PS238

I want to like comics.

I really do.  As a medium, the form is fantastic.  All the power of a Hollywood blockbuster movie with the special effects costs of radio.  Plus, what other medium predicted both spandex and international terrorism?

I grew up on my uncle's cast off Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig comics, not to mention the movie spoofs and truly weird Don Martin comics in his Mad Magazines.

When I hit college, the world was being turned upside down by the likes of Frank Miller and Grant Morrison, Alan Moore and this new gothy-sort named Neil Gaiman.

Yes, I'm old.  Can we move on now?

The problem is that most comics are so poorly written, especially the dialogue I just can't deal.  I keep trying, but I end in failure and frustration.

That makes finding something like PS238 that much sweeter.

I'd known about this particular webcomic for awhile, but I've only recently had a chance to really sit down with it.  I have two words: it's fabulous.

The basic premise is that PS238 is a public school for "metaprodigies," that is, they have superpowers.  Some have super-powered parents, some don't, some have sort of…showed up from other planets or dimension.  One boy, Tyler, has a pair of super-parents, but no powers of his own.

There's nothing about this comic I don't love.  From the portrayal of the teachers and staff, to the characters of the meta-prodigy children, to the plotting, to the humor (the rivalry between the two supervillain kids is particularly hysterical).  The art may be somewhat of a weakness, especially in some of the early issues, but creator Aaron Williams gets mega-major-massive bonus points from me for portraying competent women and girls of all ages and body-types, a genuine rarity in the world of comics.  The plots and dialogue are really well-thought-out and continually entertaining, and he's surprised me several times and given me some genuine "how are they getting out of this?" moments.

So far, we've only bought the first three compilations.  The rest are most definitely on their way.