Scott Pilgrim Vol 1 & Vol 2 : 3 of 5

I first heard about Scott Pilgrim on Pulp Secret's The Stack podcast (which I watch on my TiVo), and then later I read some other positive reviews, so I thought I should check it out (using a gift certificate from my pal Jonathan!). I considered reviewing it as part of my Manga Mentions series, since each volume is the same size and length as a typical manga, but since I only read manga that was actually written in Japan, I decided against it, so here we are! Scott Pilgrim is hard to describe, but hilarious enough to hook me into the series! The story is like a sitcom about hip twenty-something Canadians, with a healthy dose of superhero fantasy thrown in for fun. Scott is a somewhat average guy who is dating a cute Asian high schooler named Knives Chau, and trying to break up with her to date Ramona Flowers, a cool Amazon delivery girl. Ramona happens to have a "League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends" that Scott must defeat one by one, while also dealing with Knives' jealousy (oh, and he's in a band, too!). The artwork is really cartoony and crazy, but still reads well, and there are loads of comic book and video game references (when Scott wins in a fight, the bad guy disappears and leaves coins behind!). Along with the unique story, the dialogue is fantastic, filled with clever jokes and believable speech patterns. I especially love poor Knives' conversation with her friend about Scott's breakup with her, which is both sad and cute (of course, I think Knives is cuter, so I'm already rooting for the wrong girl). These first two volumes are definitely a great start to the series, and I'm sure I'll be reading the whole thing!