High school student Christopher Chaos is either extraordinary or insane. Maybe both—and the truth is, even he isn’t sure which. All he wants to be, though, is normal. Not easy when your brain has a million different worlds in it, all clamoring to come out, and particularly difficult when a good many of those worlds end in new and innovative kinds of destruction.
It’s not easy to make friends under those circumstances. It’s not easy to connect with anyone when at any moment, the madness could come bubbling up from that place, deep down, where he tries to keep it buried. Then one day, something happens that shows Christopher that maybe he’s not the only one with deeply not-normal things below the surface—and suddenly, life is more terrifying and confusing than ever.
I’m really liking the world created by this comic. It’s a world of dark and terrifying possibilities, where anything can happen—but maybe it shouldn’t. Which is not to say it’s scary. It’s more along the lines of existential dread, deftly balanced with dark and sometimes absurdist humor.
That balance is driven largely by our main character, Christopher Chaos. We see the story through his eyes, and he’s never quite sure if he’s going insane, or if it’s the world that’s insane and he’s the only one who sees it. Still, Christopher’s problems may be Frankenstein-esque in nature, but at their core, they’re very relatable: isolation, the urge to fit in, the fear that you never will… and that part of you, deep down, that you know no one will ever truly understand.
I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here. I don’t want to give too much away, but just in the first issue, it already starts to explore a number of different sci-fi and supernatural horror elements. I can only imagine what more fun is in store in future issues. If you’re into mad science, supernatural horror, and just a bit of silliness, you’ll want to check out The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos.
Creative Team: Tate Brombal (script), Isaac Goodhart (art), Miquel Muerto (colors), Aditya Bidikar (letters), James Tynion IV (idea)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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