Comments on: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe Review

By: Gene Ha

Gene Ha — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:32:22 +0000

For those who think this one isn’t enough fun:

This is the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Scott Pilgrim saga. It is the best of the bunch. Everyone grows up a bit, people have to deal with their mistakes, so naturally it’s a bit dark. It’s also funny and clever and has the most humanity.

As an artist, I’ll note it’s the best drawn. Bryan’s had some style experiments through the years, but he really seems to have distilled it and has a confidence I haven’t seen before. It’s fluidly cartoony, but there’s a solidity behind the fluidity. This is the first time I could draw (cartoon) skeletons inside the figures and they’d all make sense. The storytelling decisions are also impeccable. It’s still full of self-conscious tricks, but they never detract from the emotional content.

It’s mature and never cheap.

By: Trade Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe | Comics Nexus

Trade Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe | Comics Nexus — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 11:33:06 +0000

[...] subtle. This book continues the series trend of increasing in seriousness each volume, but in my dissenting opinion, O’Malley has taken the drama into too dark a realm for these characters [...]

By: Tyson

Tyson — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:30:06 +0000

FunkyGreenJerusalem nails it perfectly. Being the least interesting Scott Pilgrim book means that it’s still a really good comic, but I was expecting a lot more. Not much Knives, and when she’s there it’s not really fun anymore. Not much Stills, and when’s he there he’s just a jerk. Etc.

Plus, this was the first time where I found it harder to care whether Scott and Ramona would stay together – she’s always had a dark side, but she was kind of unlikeable in this one.

Maybe re-reading it will make me appreciate it more. I’m still excited for volume six, so hopefully that will really crank the fun back up.

By: Hage

Hage — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:12:51 +0000

got it today! comic shop shipment comes in every thursday =D and no1 in singapore knows or cares bout this book but i m spreading the love. somehow.

i ve just bought the 4 books 2 weeks back so i kinda read it all back-to-back. agree with funky that this was also my least fav book. i adore the series for scott’s goofiness and his smart ass wit. that being said, my fav line was prolly: the future..? with jet packs..? LOL

but this book went all serious-like. its okay that bryan spent 1 book doing more intense character development. just felt lik it was kinda like the “order of the phoenix” of the series. i just hope vol 6 would be awesome! with more of scott’s half-brain comments when you least expect them.

also, didnt like the shiny cover. never liked those. they stink! literally! n they bend easily and they remain that way! bah!

By: Grant

Grant — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:08:06 +0000

You’re probably right Brian but I just wanted to highlight the best bit but it doesn’t seem so great out of context espcially with O’Malley’s great drawing and the character’s expressions and body language (particularily Scott’s expression).

I don’t know Funky, to me the book is about the period where you start distancing yourself from some of your friends you knew from college and high school. It seemed to pretty natural to me that some of the characters are fading in the background.

It’s also interesting Scott’s parent and brother make an appearance at the end (since they were barely seen or mentioned at all). I don’t know of there’s any deeper meaner behind that but I found it interesting.

By: FunkyGreenJerusalem

FunkyGreenJerusalem — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:57:53 +0000

I gotta say, this was my least favourite of the series – it really felt like it was only half a volume, and we barely saw any of the other characters… and when we did, they were being dicks (Stills in particular).
The story felt a little rushed to me – like he wanted to show Scott being deeper, and just showed the scenes where he is, but without naturally moving the character to that place.
Maybe I’d feel better about it if it had come out a little quicker – waiting a year really builds your expectations.

By: IndieFan » Shorties (Scott Pilgrim, St. Etienne, and more)

IndieFan » Shorties (Scott Pilgrim, St. Etienne, and more) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:41:01 +0000

[...] Comic Book Resources reviews Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the Universe. [...]

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:49:53 +0000

Great exchange, Grant, but that exchange is even better if you extend it to include the earlier part of it. Doesn’t he open with a general apology (like “sorry for everything”) and she’s all, like, “Sure, whatever,” and THEN he goes to “I’m sorry for me” which really touches her, leading to her response.

By: Grant

Grant — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:28:00 +0000

Book stores usually trades and graphic novels later then the direct market. I suppose it’s why it’s called the direct market.

Yeah I heard it sold out in a few places in NYC. Forbidden Planet had a bunch (they’re good like that).

Definitely one of the strongest volumes. Scott and the series have come a long way. and the focus on Kim and Ramona was nice. Especially Kim who seemed to be one of the more interesting characters in the background (I like how O’Malley gave little hints about what was going on with her life throughout the series).

Favorite exchange:

“I’m Sorry for Me.”
“Apology Accepted.”

By: sgt pepper

sgt pepper — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:05:58 +0000

Well, I’m super pissed that my comic shop (at 3:00 on the day the book was released) was sold out. I have very little use for comic shops anymore and this might have been the final nail in the coffin. Apparently, Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble aren’t carrying the book until late in the month (why?). I’ll proably have picked up a copy off of ebay by then.