Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Review

What? A movie review on the day it's released? And I still haven't reviewed Inception despite seeing it last month? Well, it's here! Edgar Wright's adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's six-part comic book series, Scott Pilgrim, is finally here! Does film live up to all the hype and comic fans' expectations? Or is this just another comic franchise that should have been left on the pages?

If you don't know by now (then you obviously don't visit often) the story of Scott Pilgrim follows the titular "hero" who recently starts dating a 17 year old girl, Knives Chau, too get over his previous break up but is soon taken back by a new girl in town that visits him in his dreams, Ramona Flowers. But there's one hitch to dating Ramona, in order to stay with her, Scott must defeat her Seven Evil Exes, or DIE!

Generally the film sticks to the story of the six books (despite the finale book, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, not being written prior to filming) however, because it's an adaptation of six comics in one film (and not one movie per book like some other film franchises) there's obviously a lot of edits done to the story. For one, the story doesn't span years like in the books (no birthday for Scott), characters like Lisa Miller or anyone over the age of 30 are completely absent from the film, and some of the Evil Ex battles are altered from their original forms. And what was cool, but only used twice, was for flash-backs, instead of using younger actors to portray the characters, actual scenes from the book were used, with O'Malley's drawings applied to animation which was cool, and some of his art work appears elsewhere in the film as well.

But it's not just seeing O'Malley's drawings on screen that makes this feel like Scott Pilgrim, but all the little visual cues are there as well; like the black dialogue boxes with character commentary, or visual sound effects that are ripped right from the books themselves. Aside from adapting Bryan Lee O'Malley's work and style though, is the other major element of the film, Edgar Wright. Despite the lack of any Brits in the film (though I hoped Pegg and Frost would cameo as the Vegan Police; there's another cameo instead, a surprising one actually...) and the lack of excessive blood, which was a staple to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World still feels very much like an Edgar Wright film, which is a good thing. Heck, if it wasn't for the need to move on from conversation scenes and into effects heavy action, I'd say this wasn't too far off from Spaced.

The other thing was character portrayal. Going into this, I was really unsure if Michael Cera could actually pull off not being Michael Cera, but having seen the film now I'm actually pretty pleased with his 'performance'. He really gets to step out of his shoes during the numerous fight scenes in the film, but there are parts where he just gets to be himself, which is unfortunate. Kieran Culkin definitely steals the show as Wallace Wells, and I really enjoyed Alison Pill as Kim Pine, but she doesn't get the same focus like she does in the books which gave me the sadface. But it wasn't all great, despite Mary Elizabeth Winstead being quite appealing to the eyes, her performance as Ramona was really under-developed and the character just came across as really dry and unlikeable, which isn't like the comics at all.

As for the rest, most of the Evil Exes were great, especially Chris Evans and Brandon Routh (Captain America vs. Superman OMFG!!!), but I could do without Jason Schwartzman as Gideon. Hell, to be honest, the whole ending with Gideon was pretty weak when compared to the comic's ending, and I wasn't even too big on that when I first read it.

Overall, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a good film, and it's one of the first films outside of video game adaptations that really speaks to the people that grew up with games, but also gets a few other pop-culture references in there. As a fan of the books however, I have to say that I like them better, because I already have a preconception of what's going to happen and a deeper feeling for the characters that I just didn't get out of the film's two-hours. So having said that, it's hard to say what non-fans will get out of this film, but if you're a gamer, a fan of music [the soundtrack is awesome], or humor, or Edgar Wright, I suggest you give this film a watch. And if you even semi-like what you see, pick up the books and get a better experience afterwards.

Overall Score: 8.8/10

Craving more? Check out my reviews of the Scott Pilgrim books by Oni Press: Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6! [Contains spoilers!]

I will also be reviewing the recently released video game at some point this week as well!

