Customer Reviews:
 Funny, tender, original, and hip July 30, 2007
Mr. James D. G. Miles (Cambridge, United Kingdom)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Scott Pilgrim is in a band, is dating a girl in high school, and is, we find out, highly skilled in over-the-top, videogame-style combat.
In Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O'Malley takes us into Scott's world, and the lives of his friends, such as his gay room mate, Wallace Wells (cynical and intelligent, but not bitchy enough to be a stereotype).
What makes Scott Pilgrim a fun series to read is the sharp dialogue, full of non sequiturs and shallowisms, combined with an unreality where videogame and pop culture references take physical forms, escaping their throwaway nature to be genuine plot points and personality traits.
This first book benefits from working on character introductions and leaving plot progression on the side. O'Malley is strongest when his inhabitants are sitting around talking, rather than when anything of actual importance is happening.
 One of the best graphic novels around July 8, 2005
Mr. E. D. P. Marston (Birmingham, UK)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
There's something weird about being a young adult. The innocence and exuberance of childhood is just a fond memory, the excitement of "growing up" has been a bit of an anti-climax, and you feel a bit trapped between holding onto the past and establishing some sort of future for yourself. Or is that just me? I was actually kind of worried that it was until I read this book.For me, reading this book was like somebody turning the light on as I walked into a surprise birthday party. I was suddenly surrounded by people I cared about, who shared my anxieties, but were showing me how absurd and fun it could all be. Don't get me wrong - Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel is not a sedate reassurance of your place in the world - it's a joyous whoop and holler that encourages you to just let go and enjoy yourself. Scott Pilgrim himself is 23, "in between jobs", one year out of a bad break-up and a bass player in an amateur band. He's just started dating a high-schooler, when someone else catches his eye - a new girl in town, an Amazon delivery girl called Ramona Flowers. Sound fairly normal? Turns out he's obsessed with Ramona because she's been using subspace highways through his mind to speed up delivery times, and he'll have to fight each of her seven evil ex-boyfriends if he wants to date her. But that's okay, because Scott is the best fighter in the province, and more than capable of taking on demon girls and fireballs with the power of group singing and air juggles. And this is where the heart of Bryan Lee O'Malley's wonderful achievement lies - in a world full of the bizarre where just about anything can happen, packed with references to comics and computer games, and clues for future instalments, there is always believability. This is helped enormously by the dialogue, which is brilliantly written - genuinely witty and laugh-out-loud funny, while still perfectly reflecting how people actually talk. These aren't just speech bubbles - they're conversations. It reminds me a lot of Channel 4's Spaced, where the wackiness never stopped you rooting for the brilliant, relatable characters, and as such it's no coincidence that the director of Spaced and the fantastic Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright, is attached to a film conversion of this comic. This is a book that anyone can enjoy - those who want to identify with how it feels to be growing older while still treasuring your childhood, nerds who want to spot all the references, anyone who wants to know how to rock (don't worry - there's handy tablature so you can accompany Scott and his band!), and mostly, people who just want to enjoy a really good book, one that's warm, witty and inclusive, not afraid to be daft, and never fails to be fun. All in all, I can't recommend this book highly enough, and I can't wait for the next volumes.
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