Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim is a comedy/action/romance comic series by Bryan Lee O'Malley, intended to eventually consist of six digest-sized black-and-white graphic novels. The first volume was released in 2004 and, as of 2007, four have been released, all published by Portland, Oregon independent comic book publisher Oni Press.
The series is about 23-year-old Canadian Scott Pilgrim, a slacker, hero, wannabe-rockstar, who is living in Toronto and playing bass in the band "Sex Bob-Omb." He falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven "evil exes" in order to date her.
In 2005, Universal Pictures announced that they had optioned the property for a possible future Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.[1] Edgar Wright is attached as director, and Michael Bacall is to write the screenplay. The film had apparently been placed on the studio fast-track by Universal, to have possibly avoided the impending 2008 Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strike.[2] Michael Cera has been confirmed as playing the lead role.[3]. The film will be called Scott Pilgrim vs. the World[4].
Characters
Main characters
front row: Knives, Ramona, Scott
middle row: Neil, Stephen, Kim, Wallace
back row: Lynette, Todd, Envy
- Scott W. Pilgrim: 23-year-old protagonist. Bass player for the band Sex Bob-omb. Currently employed as a dish washer at The Happy Avacado vegetarian restaurant. The character's name was inspired by the song "Scott Pilgrim" from Plumtree's 1998 album Predicts the Future. Has recently leveled up. His birthday is September 27.
- Ramona Victoria Flowers: Main love interest. Amazon.ca delivery girl. 24 years old. She reveals very little about her past in New York before she moved to Toronto. Is capable of traveling through subspace. Has seven evil exes. Her birthday is January 1.
- Knives Chau: 17-year-old Chinese-Canadian high school girl. Scott dated her for a short while, but broke up with her when he met Ramona. Following their break up she started dating Young Neil, although she is still in love with Scott. They break up, but Knives still hangs out with the group.
- Wallace Wells: Scott's gay roommate (they share a bed, although Scott is heterosexual). 26 years old. The character was inspired by O'Malley's former roommate Christopher Butcher, the co-founder of PopImage and PreviewsReview.
- Stephen Stills: Lead singer and guitarist of Sex Bob-omb. 23 years old. Named after Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Scott always refers to him by his full name. Birthday: "Last Tuesday," August.
- Kimberly "Kim" Pine: Drummer of Sex Bob-omb. Dated Scott in high school. 23 years old.
- "Young" Neil Nordegraf: Sex Bob-omb's biggest fan. Stephen Stills's roommate. 20 years old. Briefly dated Knives Chau.
Supporting characters
- Natalie V. "Envy" Adams: Scott's ex-girlfriend. Lead singer and keyboardist for The Clash At Demonhead.
- Stacey Pilgrim: Scott's younger sister. 19 years old. Works at the same coffee shop as Julie Powers.
- Julie Powers: Stephen Stills's on and off again girlfriend. 22 years old. Envy's roommate in college.
- Lynette Guycott: Drummer for The Clash At Demonhead, has a biomechanical arm. Named after Plumtree's drummer Lynette Gillis and Tom Guycot from the video game of the same name.
- The League Of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends
- Matthew Patel: Ramona's first evil ex-boyfriend. Indian. Has mystical powers and can summon Demon Hipster Girls at will.
- Lucas Lee: Ramona's second evil ex-boyfriend, a pro skateboarder turned movie star.
- Todd Ingram: Ramona's third evil ex-boyfriend. Bass player for The Clash At Demonhead. Has special vegan psychic powers (although is secretly consuming non-vegan foods). Dating Envy, but cheating on her with Lynette.
- Roxanne Richter: Ramona's fourth evil ex, her college roommate. Half-ninja. An accomplished fine artist. Taught Ramona much of what she knows. Has a tattoo of the Oni Press logo on her left arm.
- The Twins?: Foreshadowed near the end of the fourth book, it is not known if Ramona dated both at once, as she "refused to answer that". However it is likely that since there are only 6 books, that they will comprise both spot 5 and 6 on the list of "evil exes".
- The Twins?: See above.
- Gideon: Apparently Ramona's boyfriend previous to Scott, in New York; has been mentioned several times. Referred to by Lucas Lee as responsible for the organization of the League of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends.
Minor characters
- Hollie: Kim's 25-year-old co-worker and current roommate.
- Joseph: Hollie and Kim's 24-year-old, soft-spoken gay roommate. Has a crush on Todd Ingram. Currently helping Sex Bob-Omb record their album.
- Luke "Crash" Wilson: Singer and guitarist for Crash And The Boys, another local band.
