Picking up a comic based on the recommendation of the blogosphere is kind of like being fixed up on a date by a well-intentioned friend. They know this book; it’s smart and funny and attractive, and they think you’d really hit it off.
Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. Everyone has their own perspective on what’s smart and funny and attractive, and there are bound to be divergences even between people with very similar tastes. What promised to be a pleasant evening could turn out very badly indeed.
Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (Oni) turned out to be one of the best comic fix-ups in my experience. It was, in fact, smart, funny, and attractive to a degree that I sort of wanted to set up the second date well before the first one was finished.
So I sat by the phone, waiting for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World to call. The wait was a little longer than I would have liked, but there was really no chance of it seeming too short. But the lag gave me time to wonder: Was that just a fluke? Now that the newness is gone, will the second date be anywhere near as much fun as the first? What if it’s run out of things to say and just pulls out the same old patter from last time?
I shouldn’t have worried. The second volume, while not as full of eye-popping surprises as the first, is equally charming company. The patter goes a little deeper (even if it’s ostensibly just about garlic bread), and the characters get a little more personal. They’re comfortable enough to share some more embarrassing (and funny) bits of their biographies, and their circle of friends moves in tighter now that the scent of a relationship is in the air.
But as O’Malley fleshes out his cast and lets them cut a little closer to the heart, he’s still playing around with his narrative. As you may remember, the series follows would-be rocker Scott as he tries to win the heart of mesmerizing courier Ramona by defeating her legion of Evil Ex-Boyfriends. Instead of assuming a formula for these encounters, O’Malley changes things up nicely. He foregoes the epic struggle (with a musical score) of the previous set-to, going instead for hilarious anti-climax. I can’t wait to see what he does with the next poor sap from Ramona’s past.
All the strengths of the first volume are in place: the engaging, flexible visuals; the clever, conversational dialogue; the game-for-anything cast, still refreshingly low on irony. The pacing suits the moment, whether it’s a dinner date in Scott’s crappy apartment or a pitched battle in the library. The tone – utterly sweet and sincere, even with the game-logic flourishes – holds everything together and lets O’Malley play around with his narrative.
A lot of people have praised the book for its newness and innovations, which is fine, though I don’t really see it,. The Scott Pilgrim books seem utterly old-fashioned to me: boy meets girl, boy and girl like each other, complications ensue. It doesn’t get any more basic than that, no matter how you dress it up. The playful weirdness and bits of flash are fun to watch, but the substance of the story and characters is what sustains things.