Magma Comix’s excellent The Pedestrian finishes its first arc with The Pedestrian #4. And if you haven’t been reading this weird, wildly, deeply emotional series: run, don’t walk to your comic book store to pick it up (but look both ways while you cross the street).
In the series, we’ve met the mysterious Pedestrian, a “superhero” whose power seems to be to safely cross the street. However, he is battling a creature who does seem to have actual powers: Klutch, aka the “stop hand” from the cross sign. While the setup is strange, and writer Joey Esposito leans into that tone — ably assisted by Sean Von Gorman’s eerie designs — the emotional underpinnings are far more powerful and fascinating.
Particularly in the final issue, a lot of it seems to be about regular people banding together to fight the overwhelming forces of society that are telling you to stop. Obey. Don’t move forward and embrace progress in any way. While this series has been ongoing for four months at this point, that sort of idea seems far more pressing and immediate now, after the events of this past week in particular.
It’s also, don’t get me wrong, very darkly comic and delightfully fun. While previous issues have leaned into the incongruous comedy premise of a hero who mainly just walks around town, this issue blows out the superhero shenanigans — and the overall mythology of The Pedestrian in a big way. Things wrap up nicely here in issue #4 while setting up even bigger things for the next arc of the series.
That’s a tough balance to hit… Comedy, social commentary, superhero action, and also some deeply felt character dynamics. And The Pedestrian nails them all. So when you see it at your local comic book store, slow down, stop, and then go to the register to buy this book.
The Pedestrian #4 hits stores on November 20, 2024.
The Pedestrian #4 Rating:
The Pedestrian #4 Official Synopsis:
A city on the brink of succumbing to the insidious forces of the Klutch! A hushed hero standing tall in the face of evil! Regular people drawn together by a desire to help each other and their town! Is this the beginning of the end… or just the end of the beginning?! Don’t miss the exciting conclusion of the Pedestrian’s first adventure!
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