, the start of this volume had me a bit worried. The last volume, while good, didn't blow me away. This volume consist a lot of Marcus kind of being a depressed asshole and I know I'm used to it by now but it's slightly annoying at this point. BUT THEN...those final two issues kick in and shit goes bonkers.
Some of the greatest fight scenes in the series take place here. Some good funny moments, some emotional bits, and some MAJOR freaking deaths. Characters I didn't expect to bite the bullet did while others are somehow STILL alive. The ending especially leaves it up the viewer to wait for more and it is said to be awhile before we get another issue.
While not the best volume it ended pretty damn great. A 4 out of 5.
April 26, 2022
‘’Everyone around you represents some aspect of yourself. When you stop seeing yourself in them, they disappear.
New people take their place not because the others left you, but because you left them.
You changed.’�
A lot more action packed than last volume, but I still feel like something missing, doesn't have the same spark as previous volumes do. Still had a lot of fun with it though, and my heart hurts that it's coming to an end!
New people take their place not because the others left you, but because you left them.
You changed.’�
A lot more action packed than last volume, but I still feel like something missing, doesn't have the same spark as previous volumes do. Still had a lot of fun with it though, and my heart hurts that it's coming to an end!
July 26, 2021
Bullet Review:
At volume 9, what new can I say about this series that I haven't already touched on? If you've gotten this far, you already know that most of the cast are an unstable group of very disturbed teenagers who act on emotions and with extreme violence, led by a protagonist who is very depressed. This series seems to get its kicks off on going to the places that most stories tip-toe around - the early issues of the goat *ahem*er, rape, underage drug and drinking, domestic violence, violence, bullying, racism...and so on and so forth.
I think my big problems with this series can be boiled into two points: 1) the first few issues of each trade paperback are incredibly slow and boring and 2) I'm not sure where Remender plans to go with the overall story (I think because he doesn't have an endgame planned?).
This trade really isn't about the overall school atmosphere at all - it's kinda one-off, a venture to a rich kid's parents cabin at Lake Tahoe where violence ensues. Some school politics are addressed, sure, but it's almost an accident, I feel.
Oh well, if you want death and violence, you got it aplenty here!
At volume 9, what new can I say about this series that I haven't already touched on? If you've gotten this far, you already know that most of the cast are an unstable group of very disturbed teenagers who act on emotions and with extreme violence, led by a protagonist who is very depressed. This series seems to get its kicks off on going to the places that most stories tip-toe around - the early issues of the goat *ahem*er, rape, underage drug and drinking, domestic violence, violence, bullying, racism...and so on and so forth.
I think my big problems with this series can be boiled into two points: 1) the first few issues of each trade paperback are incredibly slow and boring and 2) I'm not sure where Remender plans to go with the overall story (I think because he doesn't have an endgame planned?).
This trade really isn't about the overall school atmosphere at all - it's kinda one-off, a venture to a rich kid's parents cabin at Lake Tahoe where violence ensues. Some school politics are addressed, sure, but it's almost an accident, I feel.
Oh well, if you want death and violence, you got it aplenty here!
July 7, 2020
God, Marcus can't catch a break, can he? I knew as soon as he returned to Kings Dominion that things wouldn't go well, but I didn't expect them to explode in quite this spectacular a fashion.
Insanity of the highest order abounds as unfamiliar enemies rain down vengeance for past slights, while the personal lives of all the characters fall apart due to a combination of bad decisions, poor judgement, and the world being entirely out to get them.
Remender and Craig are at the top of their game.
Insanity of the highest order abounds as unfamiliar enemies rain down vengeance for past slights, while the personal lives of all the characters fall apart due to a combination of bad decisions, poor judgement, and the world being entirely out to get them.
Remender and Craig are at the top of their game.
February 9, 2021
Bullshit story, careening all over the place from teenage drama to death cults, without an actual story to tell.
