PS 238 #32 REVIEW

[Blake Petit]

Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Great
Title: Transfer Student

Captain Clarinet has found a new school.

Writer: Aaron Williams
Pencils: Aaron Williams
Cover Art: Aaron Williams
Publisher: Do-Gooder Press

Tyler, a.k.a. Moonshadow, has been taken to a strange place outside the universe to pass judgment and decide whether people should be allowed to continue having superpowers. In this capacity, he calls his classmate Ron – Captain Clarinet – to testify. He’s shocked to learn, though, that Ron has abandoned P.S. 238 to join the rival Praetorian Academy.

This issue gives us a much deeper look into Ron’s life. We’ve known for some time now that he blames himself for his parents’ divorce, but here we get a better grasp as to why he feels it’s his fault (beyond just the usual fact that kids almost always blame themselves in this case). We also see what led to him joining the Praetorian Academy, and we get a nice glimpse into the inner workings of the rival school.

Back at PS 238, Tyler’s duplicate learns that he’s been ousted from his position of class president due to the fact that he has no actual super-powers. While he isn’t particularly upset, his replacements may make things a little rough at school. Cecil meets with the “director” of the “Bureau of Alien Monitoring,” who gives him a new assignment, and the bizarre pairing of the Cherub and the Imp make a new wager.

This is the usual excellent issue of P.S. 238. Aside from the perfectly-crafted characters, here Williams gives us a good bit of backstory and character development here as well. He also gives us a nice segment at the end running down the major characters in the issue, who they are, and what their purpose in the tale is. With a cast as big as this one, that’s a nice bonus for potential new readers who may just be getting into the story.

Throw in a few Full Frontal Nerdity strips as a back-up, and we’ve got another great issue of P.S. 238. Go pick it up, guys. I’m not going to stop telling you until every one of you is buying this excellent comic.

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[tiggerbone]

PS 238 is easily my favorite book on the shelves these days. I loved how Williams managed to take a situation as complex as Tyler's and still make it even more convoluted with the addition of the Imp and the Cherub! Plus, add in a nice scene with Kent Allard, some references to one of my favorite bands, and a nod to my former place of employment, Los Alamos National Labs, and this issue was just chock full of fun!

[Blake Petit]

Man, what a relief. Sometimes I'm afraid I'm the only one reading this book.