Christmas + Comics + Scott Pilgrim
The fake Christmas tree is up, the John Coltrane is playing, the Nintendo DS is charged, these are a few of my favorite nerdy things. Santa went to Area 52 in Hobart and got me volumes 4 and 5 of Scott Pilgrim. Below are a few of my favorite moments from Scott Pilgrim, some of them feature video game references (there are many). They even quote Monkey Island in this book, a point and click adventure game released by Lucas Arts* in the early 90’s. Obscure? Yes. Satisfying to recognize? Indeed! In addition to gaming references, there are equal amounts of music and film references, from Scott’s various Smashing Pumpkin t-shirts to a blurred Gross Pointe Blank poster in the background. Bryan Lee O’Malley has even included a “recommended listening” playlist in the back of the last few volumes. But the pop culture references aren’t the only things that make this book so loveable. In between the arcade style ninja fights, there are some truly heartbreaking moments that these characters endure. Scott’s quest to fight for Ramona’s love often goes from admirable to questionable in the span of mere panels. Scott may have found his dream girl, but his life is still far from picturesque. Still unemployed. Fast approaching 24. Still trying to figure out why Ramona’s head glows from time to time. Does that describe anyone else’s life accurately? Besides the head glowing thing... I can’t stop recommending this book to people. And now that I’m impatiently awaiting volume 6, due for release next year (!!!) I’ll give you guys a break here at the ol’ blog, too.
* “I’m not sure if Lucas Arts is one word…”- nerdy boyfriend reading over shoulder
Even out of context, I think these panels speak volumes on their own (and although they don't give spoilers, further explanation of their context may indeed give too much away). Feel free to click the images to see larger files for more detail. Especially the last image, the small text is vital to understanding this book's awesomeness.
Coming up NEXT (or soon)… Hear about our wonderful visit to Area 52, Tasmania’s other comic book store!