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour Review

A week or two late, but I'll blame that on Amazon's shipping, non-existent e-mail replies, and my day job... Anyways! It's finally here, the sixth and final issue of Bryan Lee O'Malley's beloved (and somewhat over-hyped, just saying) comic series, Scott Pilgrim. What will become of your favorite characters? Will Scott defeat the last evil ex? WILL I WRITE SPOILERS?! NO! ... continuing...

Story
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour takes more or less directly after the events of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe, with Ramona mysteriously vanished, Scott in his new apartment, and Kim Pine away with her parents; oh, and the last evil ex, Gideon Gordon Graves, constantly stalking Scott both consciously and subconsciously. But despite all this, Scott insists on waiting in his bed/couch, and playing on his PSPgo (gross). Eventually he must learn to man up, confront his demons, and find the girl he loves, and so on.

All in all the story work well and sums up all the characters quite well as there's pretty much a clear explanation as to what everyone ends up doing with their lives, it's not open ended like Lost or anything. However, I will say that the pacing was a bit off. It felt like nothing was really happening in the first few chapters, just meeting up with characters in an uninteresting fashion, and the just suddenly breaking out into all out action come the end. To be honest, the pacing was almost like the first book, and you'd think something like that would be adjusted after six years.

Writing
After re-reading my past reviews, and looking back, sometimes I wonder what the hell I was talking about. In this case, I find that O'Malley's writing really hasn't changed all that much from book to book. Sure there's humor, generally nerdy, hipstery, gamer based humor, and most of the time it's relatable and funny, but on its own the wriing doesn't really shock and awe, and the ending is very predictable.

Having said that however, I still enjoyed reading this book, and being the longest issue of the series, I'll admit there were moments where I wished it just would end; to the point that I'd just re-read pages to prolong the whole experience. I look forward to whatever Bryan Lee O'Malley does next, but I just hope it's once again not more of the same.

Arwtork
However, unlike the writing, O'Malley's artwork has changed significantly since the series started. Generally, most comic artists are working of monthly series so they're constantly developing their style, to the point where you probably don't even notice. With a once a year series like Scott Pilgrim though, the change from year to year is drastic. It wasn't as noticeable in the first three issue, but by this sixth volume, some of the characters look completely different.

And while I fell in love with the original character designs, I've grown to like these newer, over-simplified designs, as well as the more apparent use of half-tones, despite being a bit iffy on the designs when O'Malley revealed the first preview images from the book. Plus, I can actually tell Scott and Young Neil apart now!

Overall
With a movie releasing this week and a game releasing... well, yesterday to be exact, it's clear that Scott Pilgrim has definitely become a mainstream icon that goes beyond the indie comic series that used to be loved by only a few. But, when it's all said and done, this book was made for the people that cared for the series before all that, and I think the story and characters have gotten the send off they deserve. What becomes of the franchise now is anyone's guess, because there's definitely going to be a division of those that fell in love with the books, those that only know it as a film, and even a select few that only know the game. However, at this point, the proof is in the print, and reading Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour is truly the ultimate experience, even if there are some hitches.

Overall Score: 9.3/10

Forgot what happened? Check out my reviews for Scott Pilgrim volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com

New Scott Pilgrim Trailer!

Thanks to getting 100,000 fans on Facebook, Universal Pictures has released a new trailer for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and it looks even better than the first!



I love how the comic book effects seem to fit in so well despite being somewhat unconventional. It's good to see that Wright really wanted to make this look and feel like the books. August 13th can't come soon enough!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World TRAILER!!!

Forget posters and final books, the TRAILER for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is here!! (But not embeddable or in HD because Universal and/or Apple is being stingy):

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World TRAILER

Despite Michael Cera being Michael Cera, I have to say the film looks pretty good and very much how I'd of pictured it to translate to film. What I like even more is that despite the lack of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (and really, where would they fit in this movie?) it still looks very much like an Edgar Wright film, just with a lot more special effects.

August 13th can't come soon enough!