September 10, 2020
Vapid, aimless teen angst and forced philosophicality. Main character Marcus is whiney and emo and performatively tormented at all times. He has no interesting skills and no likable qualities, not an appealing protagonist.
As in every other volume in this series, a large group of psychotic killers (this time some rando sex-and-death cult) attacks the class only to be mowed down by the dozen in unlikely fashion at the hands of a bunch of barely trained high schoolers. Remender wants so badly to be Garth Ennis.
Plot points:
As in every other volume in this series, a large group of psychotic killers (this time some rando sex-and-death cult) attacks the class only to be mowed down by the dozen in unlikely fashion at the hands of a bunch of barely trained high schoolers. Remender wants so badly to be Garth Ennis.
Plot points:
October 23, 2020
I feel like I'm Charlie Brown and Rick Remender is Lucy. I keep running back because there's just enough of an interesting story for me to want to know what happens, but ol' Rick keeps pulling the ball away. Marcus is still a self-absorbed whiny twat who, for all his philosophical masturbation, cannot actually grasp and retain and act on the the thought that he's pretty much the source of all his own misery. Others are loyal to him for no obvious reason, and he consistently fails to return that loyalty. All the characters I like are repeatedly shat on and now .
I am fortunate that my library system invests in graphic novels, so this only costs me time. I'd have stopped paying for this series ages ago. I think the only way I'll truly enjoy this story is if Saya finally just has enough of Marcus' bullshit and whacks him, and is then acknowledged as the chief badass we all know she is.
I am fortunate that my library system invests in graphic novels, so this only costs me time. I'd have stopped paying for this series ages ago. I think the only way I'll truly enjoy this story is if Saya finally just has enough of Marcus' bullshit and whacks him, and is then acknowledged as the chief badass we all know she is.
June 26, 2020
5⭐️
It’s like Rick Remender heard me sigh after volume 8 and delivered the best, most action packed volume since the first arc. Main characters are killed off, betrayals left and right. Crazy death cult on the loose. Freaking insanity.
It’s like Rick Remender heard me sigh after volume 8 and delivered the best, most action packed volume since the first arc. Main characters are killed off, betrayals left and right. Crazy death cult on the loose. Freaking insanity.
February 25, 2022
I own this book.
Volume 8 for me was a little more miss than hit for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect in this volume, but I was blown away. The school year is drawing to a close, exams are getting closer and closer but of course it can't just be a quiet celebration for the kids at Kings Dominion. Marcus and Maria are having relationship issues, Saya has returned to school and has been brought back in as Maria's pledge, Marcus attempts sobriety and everyone meets up at an isolated cabin for an end of year party. We see the return of Helmut, only this time, he isn't alone when he returns to seek his revenge for Petra's death, bringing with his Petra's death cult family who attempt to kill the teens. I really like how dark this series has remained throughout. None of the characters have any form of a redemption arc, instead just get worse and worse yet you kind of want the best for them at the same time. I want them to survive this series, but with the amount of characters who have been killed off already, I wonder who is going to make it further than volume 10.
Volume 8 for me was a little more miss than hit for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect in this volume, but I was blown away. The school year is drawing to a close, exams are getting closer and closer but of course it can't just be a quiet celebration for the kids at Kings Dominion. Marcus and Maria are having relationship issues, Saya has returned to school and has been brought back in as Maria's pledge, Marcus attempts sobriety and everyone meets up at an isolated cabin for an end of year party. We see the return of Helmut, only this time, he isn't alone when he returns to seek his revenge for Petra's death, bringing with his Petra's death cult family who attempt to kill the teens. I really like how dark this series has remained throughout. None of the characters have any form of a redemption arc, instead just get worse and worse yet you kind of want the best for them at the same time. I want them to survive this series, but with the amount of characters who have been killed off already, I wonder who is going to make it further than volume 10.
