SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 05 SP VS THE UNIVERSE

Review by: Tork

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Size: pages
Price: 11.95

AT LAST I HAVE FOUND YOU!!!!!  VICTORY IS MINE, LACK OF SCOTT PILGRIM IN LOCAL STORES!!!!

So, after two weeks of searching and searching, the local shop had a copy of Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 for me.  So, after grabbing it this morning, I ran right through the thing.  On one side of things, I’ve been hearing it’s the best of the series.  Others have been saying it’s the weakest of the series so far.  I will say that I was really worried hearing other people reviewing the book.  All the reasons I was hearing why this volume was great was filling me with dread.  I should say that, when I read the first trade, I think I had the exact opposite reaction of Ron’s.  Where Ron loved the first trade yet was thrown off by the ending, it was that very left turn was the reason I picked up 20.  I really don’t like romance comics much at all.  I understand that Strangers in Paradise and Blankets are good yet I really only like romance in comics in the background for the most part.  So, when I saw that turn into the surreal and wacky, that was what hooked me in.  All the absurd humor and goofy game references were really fun and fresh.  It was if the creators of Ed, Edd n Eddy decided to write Strangers in Paradise.

However, reading the reviews for this trade, I was disheartened to hear that all those wacky things I loved this book for was being pushed aside for the romance.  I want my Scott Pilgrim beating up hilariously powered evil exes and getting coins and leveling up and being told his life will be punched in the face.  You tell me that the book slides more into the troubles of relationships and my expectations have been cut off at the knees.  Nevertheless, I picked it up, expecting to not be happy.  Lo and behold, I actually enjoyed it.  Yes, the silliness and absurdities are toned down a bit but not nearly as much as I thought it was going to be.  There’s mechas and evil boyfriends with interlocking hurricane kicks and all and the book even seems to be going into another layer of the surreal towards the end.  If you were worried as I was about all the talk of this trade going dark and serious, the book still maintains its humor.  Even in its “serious” chapter, the Scott Pilgrim series still maintains an air of humor about itself that drew me in the first place.

The romance and “slice of life” is, in fact, there, but amongst the robot fighting and evil plots, I can deal with it.  It is kind of dark and sad yet there’s enough the light humor intermixed into it to where things are palpable.  Scott’s line about the future while talking with Wallace is a perfect example, I think, of the goofiness and heaviness intermixing well. The art is still crazy and kinetic when it needs to be. While not my favorite of the series, I will say that this book is certainly still entertaining and fun and for whatever reason you like the book, the relationships or the silliness, it’s still a good read for all.

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 4 - Very Good

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