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour coming July 20th

Yes!! Just after the recent movie poster reveal, we get some solid information on the sixth and final book in the Scott Pilgrim series, now titled Scott Pilgrim's Final Hour:

According to the press release from Oni Press, "Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, is published by Oni Press and features 248 pages of evil-ex butt-kicking in the easily digestible digest format for the low, low price of $11.99. Available at your local comic shop or bookstore Tuesday, July 20th, 2010."

Sounds good to me! That's just a month before the movie release too! Let's compare, shall we?

It's actually pretty interesting to see how the design of the series has changed over the course of six years. Especially since there's stuff I found really appealing in the first book that has greatly simplified when compare to O'Malley's recent work. And yet, there's parts to the new stuff I like as well. Anyways, hope that holds you over until July, because I know I'll be getting this day one!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World teaser poster

Well, FINALLY! Here's the first teaser poster for Edgar Wright's movie version of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim books:

And here's a similar looking scan from the first book, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life:

Pretty close, considering. But I'm still unsure about Michael Cera being Scott though. I never really imagined him to be that guy I've seen in 15 other movies being all quiet and but occasionally angry because everyone takes advantage of him being that quiet guy you've seen before.

Regardless, I look forward to the film's August 13th release date, if only because it's an Edgar Wright film, and not just because I'm a fan of the source material.

Scott Pilgrim - Full Color Odds & Ends 2008 review

Let's face it, I'm a pretty big fan and/or supporter of Scott Pilgrim and its creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley. So imagine my excitement when I saw that Scott Pilgrim - Full Color Odds & Ends 2008 was actually available for purchase on Oni Press' online shop (the book, and Scott Pilgrim shirts for that matter, are rarely in stock).

Although the book is the size of a standard single issue comic-book (instead of the series' usual manga size), and is made up of mostly comics, at heart Odds & Ends is really an art book. The issue, which was released in 2008 collects assorted Scott Pilgrim short stories from 2006-07 which are not in the actual books. These include Free Scott Pilgrim (but now in glorious full color), a four page Wonderful World of Kim Pine color comic, as well as a couple of comic strips (both color and black and white).

The book also includes some sketch and marker pieces from Bryan Lee O'Malley, book advertisements (including this awesome one that spoofs the Super Mario Bros. 3 artwork), and neat, Katamari homage done by Dean Trippe and Jemma Salume which graces the back cover.

Writing
What's to say here? The thing with most of the book, is that it's all already available online, and legally. So, when I got the book, at least when it came to the comics part of it, it was all stuff I had previously read. However, already being a fan of O'Malley's characters and writing, I can tell you that the shorts you find in Odds & Ends are just as enjoyable as what you get in the books... just abridged.

Artwork
The the first I did when I got the book was open up the original, black and white, Free Scott Pilgrim and compared it to Odds & Ends' new full color version, made possible by Dean Trippe. The difference is pretty awesome, as Trippe added a lot of light and shade to characters and it just makes them pop so much more. Also, in the original some backgrounds were just photograph to due time constraints, but with this collection they're all drawn now, which was a nice change.

As for the other new work, being the pencil and marker pin-ups, they're really nice pieces. Because the books are primary two-tone black and white, it's a nice chance to see how O'Malley handles other traditional mediums and the use of color on his characters.

Overall
All in all, Odds & Ends 2008 is certainly a nice collection of Bryan Lee O'Malley's work. However, it's probably hard to convince a casual fan of the series to spend $5 plus shipping on a 32-page book of work they can mostly already find online legally and free. Personally, since I happen to like the series and the artwork a lot, Odds & Ends makes a nice collector's item and I'm glad I bought it. But really, it's a book for the fans, and no one else.

Overall Score: 8/10

You can only buy Scott Pilgrim - Full Color Odds & Ends 2008 from Oni Press' online shop.

