Above you are all the book covers for all 6 volumes of the Scott Pilgrim series of comic books aka graphic novels. There was a movie adaptation that was out during the summer. In fact, it's now out on DVD/Blu-ray combo pack for easy consumption @ home. Why am I talking about these books. It's because they're AWESOME!!!!
Before delving into these books, keep in mind that they have a very particular audience in mind. It's basically aimed towards video game generations. By that I mean, people that were born in the 1980s, grew up in the 1990s, and are relatively young adults in present day 2010. The characters in the books share these characteristics with its audience. They also break the fourth wall every once in a while in the book's dialogue. The point is that it's a lot of fun, especially if you've grown up in the last 2-3 decades.
The author Bryan Lee O'Malley is also a biracial Canadian of Quebequois & Korean descent. I was already sold on the books while reading the snappy dialogue & pop culture referencing visuals. Learning that he's a biracial person made me rethink the way that he's scripted his character Knives Chau. She's a sweet, intelligent, 17 year old girl that unfortunately begins dating the title character as he first encounters Ramona Flowers, an American AMAZON.CA delivery girl that he first glimpses literally "in his dreams". Scott is absolutely in love with Ramona after this encounter that technically might not have actually happened. Knives becomes obsessed with Scott & everything in his life while she dates him. She's sheltered and lives with her Chinese parents. Meeting Scott is like a gateway to the exciting new world of young adulthood. Scott however is pretty much A.D.D. & regularly blocks out memories of the past & the true nature of his handling of friendships & relationships in the past. Knives is the one character in the books that undergoes the most profound change. She starts off as a shy teenager, that becomes obsessed with a guy, fights for Scott; a guy that never treated her well in any stage of knowing her, begins dating another guy to get Scott jealous, realizes the error of her ways, worries about the girl Scott is presently dating (Ramona) and seeks her out in order to tell her the truth, yet ultimately is still able to forgive and accept Scott's faults, allowing her to build an actual friendship with him. Not to mention, she has some incredible fights with Ramona & others throughout the books. Knives takes in all of the cultural & social influences around her, makes several attempts to reconcile conflicting ideas in her head and comes out the other side a much better person than she was before. Knives Chau as a character is a fictional character that all Asians & other peoples of color should read. She's inspiring.
Scott is emblematic of many young people today. He's actually got a lot of intelligence but he can't keep his attention on much. He loves playing video games of all sorts and plays the Bass in a band with two friends called "Sex Bob-omb" (Super Mario reference). He's fairly cavalier towards the feelings of others. Nonetheless, he has a certain charisma that draws friends & women towards him. His fatal flaw is that he's so A.D.D. that he doesn't take into account the consequences of his behavior & decisions on others around him. He's stuck in a kind of prolonged adolescence that's often been said of the various generations of people from 1980-onward. He meets Ramona & it's love at first sight. Ramona explains to him that he has to fight her evil ex's before they can date peacefully. Scott & Ramona both share the flaw that they live for the present day, not dwelling much on the past despite how their pasts constantly return, causing the predicaments illustrated by the battles with the evil ex's. Ramona has to deal with several of Scott's ex's still being present in his life & how Scott doesn't really want to deal with any emotions or things left unsaid between him & his ex's. His ex's ultimately end up helping Scott articulate the depth of his love for Ramona. Ramona's Ex's are the focus of many over the top action sequences in the books. They're all given just enough characterization to bring the laughs amidst insane amounts of action. One of the most interesting things that O'Malley does in regards to showing Scott & Ramona's past relationships is the issue of reliability & believability of the narrator. Scott & Ramona have heavily embellished recollections of their pasts. Scott seems to mix up his memories of playing through video games with memories of personal conflicts in relationships. It's almost like they both crave to articulate their recollections in terms of Black & White when the reality of their pasts is incredibly gray. It's also funny how their friends are almost always much more reliable at recalling the past then either of them are. Scott & Ramona are both people that push away relationships. They mature through trying their hardest to change their ways. Even when they're apart, they're slowly maturing. I love how the books are paced as if they're happening in a believable time frame. Months & months go by in each volume. They meet in Winter and the events of the books are their first year as a couple, along with several asides to explain their pasts. It's convincing that it takes a whole year of being together before either Scott or Ramona is deeply changed in their personalities because of their relationship. The passage of time is every bit as important to the story as the various supporting characters.
O'Malley's emphasis on illustrating the passage of time in the city of Toronto alongside the progression of Scott & Ramona's relationship helps to show the reader that the characters have earned their newly found maturity rather than cheapening their new ways of thinking by making it seem like a few hours or weeks. Every event that happens in the books is a necessary vignette in order to infuse the final battle with power. Each volume is interesting enough but when read in succession, each volume is better than the last. The power of the final battle occurs because you've been there for every step with Scott & Ramona, invested in the fate of their relationship.
Check out the movie version but make sure that you read the books. There's more action, more characterization, more humor, stories of maturation for nearly every character, and a whole lot of fun.
The first volume helped keep me in good spirits through my month in the hospital in September, 2010. I have my cousin Ehren to thank for getting me the 1st volume as a gift while I was in the hospital. I got all the other volumes throughout October & early November 2010. I've barely talked about any of the supporting characters. Never mind, find the books & thank me later. I'm sure you'll all find your own favorite characters while reading it.
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