Comic Review: Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5



Scott Pilgrim is my Harry Potter.  There is no other book I look forward to more than a new volume of Scott Pilgrim.  I woke up early today (at the crack of noon), ran down to my local comic shop, purchased my fat stack of comics and Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5, rushed home and immediately devoured every single page .  Writer/artist, Bryan Lee O'Malley, has tapped into the zeitgeist of a young generation that has yet to be represented with such charm and skill which sets the Scott Pilgrim series apart from so many other stories about twenty-somethings.  On behalf of Generation Y and nerds everywhere, we've found our Big Chill.  (Ask your parents)

Scott Pilgrim is a somewhat simple story.  Scott Pilgrim is a twenty-something slacker living in Toronto, plays bass guitar in a band called Sex Bob-Omb, and falls in love with an American girl named Ramona Flowers.  The catch?  In order to date Ramona Flowers, Scott is obligated to battle all 7 of her evil ex-boyfriends in Street Fighter style battle sequences complete with fireballs, evil robots, and ninjas.  All of these battles are done with a low-key, matter of fact attitude that keep it from becoming an over the top spoof.  It should also be noted that the majority of the story focuses on the relationships between characters, as opposed to battles, which is great considering the colorful cast of characters Bryan Lee O'Malley has created for the series.  Young Neil, Stephen Stills, Knives Chau, and Wallace Wells are all people I'd love to spend some time with and they make the world of Scott Pilgrim feel that much more real.

Scott Pilgrim does something that so many of my favorite films, television shows, and books do, which is to take a silly premise - a blonde teen vampire slayer, battling your girlfriend's evil ex-boyfriends -  and uses the ridiculous premise to tell personal and honest stories about life.  Scott Pilgrim takes all the insecurities, doubt, and jealousy of being 24, and in love, and turns those fears into evil ex-boyfriends Scott must literally defeat one by one.  However, the real meat of Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 is the character interaction.  Most of volume 5's battles actually take a backseat as most of them happen in the background of other scenes while characters are talking of more important things.  Numerous scenes between Ramona Flowers and Sex Bob-Omb drummer, Kim Pine, have Scott getting pwnd by a robot in the background as they have a heart-to-heart on the porch.

One thing that I'm always taken back by is how funny every volume of Scott Pilgrim has been, considering comedy is mostly about timing - something you have very minimal control over in the graphic novel form.  However, Bryan Lee O'Malley's layouts and dialogue create the perfect beats and timing making it one of the funniest things I've read in ages.  If you would like a reference for a masterfully crafted comic look no further.

The cast of unique and interesting characters is ultimately what makes Scott Pilgrim such a resonating piece of fiction for me, as I feel I know almost every character in my real life.  Toronto, Canada very similar to Olympia, Washington in it's alternative and independent sensibility complete with crappy punk bands and vegan restaurants.  Our "hero," Scott Pilgrim is overly earnest, naive, and often quite ignorant of the people around him.  In volume 5 Scott doesn't even remember what his own brother looks like.  Scott's girlfriend Ramona Flowers, a character with a somewhat unknown history, really comes to life in volume 5 as we learn more about her insecurities and uncertainty about her relationship with Scott.  Their relationship feels incredibly real and has so many subtle details that one scene scene between Ramona and Scott could've been ripped from the pages of every single relationship I've ever had, ever.

Have I mentioned how great Bryan Lee O'Malley's artwork is?  His manga influenced style really reminds me of the artwork in another one of my favorite comic series, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, that uses the Asian anime/manga style to terrific effect.  I love when an artist has the ability to draw in a style that at first glance looks "simplistic," but at closer examination is anything but. It's also what Bryan Lee O'Malley does with so few lines that sets him apart from many comic book artists working today.  His artwork evokes humor and a vast range of emotions by simply placing eyebrows in the perfect place.  The guy knows how to draw human expression better than anyone.  I turned every page of Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 and instantly wanted it to become the desktop background on my computer.  

Perhaps, Scott Pilgrim is a book that I connect with so much - since I am myself - an almost 21 year old slacker obsessed with pop culture, video games, and comics.  However, what is indisputable, is that Bryan Lee O'Malley is hands down one of the best writer/artists working in the comics industry today and Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 is the best of the series yet.  It's a postmodern exercise in video game conventions sprinkled on top of an honest and hilarious relationship story that is both ridiculous and subtle at the same time.  

I don't think I could love Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 any more than I already do.

5/5

So say we all.

Posted by Leland Brungardt at 2/5/2009 1:37 AM
Categories: Reviews
 

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