Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Book Club: Volume 1

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EVAN: I agree with everyone else in terms of going back and seeing how raw O’Malley’s technical skills were way back in Vol. 1. Still, I liked SPPL the first time I read it, and enjoyed many of the same beats this time around. The character-building moments start right away; from the very beginning, we’re learning that Scott’s adrift in his own slackerness. There’s a bit of angst in Scott even at this point. The thing that O’Malley accomplishes that amazes me is the high level of cute without seeming twee. If I think back, I think I read Corey Lewis’s Sharknife (another Oni book) and was expecting another over-the-top, manga-inflected work when I got Scott Pilgrim. With that, the thing that struck me was how un-self-conscious SP Vol. 1 was. The heartache and the longing come across really well and the “twenty-something dude figuring out his life” stuff felt sincere enough that the video-game logic gobsmacked me. Man, I remember exactly where I was when I read the song-&-dance battle sequence: on the train back from work, smiling, laughing and mouthing the words to the songs to myself. I remember feeling like I could “hear” the music in my head.

Hey, is it too soon to talk about comparisons to the movie? Because, going back after watching the trailers a whole lot, I’m really struck by how much stuff is actually in the source material. That bit in the trailer where Scott nervously crushes the Solo cup? I thought that was something Wright threw in, but there it is on page 48. I’m excited to see more stuff like that as we read the books.

CHRISTINE: I’m not going to pretend that I am a comic book / graphic novel aficionado. I came to the Scott Pilgrim series late (later than Graeme) and cold (unless Cathy counts for something), but within the first twenty pages, I was hooked. The writing is hilarious, brilliant, silly and sassy–the art, complementary. After reading the series a few times, I continue to be thrilled by small details like the fact that Sex Bob-omb’s amplifier is branded as LAME BRAND and that Ramona wears Mr. Silly shoes.

My favorite character is probably the narrator (?) for subheads and interjections like NICE ONE, SCOTT! NOW TURN THE PAGE and repeated introductions of Knives as KNIVES CHAU, 17 YEARS OLD (Vol. 2). Scott Pilgrim is just plain fun.

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Several of my friends, twenty-something females with no prior comic book experience, have also found themselves engaged in—practically married to—the Scott Pilgrim series. If anyone recommended a graphic novel or series to check out (hint, hint), we would jump at the chance. Scott Pilgrim is a gateway series. How does this make pure-blood comic book lovers feel?

DOUGLAS: I say bring it on. As far as recommendations for further reading, there’s nothing else quite like Scott Pilgrim–well, there are a few things that are kind of like Scott Pilgrim but not as good. But three not-particularly-like-Scott things come to mind:

*Jaime Hernandez’s Perla la Loca, which is also about punk rock types trying to figure their lives out and is also incredibly funny in places (although it’s not a comedy in the sense that Scott is)–I posted a guide to the Hernandez brothers’ work on Techland a few months back.

*Kevin Huizenga’s Curses: just because the biggest O’Malley fan I know is also crazy about Huizenga’s stuff. (And so am I.)

*Jason’s I Killed Adolf Hitler: the less you know about this one going in, the more fun it is, but I’ll just say it has some unexpected tonal similarities to Scott Pilgrim (and couldn’t be more different in other ways, which don’t end with its title). We’re going to be talking about Jason’s new one, Werewolves of Montpellier, in the Comic Book Club later this week, too.

GRAEME: Douglas, what do you think of Brandon Graham’s work? The excellent King City seems like an ideal post-Scott Pilgrim comic to me.

DOUGLAS: I am full of shame, because I have not yet read it. I’m gonna! I’m gonna! I swear!

Next Wednesday, July 7: Volume 2, “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World”!

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