Nintendo Download - 9/14/09

Nintendo DSiWare
Art Academy: First Semester 800 Nintendo DSi Points (Nintendo, Players: 1, E)

Oscar in Toyland 800 Nintendo DSi Points (Virtual Playground, Players: 1, E)

WiiWare
Texas Hold’Em Poker 600 Wii Points (Gameloft, Players: 1-6, T)

Spaceball: Revolution 800 Wii Points (Virtual Toys, Players: 1-2, E)

Mart Racer 800 Wii Points (JoJu Games, Players: 1-4, E)

Virtual Console
Crash ‘N The Boys Street Challenge 500 Wii Points (NES, Aksys Games, Players: 1-2, E)

It was pretty amusing to see Crash ‘N The Boys on the release list today, as some of you may know, it was the inspiration for the fake band in Scott Pilgrim, Crash and the Boys (though by Volume 3, they rename themselves as The Boys And Crash). Well... I thought it was amusing at least.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe review

After four great books it's finally come to this... oh, no this isn't the last book though. However, as of writing this, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe is the latest book to be published, as it originally released back in February of this year (making this the first Scott Pilgrim review that's reasonably on time!).


Story
Like Volume Four, Vs. The Universe takes place after an undisclosed amount of time from the previous book. The story begins with Scott's 24th birthday, and then skips ahead to a party at Julie's new place, where we finally meet "The Twins" (who were hinted about in volume four), a.k.a. the fifth and sixth members of Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends. However, this book isn't really about fighting this time around, as it focuses on Scott and Ramona's deteriorating relationship, and a more than dysfunctional Sex Bob-Omb.

Vs. The Universe's story is definitely a step in a new direction for the series, at least it feels like a departure from the action/comedy/romance that the first four issue were. I made a mention last time that drama had been brought into the series, but this time around the concept become more flesh out and is the focus of the book.

Writing
As said above, this fifth book doesn't feature as much of the action and comedy that made the Scott Pilgrim series so appealing in the first place. Instead, it focuses on a struggling relationship between Scott and Ramona, as well how their turmoil seems to be rubbing off on everyone else; I got into the series because it was fun, not because I wanted to feel bad.

That's not to say I hated it, as despite the new direction, the characters still feel just as real, and real people have many emotions. And yes, despite all the drama, there's still some comedy and action to be had, though it just won't seem as abundant.

Artwork
Yet again, when the same guy [Bryan Lee O'Malley] is making a series, this department doesn't seem to change much. But that's not to say there is zero change, after the course of five books, there's a definite appearance change to many of the characters, whether it from stress, or just a sense of style, characters continue to develop and yet still stay as their simple selves.

Also, maybe I it's just me, but a lot of the artwork doesn't seem to go to the end of the page like it used to, instead most have a centimeter white border around them, and I can't say I liked that. The end of the book this time around has a "making of" process by O'Malley, which I actually found pretty interesting as I personally have dabbled in the process of creating a professional style comic book...

Overall
All in all, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe is yet another fine addition to the series, even despite its lack of comedy and action in favor of a more dramatic storyline and writing style. It represents that even as these characters grow, so does the writing, and Vs. The Universe, despite all this, continues to do what the books prior have done: leaving you begging for more. While there's no set release for the sixth and final book, I can at least say I'll be happily (and anxiously) awaiting the day it arrives!

Overall Score: 9/10

Forgot what happened? Check out my reviews for Scott Pilgrim volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4!

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together review

Scott Pilgrim returns for his fourth book, but unlike the previous three books, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together doesn't continue right after the events of the previous book, there's a month or so gap. However there's a short story called Free Scott Pilgrim which takes place between volumes three and four; details below. This forth volume, published by Oni Press, was originally released in 2007 (see, I'm catching up).

Note: For Scott Pilgrim completists, Free Scott Pilgrim can be downloaded from OniPress.com [this is a direct link to a .cbr file] or you can browse it page by page via the ScottPilgrim.com Previews section. It's not required reading, just something fun if you crave more of the series. Oh, and yes it's free, legally.

