Review – The Pedestrian #1 (Magma Comix)

August 12, 2024

2–3 minutes

Publisher: Magma Comix
Writer: Joey Esposito
Artist: Sean Von Gorman
Colours: Josh Jensen
Release Date: 7th August 2024

The Pedestrian, on sale now from Magma Comix, takes us to the sleepy streets of Summer City and introduces us to a strange, silent, speed-walking vigilante. Yeah, you heard me.

Magma have been putting out some brilliantly unconventional new comics over the last few months, and this new series from writer Joey Esposito and artist Sean Von Gorman looks set to continue that impressive trend. On the surface, Summer City is a fairly regular city, but like all regular cities, it has its problem with crime. And while Gotham City has Batman, Summer City has the Pedestrian, a fairly enigmatic character dressed in an all-white bodysuit who thwarts criminals and makes sure justice is served – all without saying a word, and all while ensuring he adheres to any traffic signals.

Okay, so there’s obviously a lot more of this story still waiting to be told than what we get in this first, but as an attention-grabbing hook, this first issue does exactly what it needs to do. Esposito adopts a slow-burning approach here, gradually introducing us to the world of the Pedestrian and presenting us with an ensemble cast of intriguing characters. There’s also something a little more sinister lurking in the shadows, and possibly a traffic light-themed nemesis for our titular hero, but we’re taking our time getting there, an approach I’m firmly in favour of.

Von Gorman does a solid job with the artwork, as anyone familiar with his impressive portfolio of work will have been expecting, letting us sink into the streets of Summer City gradually while juxtaposing its fairly regular-looking inhabitants with this absurd, speed-walking vigilante as he fwishfwishfwish’es his way from crime to crime. Given the fairly grounded nature of the story there isn’t too much in the way of grand superhero flair to this point, although the brief snapshot of the aforementioned nemesis is well delivered, with colourist Josh Jensen really helping that particular splash page to pop.

Honestly, I have no idea what I just read, but I know I want to read more. I’m all for comics that take established tropes and twist them into something fresh and new, and in that respect, The Pedestrian most definitely delivers. Next month can’t come quickly enough.

Rating: 3.5/5

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]