Aaron's Pick of the Week: I've Liked You for a Thousand Years

For the week of November 14:

Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together

by O'Malley (w and a)

A lot of people think of comic books as a form of escapism. And I guess that makes sense, as the top comic books tend to be about people who can fly, shoot lasers out of their eyes, sling webbing from their wrists, or be blind but not really.

But then again, comic books, like any medium, can't be summed up in just one category (other than "awesome"). Just as movies aren't just about fantastical events but a whole array of subjects, there are some comics out there that focus on the more everyday aspects of life, such as getting a job, paying rent, and maintaining a steady relationship (although, come to think of it, only one of these things apply to me at the moment). Granted, these stories are somewhat hard to find in the mainstream world of comics. Which makes books like the Scott Pilgrim series all the sweeter.

As you can probalby tell from the image of the cover, this is the fourth installment of Brian Lee O'Malley's indie gem. I was first exposed to Scott Pilgrim in my first year of university, and was initially turned off by the "Anime" style of the art (because I was dumb). Still, by the time I got about 20 pages in, I was hooked (you can be too! Check out the free previews here). The art, while maybe too "cutesy" for some, really served the story well rather than complicating things, and was actually fairly intricate, as backgrounds sometimes proved.

This is a series with a lot going for it, from the art, to the storyline (a fairly straightforward coming-of-age story with many unique storytelling approaches), to O'Malley's excellent sense of humor.

For me, though, the number one draw has always been how damn relateable the book is. Scott Pilgrim is a mostly-directionless 23-year-old who's pretty much just starting to figure out how the world works, all the while juggling his social, romantic, and (somewhat) professional life. While there are a multitude of differences between the characters and myself (for example, I am 21, still in university, and can't play a musical instrument to save my life), I still identified with the characters on a level I hadn't with previous works that "spoke to a generation," such as Clerks, Garden State, or, uh, Degrassi High. As I was reading this book I constantly had to stop and note all the similarities between certain characters and existing friends of mine (that's right, existing). It probably helps that the series takes place in Toronto, where I grew up. Many locations, such as Sneaky Dee's and Lee's Palace, are featured in this series, adding to the "oh hey, just like MY life" factor.

This isn't to say that Scott Pilgrim is completely "slice of life." A lot of the storytelling is very over-the-top, completely abandoning concepts like "realism." At the same time, however, these over-the-top moments are told honestly and come from a real place, and therefore don't detract from the relateability. For example, an ongoing plotline throughout the series is that Scott must vanquish his girlfriend Ramona's Seven Evil Exes, and these scenes are usually depicted in a style similar to that of a video game. While this is obviously not a common thing most people have to deal with, anyone who's had a girlfriend (or boyfriend) probably knows that often, past exes can leave a "lingering" effect on new relationships, one that isn't necessarily welcome.

I often recommend comic books to other people, but it's not very often that I push them on non-comic-book fans. The Scott Pilgrim series is one very notable exception. I recommend this series (don't start with volume 4, as great as it is) to anyone who feels as if they're trying to figure out their place in life, or that no one can relate to what they're going through. And that's, what? Everyone?

9.4 out of 10



All interior shots (except for the last one) taken from Brian Lee O'Malley's flickr account.