Story
As said above, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together doesn't continue right after The Infinite Sadness, instead giving the characters a chance to grow a little off page. None the less, the focus of this book is back on Scott Pilgrim himself, which was something the previous book didn't do and I had a few words regarding that. Scott's old friend and former bandmate, Lisa (introduced in the beginning of volume 2, in the opening with 16 year old Scott), is back in town and is trying to catch up with Scott. However, Ramona seems to get the feeling that there's more between them than just being friends and it causes that typical drama.

Overall, the story is a good one, and focus being on Scott again made this book feel a lot more enjoyable than last time, and there's much more character development this time around than ther has been in the three previous books. Not to mention, Gets It Together is the longest book in the series so far, so that makes it more to enjoy.

Writing
While this is volume contains the most drama from the series so far, I have to say it's all been the one that's made me laugh the most, most due to Bryan Lee O'Malley's amusing artwork paired with hilariously subtle one-liners. There's just something about Scott's awkwardness that make him a very appealing character, and one that becomes even more believable as the series goes on.

As usual, there's a lot more gaming references this time around, but no so much as specific references, but more so in terms of gaming in general. Many times through out the book meters will appear over Scott, whether it be hunger, money, and yes, even pee. Not to mention, Scott gains a lot of EXP this time around, and even levels up! (I hope that's not a spoiler...)

Artwork
I was actually pleasantly surprised when I opened up this volume, as it includes the first major change to the series since it's started. I'm talking about color, something notably absent from the manga-inspired series (other than the cover art of course). Sure, the color section only lasts for the first chapter of the book, but it was a welcome addition and I found it interesting to see how O'Malley's traditionally black and white characters translated onto full color pages.

As for the rest of the book, it's back to the Scott Pilgrim you've been used to. I noticed a lot more solid black throughout the book, but that's more so because there's a focus on Scott's dreams and entering subspace; otherwise there's nothing majorly different from what you've been used to. As with the last volume though, there's once again guest art at the end of the book, but nothing I found to be overly appealing. The back cover however features a pixel art scene of the cast outside of Sneaky Dee's and I thought that was pretty cool.

Overall
Despite bringing drama into the series, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together is definitely my favorite book of the series so far. After the mild disappointment that was The Infinite Sadness, I was very pleased to not only have the story focus on my favorite characters, but also have them develop a lot for the first time since the first book. And while O'Malley's great artwork hasn't changed much this time around, the inclusion of a color chapter was nice to see, and is something I'd like included in the next installments.

Overall Score: 9.4/10

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com

Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness review

Having purchased the series all at once, its only fitting that I've reached the third book of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series already; Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness, which continues right after Volume 2, was originally published by Oni Press back in 2006. And typing these dates makes me regret not getting into the series sooner...

Story
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness continues with the The Clash at Demonhead (another video game reference, look it up) concert from the end of Vs. The World, with Scott still unsettled by the sight of ex-girlfriend and the band's lead singer, Envy Adams, and at the same time is ready to fight with the band's bassit and one of Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends, Todd Ingram.

What makes this book feel different from the previous is definitely the story, as most of the book is focused on the three members of The Clash at Demonhead more so than the familiar Scott Pilgrim cast. Of course the members of the band have strong influences on our regulars, what with Envy being Scott's former love, Ramona and everyone else hating Envy, and Todd having to fight Scott; but none the less, the inclusion of new faces and the focus being on them made this book feel a bit more fresh.

Writing
As with before, the writing of Scott Pilgrim continues to be amusing, relatable, and full of music and game references. The title alone is a reference to the Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; and Scott even wears one of Billy Corgan's 'ZERO' shirts. As stated before though with the story, this third book is more so about the members of The Clash at Demonhead more so than the characters we've come to know already. Not that it's bad, as it overall feels somewhat fresh, but these characters are just very one sided and don't seem as interesting as everyone else.

