Thursday, September 25, 2003

PS238 #3 - A Review

Written by: Aaron Williams
Penciled by: Aaron Williams
Inked by: Aaron Williams
Colored by: N/A
Lettered by: Aaron Williams
Editor: Aaron Williams
Publisher: Dorkstorm Press

It’s not easy being the new kid in school. Feeling that you are totally different from everyone around you is the second-worst feeling in the world. Of course, the worst feeling is KNOWING for a certainty that you are different from everybody else around you. Throw in a pair of exceptional parents who are unwilling to accept you for what you are and are trying to force you into a role you are totally unprepared to take, and you have a pretty bleak existence.

It’s a situation that many of us have found ourselves in, one way or the other. We are totally out of our depths, unable to get any help or support and we begin to count our days in terms of survival and not enjoyment. Funny how this perfect portrait of the doldrums of depression should come from a funny book.

Tyler Marlocke is the newest student at PS238- the government’s secret school for super-powered children. His parents are two of the most powerful super-beings on the planet and have just made a gift of a new teleportation beacon for the school. The only problem is that Tyler doesn’t have any superpowers. Not a one. Of course his parents are certain that “the universe is biding it’s time, awaiting a crucial moment” for his powers to manifest, but Tyler’s teachers are not too sure.

The book is filled with slapstick comedy as Tyler tries desperately to survive gym class (quite a feat when your classmates can throw a dodge-ball faster than a speeding bullet) and then visiting the school nurse, where he tells him “I should let you know, I’m going to be here a lot.” He also has run ins with two would-be world conquerors (who are taking applications for evil minions the way most students would conduct an election for class president) and a nosy normal student who has clued into the fact that there is something “not right” about some of the students around him.

Aaron Williams is a greatly unappreciated double threat, who handles the writing and the art chores on this book with ease. He has a clean, cartoony style that manages the neat trick of showing characters simply, but still making each individual distinct and easily identifiable. He even manages to pull off drawing a certain distinct guest hero from another universe (who I won’t name as to maintain some surprise) and make him look like he belongs in this universe while still maintaining his unique look. And I would be remiss in not mentioning that this comic also comes with an official minion application form for aspiring Lords of Darkness everywhere. (Hope you got that, Daron!)

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