Scott Pilgrim

I discovered Scott Pilgrim only recently, but I'm very glad I did. Dripping with pop culture references this graphic novel is influenced by any number of things. visually it owes a lot to manga, it is structured like the video games Scott is always playing, and there is also an undercurrent of music running through the series.

Bryan Lee O'Malley's series tells the story of Scott Pilgrim. Scott is dating Ramona Flowers, but before he can become her boyfriend he has to defeat in combat Ramona's 7 evil ex-boyfriends. This leads to lots of hilarity as Scott battles for his life through fight after fight. Like a computer game each of the evil ex-boyfriends is a level boss and each has a special power and when defeated confer a bonus on to Scott. For example, Todd Ingram has vegan psychic powers, but when Scott beats him Scott gets an extra life. Added to all this Scott's old girlfriends start turning up to complicate things further.

I had a lot of fun reading this series and am looking forward to reading more. Look for the first volume called Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life.