Today, I will share my thoughts about The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, one of my favorite recent comics, whose first series just ended. 

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Main covers: Nick Robles
Story: James Tynion IV
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artists: Isaac Goodhart, Soo Lee, Naomi Franquiz
15 issues + 1 Halloween Special
Release date: June 2023 – January 2025

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos was created by James Tynion IV (one of my favorite writers, known for Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth), written by Tate Brombal (House of Slaughter, Behold, Behemoth, and more recently Batgirl), illustrated by Isaac Goodhart (who was the artist of the great Postal series) with awesome main covers by Nick Robles. And honestly, I’m not sure there’s a better team than these amazing people on any other series. 

I heard about The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos in June 2022, when James Tynion IV offered the first issue on his Substack. I was slightly obsessed from the start – and got even more excited when I saw that this would be published in a physical format one year later, by Dark Horse Comics. I was worried this would be a limited series, but we got 16 incredibles issues from June 2023 to January 2025, with apparently more to come in a sequel series! I have wanted to write my thoughts about this series for quite some time now, but it’s been difficult to put words on how amazing this comics is, and how it’s made me feel. But I will try because I want to leave a small mark in the world of this series, as it left a huge one in my heart.

Story & Thoughts

This series introduces us to Christopher Chaos, a teenage mad scientist who has always known he’s different. With a brilliant mind that allows him to do extraordinary things, Christopher’s powers have led to loneliness, fear, and deep personal struggles. But when he discovers a world of monsters, heroes, and a cult of hunters bent on destroying them, his life is about to change in ways he never imagined.

The first arc (issues #1–6) brings us into Christopher’s chaotic world, where he meets other outcasts and discovers that they, too, have been shaped by their powers and their differences. From the beginning, I really loved the relationship between Christopher and his friends, also “monsters”, and this is clearly the biggest strength of this series. Through these characters, the series explores themes of belonging, loneliness, and self-acceptance, universal struggles that make the supernatural elements feel grounded and relatable. 

We then had two extraordinary issues (#7-8), a very queer, unique and so powerful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This was a break in the Christopher Chaos story, which I was a bit worried about, as stepping back a little from the main story is not something that works all the time, but it was simply fantastic. It was in the same spirit as the previous arc, and it made a lot of sense.

In the next arc (issues #9-15), Christopher uncovers the history of Monsterkind and realizes that his experiences of being an outsider are not unique, and that he’s not alone in his struggle. Something we surely can all relate to on one level or another. He will learn to fight back, as he is not alone anymore, for himself, for his friends from their “monster club” that they want to expand, but also for every person like him that came before him (issue 14 for example was one of my favourite issues, about Clement, a witch boy, truly breathtaking).

And all these 15 issues, as well as the Halloween Special, are part of a truly high-quality comics series. The story is great, the character development is top-notch, the art is sensational and fits perfectly. Everything just makes sense.

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos was a comic that resonated deeply with me, not just for its creative premise but for the emotional journey it takes you on. The way it explores the relationships between Christopher and the people around him is what really made it special for me. Becoming an adult, trying to find yourself, wanting to fit in with the fear of being different – these are universal themes that hit the spot.

Seeing these characters navigate their own struggles with acceptance was both touching and inspiring. It’s rare to find a comic that mixes so much humor, heart, and horror atmosphere while tackling such universal, deeply human themes. Christopher’s journey to find himself, and the family he creates along the way, is something I won’t soon forget. It’s a series I would recommend it to everyone, and especially to my younger self, as I would have loved to read this during my teenage years. At the end of issue 15, we learn that a sequel is on the way, and I simply cannot wait for it!