Scott Pilgrim Vs. Julia’s Review

Review of Books 1-4

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is a graphic novel that immerses the reader into the mind of one 23-year-old Canadian, Scott Pilgrim. Scott quickly falls for a girl named Ramona Flowers. Ramona is an outgoing, mysterious girl from America who seems like the perfect match for Scott, but Ramona has some baggage. She has seven evil exes that Scott must defeat before he and Ramona can officially date. The premise of each book is a new evil ex Scott must defeat. Scott also has typical adult troubles like getting a job, getting rid of his girlfriend, Knives Chou, and getting signed on a record label with his band.

Bryan Lee O’Malley wrote and illustrated Scott Pilgrim. O’Malley has a very clear aesthetic that he uses to portray his characters. The aesthetic is video game style-esque mixed with the overwhelming terrors of adulthood. Publisherstale of adorable slackers in love is transformed into a wildly magically manga–kung fu fantasy adventure.” The characters are relatable and likable to a teen audience. The storyline is simple and easy to follow without being boring. O’Malley incorporates humor as a big theme throughout the book because Scott uses his humor to deflect his feelings. O’Malley uses humor as an armor against the cold, hard truth that is a reality, which coincides with the way Scott looks at the world. In addition, the illustration is well drawn and follows the aesthetic that O’Malley was going for.

With that being said, small details in the content could be considered problematic. One big issue is that the main character, Scott, is dating Knives Chou. Scott is 23, while Knives is a mere 17 years old. Here, we get the sense that Scott doesn’t really like Knives, but is using her to get over his ex. Although the age gap is troublesome, the book makes up for it, if the reader is willing to overlook the small dilemmas.

I would recommend these books to any high schooler looking for a light, easy, humorous read.

4/5 stars