There's also a bigger focus on humor this time around, more so absurd and/or spur of the moment sort of stuff. Many a time things will come out of no where, or end abruptly. But there's a lot of interestingly amusing things, like Todd Ingram's psychic abilities, gained by becoming a vegan. Or Ramona being able to whip out a giant hammer (+2 against girls) from her small handbag in what is really the first Ramona-centric scene in these first three books. It's more or less from out of no where, but if the ending of the first thing was anything to go by, I should expect it by now.

Artwork
With a series like this, constantly illustrated by the same person, it's really difficult to constantly re-analyze the style. However, much like the step from the volume one to volume two, the artwork this time around becomes more complex and if there's anything I noticed it was a focus on light and shade, as well as the use of gradient shading something not often seen in black and white publications.

Though I did have one gripe about the artwork this time. I'm not sure if it was due to time constraints or what, but there's a select few scenes that use blurry photographs in place of drawings. It's really only few a few backgrounds, but they really stood out to me, in a bad way, and I think that really retracted from the book's nice style. Also, the end of the book contains some extra guest art, but I can't say I dug any of them over O'Malley's style for these characters.

Overall
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness is a great continuation of the currently enthralling storyline, but there's just something about it that really didn't click with me like the first two books. It's still good, there's no denying that, but I think that while the introduction to new relationships between new characters is interesting, there seems to be too much going on at once and it makes it a little harder to follow than I would have liked. Like it or not, it's still a good book, and you'll need to read it if you want to get to volume four anyways.

Overall Score: 8.8/10

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World review

Following the success of the first book, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World continues the story of Bryan Lee O'Malley's titular character and his quest to defeat Ramona V. Flowers' evil ex-boyfriends. This second volume of Scott Pilgrim is published by Oni Press and originally released in 2005.


Story
My biggest gripe with the first book was that the back cover description was very misleading in that it said the book was about Scott Pilgrim fighting off Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends, when in fact that entire premise doesn't even appear until the final pages of the book. Thankfully, with this second volume, that actually is the overbearing story this time around, so you no longer feel as mislead as you may have been.

But while the bulk of the book is about Scott's relationship with Ramona, the first (I'll estimate) 6th of the book actually takes in the past, when Scott was just 16; delving into the details of how Scott and Kim Pine met, started their first band, Sonic & Knuckles (yes, the video game references are still in plain sight), and eventually how they became separated. It's nice to get some back story on these character you only know so much about in the first book, and I'm hoping the following volumes do the same.

Writing
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World continues the first book perfectly with Bryan Lee O'Malley's comedic yet surprisingly real writing. Despite awkward situations, and somewhat over the top circumstances, the characters always have a feeling like they're real people with real emotions, and I think that what makes the series so appealing.

As for the comedic side, Vs. The World is certainly more over the top in its presentation and writing. There's a lot more in terms of intentional jokes and references that you're clearly supposed to get. That specifically refers to the gaming humor; i.e. Scott and Kim's first band, Sonic & Knuckles, Scott's association with "items" to Mario power-ups, and not to mention the opening artwork that resembles the start screen to Bonk's Adventure on TurboGrafx 16. It's the type of humor that if you get it, it's really funny, but if you don't it probably doesn't phase you.

Artwork
One of the most appealing parts of the first book for me was Bryan Lee O'Malley's unique, manga-inspired art style. So thankfully, that's still part of what makes this second book so appealing. But, that's not to say it stay's the same, as I personally noticed a lot of improvement.

Where the first book's presentation was arguably simple in terms of its design, Vs. The World kicks the artwork up a notch with more dynamic panels and varied character design (the latter of which the first book lacked). There's more line work, new angles, better use of light and shade and overall it just looks better. But this is probably going to be the more subjective aspect of any of the books, either way, I liked it.

Overall
Overall, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a definite improvement over Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, in terms of story, writing and artwork. However, that's not to say it's vastly improved as a lot of the book is just more of the same, just refined. I'm mainly pleased that the series now has it's story set and I'm under the impression that I won't be mislead like I was the first time around. None the less, I can't wait to get into volume three, and I suppose that feeling is all that matters.

