Written by Bryan Lee O'MalleyIllustrated by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Oni Press
The zany punk-geek-video game that is Scott Pilgrim's life continues here, as he tries to manage his relationship with the mysterious Ramona while working his way through a veritable mine field of personal problems, including multiple complicated relationships and staying alive.
Scott must figure out if he's really over Envy or not, and how to survive her current boyfriend, a man with the powers of the vegan. Oh yeah, and how to make sure his band still rocks even if they're opening for the (more successful) band of his ex and the man trying to kill him.
Just minor stuff, that's all in the day of the life of Scott Pilgrim.
I continue to love the insanity that is this series, where O'Malley does anything and everything he feels like, whether it's inside jokes ("we've been here a quarter of the book"), existential stores, goth outfits for no reason, or drawing hammers that do plus 2 damage against girls.
The pacing is manic, with so much stuff literally flying at you by the end that you feel as though you were the one trying to fight your way out of trouble against people with psychic powers. This is both a blessing and a curse--the tone is fun, but I found myself a little lost because of how fast things were moving, the time shifts, and the fact that there are entirely too many people running about this book with the same hairstyle and clothing. I felt like they needed name tags at some point.
I do like the idea of complex relations, as I know I had them at that age, and it's fun to see it taken to an exaggerated extreme. Luckily, I never had to use video game powers against an ex-boyfriend, because I never got any better after Street Fighter 2.
There's a lot to like here, whether you're a fan of indie comics, a fan of manga-style art, or just a geek who likes seeing geek references in comics. I love this series, can't wait to read more.
