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Bryan O'Malley strides an appealing line between manga and artcomix
styles in this first volume showcasing the life and times
of Scott Pilgrim, a young Canadian in his 20s who begins dating a
17-year old high school girl. Life gets complicated for
Scott when he also becomes infatuated with an Amazon.ca delivery girl
closer to his own age, but skeptical of his intentions
and unaware of Scott's other love interest.
Oni's James Lucas Jones was quoted in a Newsarama
interview with O'Malley as calling the book a
"rock-n-roll-romantic-comedy-fight comic," and that is all technically
true; but, since I would flee from a book described like that like I
would flee lava from a bursting volcano, it bears
examining why I find Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life so
wonderful.
The art immediately suggests itself as a key component of the book's
great appeal; readers of Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan's
Demo who enjoy Cloonan's stark design and humanizing, emotive
linework will immediately take to O'Malley's technique
here, which gives his characters depth and personality even while
utilizing manga conventions such as wide eyes or bursts of
energetic chaos to suggest the power of rock and roll. The opening
page's spare rendering of snowy rooftops, bare trees and
falling snowflakes are accompanied by a single, expertly-placed word
balloon that prepares the reader for the story ahead:
"Scott Pilgrim is dating a high schooler!" We don't know yet who Scott
is or anything about any of the story's characters or
situations, but man, that page is a grabber. It transitions into a
natural and energetic exchange around a kitchen table as
Scott gets busted on by his friends for his nascent relationship with
the interestingly-named Knives Chau, a 17-year old of
Asian descent that Pilgrim met-cute on the bus.
During the bus scene, O'Malley introduces a narrative device wherein
the character and his situation are summed up in a small
text box: "Scott Pilgrim. 23 Years Old. Rating: Awesome." O'Malley
uses this a number of times for both informational and
comedic purposes, and it serves the cinematic purpose of
freeze-framing the narrative (as a freeze-frame in a movie or tv
show might) and both giving us new information and time to reflect on
what we know so far. In just a handful of pages
O'Malley has masterfully set the stage for the entire novel,
delivering an appealing batch of people for us to (want to) get
to know. This is one of the best opening chapters in a graphic novel
I've read in quite some time; O'Malley's sense of
confidence in his own story is not only surprising but entirely earned
by the tale that follows.
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life is, among other things, a
story about the dumb things guys do in their 20s, and
the complicated minefield that is the relationship tapestry of any
group of people, but especially, again, those in their
hormone-soaked early adult years. Scott's saga is reflected in an
almost Greek Chorus manner by Scott's roommate Wallace, who
was based in part on Previews
Review's Christopher Butcher, a former roommate of
O'Malley's. If you think this makes the story one big in-joke, well,
maybe it is for them, but O'Malley's writing is so human
and natural that we're all in on the gag too. The palpable sense of
established, comfortable relationships is intoxicating --
you're not reading about a bunch of made-up characters, you're being
given access to a genuine circle of friends and coming
to feel the same affection for them that they must feel for each other.
There's a depth to Scott Pilgrim that surprises given the witty
banter and relaxed, eye-pleasing style of cartooning.
Scott's relationship with Knives could easily have been mere fodder to
mock his lack of confidence or inability to attract
women, and certainly his friends make wisecracks to that effect -- but
when we see them meet, and more importantly see them
begin to get to know each other, there is a sweetness and caution in
their growing closeness that suggests a greater
narrative purpose than just jokes. O'Malley clearly respects
all his characters here, and despite the obvious problems
that a relationship between Scott and Knives could (and very well may)
lead to, I found myself charmed by her and hoping he'd
treat her right.
And then there's that damned Ramona Flowers, also a sweet,
interesting and compelling character. Her insertion into
the proceedings at first irked me, but only through verisimilitude,
not critical observation. By the time she showed up and
knocked Scott's life off-kilter, I was already fully invested in his
relationship with Knives. "Scott!" I found myself
thinking. "What the hell are you doing?!?" O'Malley brilliantly
moves the pieces around on the chess board of his
story with grace and perfect timing. I was fully prepared to hate
Ramona, but of course she is charming and funny and
beautiful and damn it, what the hell is Scott doing?!?
There's lots more I could tell you about -- rock and roll battles and
nervous first dates and disturbing dreams and -- did I
mention that Wallace is really goddamned funny?
In the end, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life is charming,
funny, sexy and packed with creative power and the love
of storytelling. It's a great start to what I hope is a long-running
series of graphic novels about people you'll be
delighted to get to know as you share their victories and defeats,
their romances and mistakes. Better still, the
storytelling is so clear and open that it just invites new readers to
explore this strange, undiscovered country of comics.
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life is one of the most dynamic
and engaging stories I've read all year, perfect for a
mid-summer read, and dense and joyous enough to invite future
re-readings. I can't wait for more. Grade: 4.5/5
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Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Vol. 1