O'Malley, B.L (2004)Portland: Oni Press
The music scene in Toronto circa 2003 provides an informative context for Scott Pilgrim, the hero of 6 comic books released from 2004 to 2010. The artistic creativity in that city was exquisite: Broken Social Scene released You Forgot It in People that year, and Do Make Say Think’s & Yet & Yet was making a name for the band since its release the previous year. A seemingly endless parade of indie bands crawled out of the swamp and established bases in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Scott Pilgrim, who is a recent college grad, is in a band too, called Sex Bob-omb. He lives with his gay 
friend Wallace Wells in a cramped flat, keeps up with Toronto’s concert schedule, and dates a 17-year-old high school student named Knives Chau. Everything seems to be going well for him until he finds the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. “Meets” is not quite an accurate term, as she was rollerblading – quite literally – through his dreams long before they ever talked. They do connect, however, and Scott breaks up with Knives so he can be with Ramona. However, he quickly learns that before Ramona can completely pledge herself to him he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Scott is torn. On the one hand, he would like to keep dating her, but on the other hand, he would still like to live. And her exes are vicious. While Scott, Sex Bob-omb’s guitarist Stephen Stills, and their drummer Kim Pine get ready for a gig one night, the first evil ex confronts Scott. His name is Matthew Patel, and with the help of his demon hipster chicks he vows to vanquish Scott in a wonderfully choreographed number. Patel is, sadly, a pushover, and after executing a 96-hit combo, Scott watches him disappear into a pile of coins. Scott needs to keep his guard, however, because there are six exes still waiting for him, one more evil than the next. And one is vegan.
I was hooked on the first book, and I instantly proceeded to read the next two. One of the most appealing things about the series is that Scott is a nerd, like me. He loves video games and Apostle of Hustle in equal measure. Sure, he’s from Toronto, and his Canadian identity makes up a great deal of his character, but he’s a regular guy. O’Malley suspends reality in true comic book fashion, giving
What I wish would happen every time I accumulated experience.
Scott and his enemies superhuman strength. This makes the action more relatable to the arcade games inherent in this universe, while also rendering the narrative more optimistic. If Scott can hold his own, it’s easier to root for him. Scott Pilgrim is a story of a loser who doesn’t really lose, I think.
Some adolescents might have a difficult time recognizing the numerous allusions in the text; for example, Scott takes his name directly from a song by Halifax band Plumtree, he sometimes wears New Pornographers apparel (they’re from Vancouver), and his ex-girlfriend Envy Adams is based on real-life singer Emily Haines, who is in Broken Social Scene as well as Metric – the very group that Envy’s band The Clash at Demonhead so strongly resembles. These names are only accessory to the meaning of the narrative, though. What young men and women can glean from the book is not only a better understanding of Canadian indie, but a better understanding of relationships and responsibility. Sometimes being in a relationship is like fighting for your life. The conversation about exes is not a fun one, and the jealousy associated with that knowledge can be ugly and violent. This series is funny in all the places you’d expect, and heartrending in some places you didn’t.
Ply 