The old gang gets back together in Deadly Class #46, by writer Rick Remender, artist Wes Craig, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Rus Wooton. It’s felt like Deadly Class has been kind of circling for a while now, a book that started great but was treading water for a while. However, this issue is a beautiful return to form.

This issue starts with a time skip, much like the last, except now it’s 1997, and Marcus is meeting with Jayla, Tosawhi, Zenzele, and Helmut, who survived the cult attack. The whole issue has a less nihilistic tone than the last issue, which does wonders as Helmut tells Marcus how he survived with the Tosawhi and Zenzele, and Marcus talks the rest into helping him tie up some loose ends. The book flashes back to 1989 and the final day of the term at Kings’ Dominion, when the rat hunt is about to begin, something Marcus intervenes in. Back in the present, the gang burns down the cult base, and only one person escapes- Brandy. However, the gang isn’t done yet.

One of the things about Marcus in a lot of the book lately has been that he was the stereotypical pretentious kid. Sure, he had his reasons for being so damaged, but his bad attitude towards life brought things down when it comes down to it. Remender is very good at writing this type of character- Grant McKay from Black Science springs to mind, down to his musical taste- and it works for the story, but it can be a drag. However, this 1997 Marcus has grown up. He’s still the same person, but he’s not insufferable anymore. This being Deadly Class, there’s a musical discussion, this time about Jawbreaker, that plays into the whole story.

It’s also nice for Deadly Class that this issue isn’t a total bummer. It feels like things are on an uptick. For one thing, everyone seems mostly happy. People are missing, but it feels like the flashbacks are going to take care of that as it looked like in 1989, Marcus finally made his first move against Master Lin. All of the plots in this issue are exciting, and it definitely feels like a return to form for a series that has been very hit or miss for a long time.

Craig’s art is better than usual, but it’s still not at the level it once was. The problem seems to be his linework- at some points, it’s much too heavy, and it doesn’t help very much with his facial detail. Other times, it’s thinner and looks better, more like the way he drew when the book first started. The last page is great, a wonderful splash page of the gang as the embers fly into the sky around them, a fitting ending for an issue that felt like a fiery rebirth.

Deadly Class #46 is the best this book has been in ages. There are so many factors to it, but Remender, Craig, and Loughridge are firing on all cylinders, and this issue is even a marked improvement over the last, the beginning of the story arc. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but if this issue is any indication, it’ll be great.

Grade: A