Read This: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is the second volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-book series, and after the first volume started as romantic comedy then veered into megapop urban fantasy, it was worth asking: Could the story sustain that massive tectonic shift? Luckily, the answer was yes.

This installment actually starts out with a lengthy flashback which establishes some key relationship dynamics in the series while reinforcing the videogame elements of their world: Scott Pilgrim’s been defeating the bosses and rescuing the girl ever since school, and it’s just another part of life, not terribly remarkable in and of itself. When the story returns to the present, his developing romance with Ramona Flowers is shaped not only by the whole “defeat her seven evil exes” thing, but by his ex-girlfriend’s rapid transformation from slagging Ramona for being “old” and “fat” to launching a ninja attack at a public library—but still remaining true to her fundamental characterization as a jealous teenager. Meanwhile, there’s still plenty of “ordinary” scenes, although some of these are played for laughs, like the scene where Scott brings Ramona over to meet his bandmates, who share a recipe for vegetarian shepherd’s pie with the readers.

In fact, this volume is much more about character development than it is about the fight scenes: Scott can barely work up interest in training to defeat the latest ex, and he’s the first to admit that their fight is underwhelming. Meanwhile, the web of connections between the various characters grows tighter, and one of the major plotlines hinted at throughout the first volume—the mysterious girlfriend who broke up with Scott long before the story officially began—comes through in a way that perfectly sets things up for a massive blowout in the next installment.

13 August 2010 | read this |