- Joel MacMillan: Bass player for Crash And The Boys.
- Trisha "Trasha" Ha: Drummer for Crash And The Boys. 8 years old. Was apparently "discovered" playing DrumMania at the Pacific Mall arcade.
- "Other Scott": A friend of Wallace's.
- Michael Comeau: A friend of Scott's who knows everybody (including you). Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's friend of the same name, a Toronto graphic artist. He has a ring which also knows everybody, which he claims to have obtained from the future.
- Sandra: Former classmate of Scott's. 24 years old.
- Monique: Another ex-classmate of Scott's. 23 years old.
- Jimmy: A friend of Stacey's.
- Sara: One of Kim Pine's former roommates. Apparently unpleasant.
- Lauren: High school friend of Kim.
- Simon Lee: A figure from Scott's and Kim's past, who dated Kim and/or kidnapped her, depending on whose version you believe.
- Tamara Chen: Knives's 17-year-old best friend.
- Lisa Miller: An old high school friend of Scott and Kim's; now an actress moving to California.
- Lawrence Pilgrim: Scott's younger brother. He has only been heard and mentioned, never seen. According to a flashback in Volume 3, Scott has indefinitely borrowed Lawrence's bass guitar.
- Stephanie "Steph" Nordegraf: Young Neils older sister. Played bongos and viola in Scott's previous band Kid Chameleon.
- Cole: Briefly touched upon in a flashback in Volume 3. Envy invited Cole to join Scott's previous band, Kid Chameleon, replacing Scott on the drums.
- Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim: Scott's parents. Only actually seen in flashbacks, they seem to have a tendency for embarrassing Scott, even when only on the phone. Currently traveling Europe. O'Malley has suggested that the character "Vincent" in the short comic "Monica Beetle" (which originally appeared in the "Project: Superior" anthology) might be Scott Pilgrim's dad having "Pilgrim"-esque adventures in 1974.
- Jason Kim: A friend of Kim's who owns a car.
- Mr. Chau: Knives's father. Has a collection of antique samurai swords.
Bands
(The names of all the bands in Scott Pilgrim have thus far been references to video games.)
- Sex Bob-omb: Scott's band with Stephen Stills (vocals and guitar) and Kim Pine (drums). Refers to Bob-omb, a character from the Super Mario series.
- The Clash At Demonhead: The band of Scott's ex-girlfriend Envy. Refers to the NES game Clash at Demonhead, as well as obviously recalling punk band The Clash.
- Sonic & Knuckles: Scott's first band, in high school with Kim Pine and Lisa Miller. Named after the Sega Genesis game Sonic & Knuckles.
- Crash And The Boys: Another local band. Refers to an NES game, Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge, localized from the Japanese Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun series. Later call themselves The Boys And Crash (in Volume 3).
- Kid Chameleon: Scott's university band with Stephen Stills, Envy, and Neil's sister Stephanie, among others. Named after the Sega Genesis game Kid Chameleon.
Locations
All of the events of the books take place (for the most part), in the city of Toronto, Ontario. There are several actual locations which are referenced, some simply as subtle allusions, others which directly affect the plot.
Book 1
- Toronto Public Library - Wychwood Branch: Located on Bathurst Street, a rather nice somewhat historical library, opened in 1916.
- The Rockit: This was a small venue for local bands in Toronto.
- Pacific Mall: An Asian mall just outside the Toronto municipal limits.
Book 2
- Sonic Boom: A large independent record shop, somewhat known for buying and selling second hand CDs.
- No Account Video: This is in reference to an independent video store located in Toronto, Suspect Video. There are two locations, but the one in the book is located at Markham Street and Bloor Street, which is close to The Beguiling, a comic book store were O'Malley used to work. The real name of the video store was not used because they refused to let O'Malley take reference photos inside the premises[citation needed],.
- Casa Loma: A local historic building, and tourist attraction. Both the building itself, as well as the rather large staircase leading up to it from Spadina Avenue are featured.
- Toronto Reference Library: A distinctive 6-floor reference library.
- Lee's Palace: A night club in Toronto, featuring local and international bands.
Book 3
- Honest Ed's: A very, very large discount store opened by Ed Mirvish, a local businessman and theater mogul.
- Yonge-Dundas Square: A large public square in downtown Toronto.
Book 4
- The Beaches: An area in the east end of Toronto, known for its lovely beaches.
- Dufferin Mall: A shopping mall located on Dufferin Street.
- Sneaky Dee's: A Tex-Mex cuisine bar and venue.
- Nipissing University: A small liberal arts university located in North Bay, Ontario.
