Subspace Highway

Last Sunday, I spent the late evening walking around Union Square with my friend Graham. Though I don't think I told him about the goal of this blog, I did mention my desire for some new reading material. So after browsing the shelves at the Strand, we headed up the block to see if there were any comics I've been missing out on. Aside from wanting to buy two of James Jean's art books, Graham suggested that I give Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life a shot.

The first volume--of what will be a sextet on July 20th, 2010--has at the very least proven to be as interesting as Graham said it would be. Precious Little Life begins the love-adventure of Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old bassist who has literally just met the girl of his dreams: Ramona Flowers. A punkish, American, rollerblading, delivery girl for Amazon.ca. Boy meets girl--pretty easy, right?

It would be, except that Pilgrim's story begins not with the fact that he has met Ramona, but that he is dating a high schooler--Knives Chau. Sweet and innocent, Knives is the perfect balm for Scott who has been without a girlfriend for over a year--presumably after a horrible break-up. And then there's the fact that in order for someone to date Ramona, they have to fight and defeat her seven (or six) evil ex-boyfriends. Scott's life just went from what Knives would describe as "so amazing. Soooo amazing" to really complicated.

Bryan Lee O'Malley has made an interesting choice for his second original published piece. I'm inclined, if I must, to label this book of sequential art as OEL (Original English Language) manga. As usual, the label does not quite fit. Very much in line with his publisher's, Oni Press, original dissatisfaction, O'Malley's mix of late-80s to mid-90s pop references, manga-esque artwork/layout and mix genre topics make for anything but a dull read, if a bit choppy at times.

O'Malley frequently breaks one of the first rules I learned in English class: "Avoid using brand names in your writing." However, breaking rules are sometimes the only way to get anything worth reading written. The amusement I felt while finding and understanding these references to my own childhood made the rule seem unnecessary. For example, when Pilgrim refers to an old character from Disney's Ducktales:

Aside from being winks at the audience, O'Malley uses these references to flesh out both the tone of this volume, and just who Scott Pilgrim is. Whether it is Scott's inability to stay focused, being made fun of by his friends, or his complete failure at his first attempt to talk to Ramona, O'Malley uses these brand names and trademarks of geekdom to add depth to how Scott thinks, and how Scott sees himself. Not just as a way for the reader to label him.

Another example of this can be seen in the panel on the right. Ramona asks Scott what the "X" on his parka stands for. "Well, obviously one of us went to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and one of us didn't" answers Scott. "Obviously one of us is a total nerd" says Ramona. Again, though it could easily be something that would wear a reader out, O'Malley's references only endear one further to Scott's socially-awkward plight. After all, this "gifted youngster" does put his skills as "best fighter in the province" to the test. Only time will tell if such references will resonate with future readers in the years to come.

As always, the strength and interest of the protagonist relies heavily on the supporting cast. With plenty to choose from--a hard-edged female drummer, a kid sister, a Sex Bob-omb fanboy--I'll be most looking forward to Scott's landlord/roomate and friend Wallace Wells.

Though defined several times in this first volume as "Scott's gay roommate", the tone in which the characters explain this exudes a camaraderie and friendship that is always refreshing. Wallace is introduced to the reader, after all, at the same time that we find out Scott's sleeping arrangements: they share the same futon [left panel].

Wallace's friendship with Scott seems to be the only one where Scott is treated as if he is on equal footing (socially, if not financially). Wallace's sarcastic and understanding of Scott's eccentricities makes him not just an essential character, but another one I want to see more of. He seems to offer himself so easily to the fellow characters and the reader, that it really is hard to resist him. Especially if when I get to watch him do this:

Finally, I was at first taken aback by O'Malley's style. In a medium like sequential art, that is no small problem. I found the style reminded me of Eiichiro Oda's work, which I always found difficult to fully enjoy. And then I saw this page [right]. Aside from Ramona's oddly nonchalant stance in the first panel, the lines and panel-by-panel breakdown made me interested to see what else O'Malley could pull off. For some this may seem odd, as many will most likely be impressed with the video-game-like battle at the end. I'll look forward to seeing how this work is poured into other such scenes.

I'm not positive that the word prolific should be tossed around just yet. I'll definitely be interested to see how this series develops, and what O'Malley has planned for when the series is completed this summer. I may even try and go check out his first piece now.

*And for any of you who may be interested, here's the trailer for the movie that debuted either this morning or at some point yesterday.