Comic Info
Comic Name: Scott Pilgrim
Publisher: Oni Press
Writer: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Artist: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Release Date: 2005
Color edition
Scott Pilgrim has it rough. Not only is faced with the Evil Exes of his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers, but he’s also having to deal with his younger girlfriend Knives Chau who he’s ending things with and has vowed revenge on Ramona. Plus, Scott has his own evil ex to deal with when his ex-girlfriend Envy Adams when her successful band Clash at Demonhead come to town. Scott and Ramona are about to learn that they have more in common than just each other.
Written and illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the follow-up to Scott Pilgrim 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life. The book was nominated for an Eisner Award for O’Malley for Best Writer/Artist–Humor. The book was re-released in color in 2012 and was part of the source material for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World which was released in 2010.
Scott Pilgrim is a fun little series. A mash-up of manga and popular video game seems like the perfect combo and O’Malley presents it perfectly. The only problem with the series is that with a stylized version and story, the target range is very narrow.
Poor Knives….
I get a majority of the references in Scott Pilgrim. I however find Scott Pilgrim kind of a waste since he is such a slacker and often just not a good guy. If I was Scott Pilgrim’s age when I read Scott Pilgrim, I might have found him cooler…but as someone older looking back on a slacker like Scott, I don’t think I would like him now. This is unfortunate because I don’t think someone who is Scott Pilgrim’s age would appreciate Scott Pilgrim and the references O’Malley weaves into the story. A modern reader isn’t going to get a whole bunch of jokes about 8-Bit games.
I do feel that the second volume of Scott Pilgrim does show an improvement over Scott Pilgrim 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life. Both the art and storytelling is more concise and compelling. It helps to have a better handle on the character and by this volume, you don’t need as many introduction. The volume also starts going more into flashbacks which gives the characters more depth and explains their relationships to each other.
Scott Pilgrim has to hit you just right. As of Scott Pilgrim 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it is right on target with me, but I worry that I’m already growing a bit wear on Scott’s battle with daily life. Though the black-and-white edition is closer to classic manga, try to read the color edition that really pops. Scott Pilgrim 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is followed by Scott Pilgrim 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness.
Related Links:
Scott Pilgrim 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Scott Pilgrim 3: Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness
