I’m currently spending far too much time on X and through my scrolling I am taking great joy in finding new comic books to review for readers of Broken Frontier. As a fan of Michael and Laura Allred’s art in Marvel’s Silver Surfer, I closely follow their work and so as soon as their Magma Comix variant for The Pedestrian #1 was released, I knew it was a series I had to check out.
The first issue introduces readers to Summer City, a little town that young people are keen to leave. We meet a world of new characters including the titular Pedestrian! There is very little to be known about this new vigilante but a lot that I would like to find out. And so, I am delighted to have spoken to the creative team behind the book, writer Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman about their upcoming series!
BROKEN FRONTIER: So, I am a huge fan of superheroes! I grew up reading superhero comics, I love writing them and of course, they’re no stranger to the big screen. When so much has already been done, the Pedestrian is a total surprise! He is an original and unique character. Can you tell us how he, and the project, came to life?
SEAN VON GORMAN: I had been playing with a design and concept for a costumed hero called The Pedestrian. His look was inspired by the little walking man in the traffic light. I thought it would be fun to have a hero who power walks in real time with no powers other than walking REALLY well. Other than a few gags, I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so I reached out to Joey who I worked with on the “indie darling” Pawn Shop years ago. Joey’s always been able to write really great, rich characters and thought he would be the ideal choice to help fill this work and flesh out the concept.
JOEY ESPOSITO: Sean and I have been working together since 2012, so The Pedestrian is the direct result of over a decade of collaboration. When Sean showed me the design for The Pedestrian himself, it instantly spawned a million ideas.
For me, my mind went to my hometown and remembering a guy who was well-known for speed walking everywhere. I never knew his name, I don’t know that anyone I knew actually knew this person, but I’d see him everyday. That led me to reflect on growing up there; it was a major hub for General Electric, employing something like 13,000 of the 50,000 residents in town at one point. The kind of place where multiple generations worked there, starting in the first decade of the 20th century.
When they started shutting down those plants in the 80s, it really devastated the community. Not just the massive job losses, but they polluted one of our lakes so badly you can’t swim in it. When I was a teenager, they had to dig up the playground of one of the elementary schools because it was contaminated by the carcinogenic PCBs they’d been pouring into the ground for years. Lots of former employees have had to deal with cancer related to their exposure from working there.
So growing up in that landscape — where everyone around you is telling you that you can’t stay there, that it’s a black hole, that there’s nothing for you there — is a weird feeling, you know? It makes you feel like you’re living in a doomed town that you’re just waiting to escape from, and that impacts your outlook on future prospects, let alone your attachment to that place. So a lot of that wound up being poured into Summer City and the characters we follow in The Pedestrian.
BF: Your book has two great covers by you Sean and variants by Dean Haspiel and Michael Allred! How do you feel seeing these different artistic interpretations of your character?
VON GORMAN: I don’t think a comic character is really “REAL” until it starts being interpreted by other artists. Just imagine what Spider-Man would look like if only Ditko drew him? It’s been great seeing how he’s been interpreted by all the artists we have on the covers. We have some tremendous artists coming up like Mike McKone, Tess Fowler, Tony Gregori, and more!
ESPOSITO: As a comics writer, there is no greater moment than seeing your ideas and characters come to life in a way that is impossible to do on your own. It’s always a thrill, so to see that happen not only with Sean, but with artists we’ve adored forever, is truly a dream. I am so lucky and grateful to work with these incredible creators.
BF: If you were in danger, can you count on The Pedestrian to save you?
ESPOSITO: I would definitely rely on him to parse some of the more confusing street signs so I never get another parking ticket.
VON GORMAN: 100%! Where The Pedestrian saunters, there is safety. The thing about the Pedestrian is he will always try to do the right thing everytime. Like Superman, just without the powers. And how many times has someone saved you without having to beat up a bunch of people? I would hope most times.
BF: Why should readers take a chance on The Pedestrian #1? I found it when scrolling through X and I was immediately in when I saw the quirkiness of the character.
ESPOSITO: I hope that in addition to Sean’s obviously-stunning art, readers will identify with the larger themes we’re exploring inside the offbeat world that we’ve created. This is a passion project in the truest sense of the term, with everything we love about comics poured into it. I feel like all of the sacrifices we’ve made in the last 15 years to make comics was to eventually get to make this comic.
And to be preachy for a second, in a landscape where art is being devalued from every direction and creators are seen as grist for the content mill with corporations prioritizing their bottom line, or just trying to farm IP, or AI art phonies trying to convince the world that they have something to say, it’s more important than ever to support the original work of creators.
Whether that’s us with The Pedestrian or our talented friends in comics who are creating some truly rad pieces of work. Any creator-owned book that exists, exists by sheer force of willpower, commitment, and skill, so supporting it means the world to us.
VON GORMAN: Every single person who has read this book has fallen in love with the character and world we’re building. Without underselling this, The Pedestrian will take readers on an unexpected journey within themselves and make you reevaluate your palace in the world. Also, what is X? (I know – I still call it Twitter too! – Ellie/BF)
BF: What is the future of The Pedestrian?
ESPOSITO: In my heart of hearts, I hope that it’s a big one. We have so many ideas and plans that can only come to fruition if people buy the book. The more we work on The Pedestrian, the more we talk about it, the more ideas and interesting new directions we have. I am manifesting that The Pedestrian becomes an ongoing series so we can see our vision through, challenge ourselves, and see what kind of weird stuff we can come up with.
VON GORMAN: If we have the chance to go where we want to go, and tell the story we want to tell, this will be one of the weirdest, wildest payoffs we’ve seen in a comic in a generation. A metaphysical monster battle for the fate of the hearts and minds of all mankind. You can quote me!
BF: The Pedestrian #1 hits comic book stores shelves on Wednesday 7th August. Where can readers find you both online and also find your other comic book work?
ESPOSITO: You can find me on Twitter @joeyesposito and Instagram @_joeyesposito, which you should definitely do if you like cute pets and non-sequiturs about comics, toys, and video games. You can also find me on the web at joeyesposito.com, or sign up for my newsletter, SOMETHING GOOD TO DIE FOR, which is about the things that make life worthwhile, like good food, horror movies, and collecting stuff.
VON GORMAN: I’m on The Twitter & The Instagrams @VonGormanArt, and whatever new Social Media site starts up before this is published. FYI apparently CARA has nothing to do with comic artist Cara McGee. Also on my website seanvongormanart.com!
For more on The Pedestrian check out the Magma Comix site here.
Interview by Ellie Egleton
