Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life

Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2002, 2012, colored by Nathan Fairbairn

New Release! I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

Premise: Scott Pilgrim is a bit shiftless, but his bumbling charm seems to carry him along. And then he meets the girl of his dreams. No, literally.

I missed Scott Pilgrim the first time around, although I heard all the accolades. I did see the movie, which covers much of the same ground in the beginning as this volume. Since I knew much of the premise and, more importantly, many of the jokes, it took me a while to get into the book. Once the art started to shine with more inventive panels and splash pages, though, I really began to enjoy it.

The strength of Scott Pilgrim is the balance between “real-life” elements, mostly emotional beats and the characters’ down-to-earth attitudes, and fantastical elements, like subspace rollerblading and epic boss fights. It’s a really fun mix.

The characters are interesting, and the art style is pretty adorable. I can see why so many people like it.

If you missed it the first time too, Oni Press is re-releasing Scott Pilgrim in a shiny new colored version. I wasn’t sure at first whether the color added a ton to the art, but it’s pretty cool in the larger spreads.

4 Stars - A Very Good Book