Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe
(Vol. 5)
written and
illustrated by Bryan Lee O' Malley
Oni Press (2009)
ISBN
9781934964101
It was May of last year when I read volume four in the Scott
Pilgrim saga, so I was a little foggy where the story had left
off the last time. The great thing about a Scott Pilgrim book
is that as soon as I started reading, I was right back in the thick
of things and enjoying all of the hijinks.
Scott has battled his way through most of Ramona's evil
ex-boyfriends, but it's taken a toll on his relationship with her and
with his band-mates, too. Ramona's past is creeping up on her too, as
the nefarious Gideon still seems to have a hold on her. As for the
band, Sex Ba-Bomb are recording their first record, but the gigs are
sporadic and Scott kinda sucks on stage. At least he's still kicking
tuckus when it comes to the evil exes.
There were a lot of fun little moments in this volume, but didn't
feel nearly as epic as the other four editions. The story felt like
it was in kind of a holding pattern, while the mystery of Gideon came
into focus--metaphorically and literally. Plus, there was the whole
issue of Scott dating Ramona and Knives at the same time for a while,
and now Knives knows and figures Ramona should know, too.
This volume seemed to shine a brighter spotlight on Kim Pine than
ever before, which I kind of liked. She's snarky, cute, loyal, and
doesn't suffer a whole lot of bullsh*t from Scott or anyone else.
Heck, if Bryan wanted to write another series of graphic novels with
Kim as the focus, I'd have no complaints.
I love the artstyle, which seems especially tightknit in this volume,
or maybe it's just been so long since I read a Scott Pilgrim book
that it felt brand new all over again. In any case, the way the
illustrations turns cutesy and cartoony when Scott feels confused
and/or vulnerable are a nice touch.
Definitely looking forward to the sixth and final volume, which I
hope to read sooner rather than later.
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