Writer: Aaron Williams
Artist: Aaron Williams
Publisher: Do Gooder Press
Aaron Williams keeps this series consistently great, mixing action and humor into one of the most pleasant reads I have each month. The best thing you can say about PS238 (or the worst, depending on your point of view) is that there are no huge surprises from issue to issue. Every installment contains what you would expect from Williams in respect to sly humor and thrilling action, so you never have the up-and-down effect that’s commonplace in today’s serial comic market. I started reading this comic about a year and a half ago, and now it has become one of my favorite subscription titles, even though it hardly receives any buzz. I have a theory on this lack of recognition, though. Aaron Williams is known mainly for his comic strips relating to the role playing game community, a fan-base that is very exclusive in this day and age (if you don’t count the video game RPG addicts). Nodwick and Full Frontal Nerdity contain some very obscure jokes and insider puns that you can only really appreciate if you’re moderately entrenched in the RPG world. Granted, both comics are good, but I have been out of Dungeons & Dragons for more than ten years, and a lot of the parody goes right over my head. Even if I was still playing, I think the jokes would have such an aura of corniness to totally turn me off. However, with PS238, Williams creates a series that accomplishes something remarkable in regards to super-hero comic books. With precocious children as the super-heroes in training, he manages to bring the idea of super powers down to earth, creating a funny and affecting look at what being a comic book icon is all about.
In this issue, Tyler Marlocke (aka Moon Shadow) and Miss Kyle (one of his teachers) are escaping from an alien spaceship after Tyler has been infected by some sort of alien virus that could bring the world to its knees. So, job number one for Miss Kyle and the other faculty at PS238 is to get Tyler into quarantine (or quarter-teen, as Tyler refers to it). As you can guess, this plan is easier said than done, as the alien invaders are keeping everyone busy, faculty and students alike. The pace is fast and furious in Issue #26, as is the blazing humor regular readers have come to expect.
I still get a kick every time I see the two resident villains of PS238, Zodon and Victor Von Fogg. Zodon is like a child equivalent of MODOK, without the incredibly bulbous head and generally gross appearance. What you initially find funny about him is his foul mouth which, through some clever programming, has been cleaned up to produce nonsensical words instead of profanity. For instance, in one scene he screams, “What the hula hoop are you doing?” Nice way for teachers to exploit some advanced technology! As for Von Fogg, you can probably figure out who he’s a parody of (if you can’t, you probably shouldn’t be reading this comic). Like Doom, he is all about ego and intellect. His featured scenes had me consistently laughing out loud. He gives a Doctor Doom-like televised message (with the words ‘Trial Version’ in the center), warning the students of PS238 to get away from the school as soon as possible. He ends by saying, “In closing, you will kneel before Von Fogg. That is all.” Talk about channeling Zod! Also, the rivalry between Zodon and Von Fogg is entertainment on par with anything else in this issue. Commenting about a gamma ray cannon that is about to be used on the alien menace, Von Fogg says, “It was built and powered by nanite solar collectors, wasn’t it?” When Zodon replies affirmatively, Von Fogg sniffs, “How primitive.” These kind of playful interactions, as well as the many parodies of super-heroes in this series (Dr. Strange, Impulse, and the Hulk are all played up in this issue) will keep any comic book fan in stitches throughout. In addition, you have the fast-paced action that keeps you glued to the pages until the very end, which ends in a cliffhanger sure to take Tyler into new territory. Yes, comic book entertainment doesn’t get much better than this!
There are two more points to complete my analysis of this excellent issue. One, Aaron Williams’ art continues to work impressively well, creating a maximum effect from what appears to be a simplistic style of artwork. I still think this series would benefit greatly from a color presentation, but I’m sure the budget is probably pretty tight. Speaking of which, my second point has to do with the value of each issue of PS238. Williams packs so much into a $2.99 comic (a 25-page feature, plus five extra strips) that it actually makes me angry at DC and Marvel for the amount of advertising they fill their issues with. PS238 is cover-to-cover enchantment that delivers each and every time I receive it, and creates a void in my reading activities when I finish an issue.
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