Scott Pilgrim - Bryan Lee O'Malley

It's sort of sad (or maybe awesome?) that in the short span of a month, my blog has digressed from writings about great theological minds and works...to comic books.  While I am not an avid comic reader, I recently became a huge fan of this well known series of six graphic novels about my main man Scott Pilgrim.  Some of you may be familiar with the movie that came out earlier this year entitled "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", which starred Michael Cera.  I saw the movie a mere week ago, and have ever since been on a quest to find and absorb all things with "Scott Pilgrim" in the title (yes even the video game!).  Anyways, enough about me and my seemingly age-inappropriate obsession...lets talk about these books!

Scott Pilgrim is a 23 year old video game junkie that lives in Toronto with his gay roommate Wallace, plays bass in the band "Sex Bob-Omb", and has a huge crush on an American delivery girl named Ramona Flowers.  In order to date Ramona he must first battle and defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.  The storyline consists of everyday life and the drama of dating, mixed in with epic battles and over the top fight scenes.  O'Malley is a master of youth culture, and really captures the look and feel of young adulthood.  The characters are typical young 20 somethings; they play video games, party, go to shows, thrive on drama, and shop at Goodwill.  You can't help but love each and every character, because they are so unique and their stories are lovable and familiar.

While the series is in comic format, it is definitely not for everyone.  There are some swear words, sexual moments, and mature themes sprinkled into the story, but none of them are overdone or over the top.  At the same time it is extremely easy to overlook the negatives due to the overwhelming awesomeness of these books.  Anyone who knows rock music, video games, or indie culture will find multiple references and inside jokes on every page.  I was caught laughing out loud on many occasions.  The art style is also very well done, and I often found myself going back to look at the drawings a second or third time.  The appeal of the Scott Pilgrim books is somewhat hard to explain.  They appeal to the inner nerd/rock star/youth culture enthusiasts in a way that other forms of media cannot.  Trying to explain it is like trying to explain why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Scott Pilgrim doesn't need to be explained, he's just awesome.