If you love Japanese manga, Super Mario, and indie hipster chicks rollerblading through subspace kicking epic ninja ass, then you’ll love Bryan Lee O’Malley’s unique graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim which is set against Toronto’s indie rock scene.
Decked out in Kensington Market thrift-store swag, Scott Pilgrim is a dorky but lovable character. He’s 23, lives in a basement, and plays bass guitar in a largely unsuccessful garage rock band called Sex Bob-Omb. Ever since having his heart shattered by his college girlfriend—the enticing and egomaniacal rockstar Envy Adams— Scott’s life has been pretty empty. He remains destroyed, disillusioned, and lost until a mysterious amazon.ca delivery girl from New York named Ramona enters the picture (well, enters his subconscious mind while delivering a package in subspace—it’s complicated).
Scott finds Ramona’s peculiar life compelling and soon falls head over heels in love. However, in classic anime style, he finds out that he has to defeat her seven evil exes before he can officially date her. Scott accepts this challenge, and spends each volume of the series fighting off one of these jealous exes, taking the reader on an eerily familiar tour of Toronto’s sleazy hipster haunts along the way.
While unfortunately lacking the electric presence of Envy Adams, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together is probably the most interesting and graphically elaborate novel in the series. O’Malley’s rendering of setting and costume is remarkably detailed, and he even includes an eight-page colour spread at the beginning of the volume. To compliment the rich new illustrations, the narrative picks up speed and we find Scott gaining experience points like mad as he battles Ramona’s malicious ex-girlfriend, starts recording with Sex Bob-Omb, and finally gets a job washing dishes at the Fresh Avocado.
Of course, Scott’s biggest problem is his ever-complicated love life. Just when things start to get rocky with his ninja girlfriend, Scott’s high school sweetheart comes careening back into his life to tempt him with her sexy little miniskirts. Will Scott stay true to Ramona despite their relationship problems? Will he give in to Lisa’s girlish charms? But most importantly…will he level up?
Get down to The Beguiling and pick up a copy of O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together before they’re all gone.