Recurring Themes
- Scott is extremely inattentive. For example, he repeatedly confuses Lucas Lee (Ramona's 2nd evil ex) with Luke "Crash" Wilson (of Crash and the Boys) in volume 2. In volume 4, Scott doesn't know who Jason Kim is, even though Kim says he's met him "four times... easily."
- Ramona's past is shrouded in mystery.
- Knives deals with her passion for Scott.
- Ramona frequently changes her hairstyle.
- Every time Knives re-appears in volume 2, a label saying "Knives Chau: 17 years old" appears.
- There is a recurring theme of homosexuality in volume 4, the most important of which involves Ramona's fourth evil ex, Roxanne.
- The fourth wall is repeatedly broken.
Volumes
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life | ISBN 1-932664-08-4 | August 18, 2004 |
| 2 | Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World | ISBN 1-932664-12-2 | June 15, 2005 |
| 3 | Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness | ISBN 1-932664-22-X | May 24, 2006 |
| 4 | Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together | ISBN 1-93266-49-1 | November 14, 2007 [1] |
Other appearances:
- Comics Festival (40-page anthology including a one-page Scott Pilgrim comic; released on Free Comic Book Day 2005)
- PENG (72-page one-shot comic book by Corey Lewis where Scott Pilgrim appears in one panel; released in 2005)
- Free Scott Pilgrim #1 FCBD 2006 Edition (32-page comic book featuring an 18-page original Scott Pilgrim story; released on Free Comic Book Day 2006. This story is available for free online at Newsarama.com)
- Comics Festival 2007! (40-page anthology including a half-page Scott Pilgrim comic and a 6-page Kim Pine comic; released on Free Comic Book Day 2007)
Critical reception
The first volume of Scott Pilgrim was well-received by comic book critics and had favorable reviews outside the comic book industry, in Publishers Weekly and on E! Online among others. Though O'Malley's simple, cartoony-looking, and manga-inspired artwork was put off as "amateurish" by some readers, critics were fascinated by they way he managed to get the characters' emotions across with so few, seemingly simple lines. They noted that O'Malley used this style by choice, and not because of a lack of talent. While there were some objections against the book's art, its humor made the book very popular and garnered it much praise, as did its "strong characterization and convincing dialogue"[5], depicting a large set of realistic, sympathetic characters with whom the readers could easily identify. Only the video-game-like fight sequence at the end (wherein Scott fights Matthew Patel, the first of Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends, in a style reminiscent of Street Fighter, the fights in Ranma ½ and River City Ransom) was not met as enthusiastically as the rest of the book by all readers and it was noted that the scene "completely abandons the tone, pace and genre of everything that comes before it".[6]
The second volume received equally good reviews, with some critics grading it "even better" than the first volume[7] and continuing to praise the series' humor and how O'Malley manages to shift readers' sympathies from one character to the other by expanding the characterizations of the cast, giving new insights into the characters' pasts. Critics also noted how seemingly effortlessly O'Malley manages to mix "relatively real life and superhero power fantasies" [8].
Publishers Weekly ranked the third volume, Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness, as one of the best comic books of 2006 in a critics' poll.[9].
Awards
In 2005, O'Malley won the Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent for the first volume of Scott Pilgrim [2] and was nominated for three Harvey Awards (Best New Talent, Best Cartoonist and Best Graphic Album of Original Work).[10]
In 2006, O'Malley was awarded Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) in the Joe Shuster Awards. He was previously nominated in the same category in 2005.
O'Malley was nominated for a 2006 Eisner Award in the category Best Writer/Artist—Humor, for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, but lost to Kyle Baker. O'Malley and Scott Pilgrim were also nominated for two 2006 Eagle Awards, and nominated for a second Wright Award (for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World).
References
- ^ ""'Pilgrim's' progresses: Wright will helm O'Malley comicbook adaptation"". Variety.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "" Strike Memo Reveals Lots of Juicy Info!"". Coming Soon.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Here's what happens"". Bryan Lee O' Malley.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Television rules the nation"". Bryan Lee O' Malley.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Critiques On Infinite Earths - SCOTT PILGRIM VOLUME 1: SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE"". The Fourth Rail.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Critiques On Infinite Earths - SCOTT PILGRIM VOLUME 1: SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE"". The Fourth Rail.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Snap Judgements - SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD"". The Fourth Rail.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "" SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD GN REVIEW"". Ryan Day.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""The First Annual PW Comics Week Critic's Poll"". Publisher's Weekly.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""2005 Harvey Award Nominees"". The Harvey Awards.
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External links
