Clearly my promise of a post yesterday was a damn dirty lie. I have no regrets.

Well… aside from not learning sooner that PS238 started updating as a webcomic.

I’ve always enjoyed the works of Aaron Williams – I’ve had a subscription to Dragon Magazine for over a decade, and truth be told, I only really get it for the comics, and Nodwick was right up there with Phil and Dixie as my favorite features. While I’m sad that the magazine is getting the axe (especially since these days it features exclusive strips from Order of the Stick), the blow was softened by how accessible most of those self-same comics are online.

I’ve strayed from the point of this post, however: PS238, one of my favorite print comics out there. Now being posted online! That is certifiably kick-ass news.

DC and Marvel’s superhero comics have come under a bit of criticism in recent years – much of it deserved. Their stories are generally punctuated with unnecessary death at every turn, and rather than being tales of triumph, are tales of defeat. They have some good titles among them, but many of their comics seem to have lost touch with what being a hero is all about.

PS238, on the other hand, gets it right. It is the story of Public School 238, a training facility for metapowered children. It manages to both indulge in cliché supervillains and supervillainry while also exploring dynamic and interesting story-arcs. The characters are all likeable, and unique even when clear parodies of existing heroes. The story is almost always lighthearded and fun, but that doesn’t stop it from having serious moments, thought-provoking storylines, and a great deal of underlying plot slowly building in the background.

And now you can start reading it for free. It doesn’t matter much to me directly – it is one of the few print comics I make sure to collect. But I like the fact it is now out there on the web to lure people in. It worked for Girl Genius, and I bet it will work for this.

So go ahead, check it out, and be assured that there is hope for superhero comics yet.