On the same forum where people constantly discussed Persona 3, Scott Pilgrim was frequently brought up as an example of how comics can be awesome. So a few days ago I bought the first book (It's released in thick little volumes like manga) from the nearby comic shop and managed to read about half on the bus ride back from work, quickly finishing after I got home. Damn, that board's got good taste.
It's hard to describe what's so great about the book, at least in this early going. Five of the six planned volumes have been released, so I feel like I came on at a good point. Basically, Scott is very likable guy, kinda nerdy (X-Men patch on his jacket) but also not (in a crappy band, doesn't understand the Internet). Also, he's pretty good at fighting. That becomes important pretty quickly. Anyway, he's living his life when a strange girl starts appearing both in real life and in his dreams, and eventually he convinces her to go out with him. But before long the main thrust of the plot is revealed - in order to stay with her, he has to defeat all her evil ex-boyfriends.
A lot of strange elements of the story like that are never really explained in detail, at least early on, and are just taken as read, which I enjoy quite a bit. It doesn't have to make complete sense, it's just fun to read. O'Malley does some creative things with the medium, sticking little jokes in the narration bits to go along with the great dialogue between the impressive cast of memorable characters. It's sort of a conundrum, because it's so clever and quick to read that you just devour it and are left wanting more. The art style is a bit odd at first, but you quickly get used to it and it totally works for the setting. I'm pretty sure I'll be blazing through the rest of the books before too long.
AAAAAGGGHHHH
15 years ago
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