Overall Score: 9.2/10

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life review

After a long wait, book reviews finally come to View From Heaven.

To start off the feature, I'll be a reviewing a book I sadly only picked up recently: the first volume of Bryan Lee O'Malley's popular series, Scott Pilgrim; or as this first book is titled, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life; published by Oni Press and originally released in 2004.

Because this is the first book review for View From Heaven, the organization of the reviews may change over time, for now though, this seems to work best.

Story
While every series description, and even the back of the book, state that Scott Pilgrim is about the titular character fighting off this girl's, Ramona's, seven evil ex-boyfriends... the fact of the matter is that that never even comes up until the final pages of this first volume; which in all honesty really mislead me as I read this, because I was trying to figure out where people got such an idea.

As for the true story, Precious Little Life centers around the title character, Scott Pilgrim, a 23 year old slacker, and bass player in the band, Sex Bob-Omb (yes, an obvious Mario reference), who lives in Toronto with his gay roommate, Wallace; though Scott is heterosexual. The book opens up with Scott's band mates, Stephen Stills, the band's lead singer and "talent", and Kim Pine, the drummer, lecturing Scott about his relationship with a 17 year old Chinese girl, Knives Chau. From there on, the book centers around Scott's awkward relationship with Knives, while he also tries to form a relationship with the new girl in town, Ramona V. Flowers, who's been appearing in Scott's dreams.

Writing
What I really liked about the book is the pacing and the characters. Things never seem to go by that fast, or move too slow, even if the story itself skips time. In fact, thanks to the O'Malley's sense of humor, there will be parts when you think it's about to get uninteresting, and there will suddenly be "24 HRS LATER" in big bold text; it's a break from the nice artwork, but it certainly grabs your attention for the better. In addition to reader humor, there's also quite a bit of game and music related references too for you nerds looking to get on some trivial jokes; I know I had a few laughs.

With the characters, though, I found that while some of the situations may seem a bit far fetched, the characters are still believable and relatable; and I think most readers will be able to find a character or characters that they'll identify with. The only gripe I have about the writing comes at the end, with the whole "evil ex-boyfriends" story, because it honestly comes out of no where (even if there are hints a few times in the book). Instead of being a calm, but humorous look at people, it suddenly turns into a Street Fighter-esque brawl, and I found the lack of transition into that to seem a bit awkward.

Artwork
Other than the characters, to me, the most appealing aspect of the book is definitely Bryan Lee O'Malley's artwork; even if it takes some getting used to. I say that because while Scott Pilgrim is promoted as a comic book, and it is one, I can't argue that, it has the design of a manga in terms of being black and white, and having the same dimensions as a typical manga. The main differences being, it's obviously not Japanese, as O'Malley is Canadian, and the book reads from left to right, with it's original language being English.

None the less, the black and white art style works really well in terms of its design. The minimalist style creates some very emotive characters, even without the use of added text or emotional signals like giant pulsating veins and sweat drops, which you normally would find in manga... which this isn't. And while the black and white, minimalism works for the book as a whole, there were a few times where I wish it was in color only because I couldn't tell some characters apart at first; but that's just the nature of the series, and not really something I could argue with at this point.

Overall
For what was pretty much an impulse buy, based on some word of mouth, I can say I'm pretty pleased with the first volume of Scott Pilgrim, and I certainly look forward to reading the rest of the series. It's definitely a nice middle ground between manga and typical graphic novels, though the art style is more indie in nature than most stuff in the mainstream market. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but if your open to new, informal, writing and/or art styles, I definitely recommend that you get yourself into this series; I only wish I got into it sooner!

Overall Score: 9/10

For more on Scott Pilgrim visit: scottpilgrim.com
For more on Bryan Lee O'Malley visit: radiomaru.com