“Scott Pilgrim” is one of those things that I really should hate. It’s a comic book about video games, relationships, bad bands, and Canada. Gag. The art, upon first glance, looks bulky and vaguely anime. Sigh. The movie version of the series starred Michael Cera, an actor who oscillates from brilliant to dull. Can this get any more unappealing?
And yet, I am completely addicted to this series.
I started reading the Scott Pilgrim comics after seeing and loving the movie adaptation, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” last summer. The series, written and drawn by Bryan Lee O’Malley, is one of those rare gems in the world of comic books, an actually good series.
“Scott Pilgrim” tells the story of the titular character and how he falls in love with a girl named Ramona Flowers, but in order to date her, he must defeat her seven evil ex-es. The story isn’t all that great, but there is something about O’Malley’s style that is not only appealing, but brilliantly addictive.
I should note that this is a strange review because I’ve only read the first three volumes of the series, exactly half way, but already, this may be one of the best comics I’ve read in a long time.
O’Malley is able to make funny, surprising, and even heart-warming moments in the series with the simplest dialogue and art possible. The characters, who may appear one sided and flat at first, are expanded upon as the story goes on, delivering some truly original and well-thought out characters and relationships.
But perhaps the best thing about this series is its true sense of reality. Despite the fact that the characters fight as if they were in “Street Fighter” and may have psychic powers from being vegan or pull giant’s hammers out of their purses, the story is really set in reality. It’s a very clever way of presenting the true history of relationships, how, no matter where you go or who you run to or how you change your appearance, your past will never leave you.
The “Scott Pilgrim” comics may appear thin and trendy, but really, the story is there, and it’s damn good. If I can get through the series by the end of this quarter (I get my comics from the local library’s waiting list because I’m cheap) I’ll write a follow up. But even half-way through, this series is incredible, one of the most original comics to come out in years.