December 11, 2022
No czasem nie ogarnia ale buja. Ale to co Maria zrobiła zdziwiłam się i może być ciekawie co dalej
January 30, 2021
I have really liked this series, and I did like this volume, but something about it didn't quite lock in for me. Maybe the novelty of the concept is wearing off? Maybe it wasn't the right book for me right now? I'm not sure either of those explanations is the full answer. The climax felt over-the-top and not fully justified.
I just flipped back through and noticed details that I missed or forgot. And I realize the problem is that I usually read at night until I'm tired so I don't absorb everything... hmmm what to do about that...
But here's a new gripe: there's a moment where the creators make a big deal about a fortune that Marcus receives from a fortune telling machine at a fair. But it's never mentioned again. Is this just another detail I missed? I couldn't find it flipping through the book. Or is it going to come up in the next volume?
I just flipped back through and noticed details that I missed or forgot. And I realize the problem is that I usually read at night until I'm tired so I don't absorb everything... hmmm what to do about that...
But here's a new gripe: there's a moment where the creators make a big deal about a fortune that Marcus receives from a fortune telling machine at a fair. But it's never mentioned again. Is this just another detail I missed? I couldn't find it flipping through the book. Or is it going to come up in the next volume?
March 3, 2021
This is probably my favorite volume in the whole series. We’re still put through a lot of Marcus� whinny inner monologues but I feel like the other characters give us a lot of insight about him outside of said monologues.
This is the most exciting volume since “Die For Me� and it’s full of action and a lot of teen drama (which is a nice break from all the murder going on).
I’ve seen some theories about the ending, and I have to say that I’m not sure they’re correct about who the gun was turned towards but we’ll have to see in the next installment.
This is the most exciting volume since “Die For Me� and it’s full of action and a lot of teen drama (which is a nice break from all the murder going on).
I’ve seen some theories about the ending, and I have to say that I’m not sure they’re correct about who the gun was turned towards but we’ll have to see in the next installment.
December 31, 2020
Glad to get back to the meat of the story here and boy does this ever deliver. I've loved this series from the beginning and we get more of what has made it consistently great: betrayals, backstabbing, and more deaths than I can remember in one story arc, including some fairly major characters. The art continues to be topnotch.
August 19, 2020
Teen drama, beautiful art, and just absolute chaotic gore is so much my jam
November 5, 2022
Maria rozczarowałaś mnie kobieto...
November 26, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition collecting this volume) 3.5/5
I've really been enjoying this series, having consumed all three available library editions in the last month or so. And despite this being the weakest collection of the three, I still enjoyed spending time in this world with these characters. It's become quite clear Remender has a formula that he is repeating throughout this series. But hey, if it works, why not run with it. It's just that his formula is starting to wear ever so slightly thin here, with a protracted, somewhat boring opening, at least in my opinion anyway, taking a while to settle back into the ongoing deadly drama that initially hooked me into this series. That said, the good bits that make up the middle section of this book don't last anywhere near as long as they did on previous volumes. And it isn't so long before the final arc returns to the bland and uninspired action that is getting just a little bit stale. It doesn't help that it is probably the dumbest story arc of the entire series. Taking a character I rather liked and doing something wholly ridiculous and disappointing. That and Wes Craig's art seems noticeably weaker, sloppier here throughout the entire duration of these arcs. The art had absolutely been the highlight of this series for me, despite Remender turning in his best work I've read thus far, but this really looks like he was half assing it. Whether he was burnt out, or was busy working on other material with deadlines looming, I don't know. All I know is, this is some fairly sloppy and uninspired art, at least when compared to what came before.
All in all, still a solid enjoyable collection, but undoubtedly the weakest of the three. Hopefully everyone involved can find their mojo in time to end this series on a high, because if it all descends into a bland and disappointing affair, it would spoil one of the better indie series I've had the privilege of reading. Still worth a look though. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
I've really been enjoying this series, having consumed all three available library editions in the last month or so. And despite this being the weakest collection of the three, I still enjoyed spending time in this world with these characters. It's become quite clear Remender has a formula that he is repeating throughout this series. But hey, if it works, why not run with it. It's just that his formula is starting to wear ever so slightly thin here, with a protracted, somewhat boring opening, at least in my opinion anyway, taking a while to settle back into the ongoing deadly drama that initially hooked me into this series. That said, the good bits that make up the middle section of this book don't last anywhere near as long as they did on previous volumes. And it isn't so long before the final arc returns to the bland and uninspired action that is getting just a little bit stale. It doesn't help that it is probably the dumbest story arc of the entire series. Taking a character I rather liked and doing something wholly ridiculous and disappointing. That and Wes Craig's art seems noticeably weaker, sloppier here throughout the entire duration of these arcs. The art had absolutely been the highlight of this series for me, despite Remender turning in his best work I've read thus far, but this really looks like he was half assing it. Whether he was burnt out, or was busy working on other material with deadlines looming, I don't know. All I know is, this is some fairly sloppy and uninspired art, at least when compared to what came before.
All in all, still a solid enjoyable collection, but undoubtedly the weakest of the three. Hopefully everyone involved can find their mojo in time to end this series on a high, because if it all descends into a bland and disappointing affair, it would spoil one of the better indie series I've had the privilege of reading. Still worth a look though. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
July 18, 2020
Remender's still dishing out some character-driven drama, but it still shocks me how Craig's art and Boyd's coloring breathe life into this comic. Marcus can be an angsty drama queen at times, characters can make some frustrating decisions (that could easily be solved with communication), select actions are starting to not have real consequences, and some times I grow tired of writing choices for the sake of shock value, but dang, Craig has some insanely clever layouts and Boyd's coloring is so purposeful and stylistic.
May 21, 2020
These cliffhangers would work much better if the series had a regular publishing schedule. As is, it's pretty spotty even without corona disrupting stuff. Fingers crossed issue 45 comes out... I dunno, pre-September.
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July 7, 2020rabbim sabır ver
August 8, 2021
This series continues to chug along... There are some pretty good fight scenes and the emotions are done really well, but the characters are all pretty much ass holes sooooo it becomes less enjoyable. It's also been a while since I read the last volume, and I'll contribute some of the meh-ness to that as well.
As long as the library keeps getting them, I'll read it when I remember.
As long as the library keeps getting them, I'll read it when I remember.
September 6, 2021
Assassin school vs. Death Cult. Some brutal scenes.
January 8, 2023
Wow. What a cliffhanger. I’m bummed Viktor died before we got a decent Viktor/Stephen storyline. Remender sure has a talent for creating elaborate setups for the characters massacring each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 30, 2024OH MY F*$&ING GOD - perfection
January 3, 2025
Now what was that cliffhanger?!? I have to wait 2 days now to continue
February 4, 2025
Second year Marcus seems more secure now. More in control but feeling the rewards of his success in first year. I think he still has the tendency to be a bit of an asshole but I still like him.
July 6, 2020
Issue #40: 5 Stars!
Issue #42: 4.5 Stars!
Issue #43: 4.5 Stars!
Issue #44: 4 Stars
Issue #45: 5 Stairs!
Issue #42: 4.5 Stars!
Issue #43: 4.5 Stars!
Issue #44: 4 Stars
Issue #45: 5 Stairs!
August 2, 2022
Sick stuff. Runnin' out of characters to kill though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
As Rad as the rest of the volumes but for the first time since Volume 4 when a favorite of mine goes down, I found myself a little bummed about what happens to a few of the characters, or I guess the way they happen but I do like that anything can happen and almost no one is safe. I am curious to see how long this comic is going to run for, I imagine it will be another year before the next volume comes out and I am excited to see how the survivors of volume 9 handle the aftermath and what comes next. This comic still stands as a total favorite of mine but the bleakness and depression that lives in everything Marcus says and does is seeping through a bit more heavy at this point 9 volumes in.
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