The third volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s much-beloved Scott Pilgrim series, Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, hit the shelves of specialty comic book stores a few days ago. As usual, mainstream bookstore distribution takes a bit longer, and since I’m putatively writing for the casual reader, I try to time my own reviews to a book’s wide availability outside the specialty market (meaning: when Amazon has it). Also, um, I’m sort of back-logged on books to read and review, and I’ve been kind of lazy and kind of busy, simultaneously, lately (note: pay no attention to the real reason behind the curtain — it’s all Amazon’s fault, I tell you! Amazon!) Anyway, a new Scott Pilgrim is too big an event to ignore, even if I don’t have my hands on it yet, so here’s a round-up of what some of the more plugged-in and industrious writers (more plugged-in and industrious than I am, that is) around the web have to say about the book. Interestingly, many of them seem to be music bloggers, rather than comics bloggers, primarily. I kind of expected videogame bloggers to take note of it (they didn’t, as far as I can tell; they’re all mostly recapping E3 press releases, for the most part) — the music angle surprised me (it shouldn’t have).

Mark Fossen (Focused Totality):

It’s hard to make the argument that any book which starts off with a not-nearly-sly wink to Japanese RPG save points is “mature”, but Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness is an evolution, with new storytelling techniques, new structure, and a more complex look at relationships … more

Nick Brewer (CMJ):

Fans of the Scott Pilgrim series will enjoy the instant action of this installment, and people who have not discovered its genius yet should definitely pick up the entire set and enjoy it from the beginning … more

Jeffrey Radcliffe (Tinctoris):

I envy Scott. I don’t envy the messed up elements of his life, but I do wish that I could apply my Street Fighter II skills to solve problems. I can’t fight my way out of my problems, but I certainly enjoy watching him do it … more

Gordon McAlpin (Chase Sequence) actually interviews O’Malley, and gets him going on the topic of “OEL manga” (my own riff on this phenom-du-jour can be found in this week’s feature review of East Coast Rising):

Do you consider Scott Pilgrim to be manga?

Um … No, I think I was just thinking about that today. I guess I was just thinking about the whole OEL thing. I think it’s influenced … I like the term “manga-influenced comics,” but I only like it because no one else likes it.

I don’t know that I want the term “manga,” really, anymore. I mean, my own thing is derivative in a way, but it’s not completely derivative like I consider OEL manga to be completely derivative. I don’t think it has that much room for originality, like, at all. I mean, I used to do it, so I feel like I have a little bit of authority on the subject. I just think they should grow up, get out, and get over it. But maybe I’m just being a jerk. I don’t know … more

O’Malley was also interviewed by Tabassum Siddiqui in the Toronto Star about the book, and the movie deal (apparantly Scott Pilgrim has been optioned by Universal). Here’s something funny he says about that:

“I didn’t originally have the whole thing planned out, but when the movie people came calling, I had to sketch out the rest of the ideas, which I think was a good thing,” O’Malley says. … more

Jeff Lester (Savage Critics), who used to ring up my comic book purchases (and put them in those annoying plastic bags), back when I used to buy comic books, hits the first, and only, sour note in this round-up (though he does go on to recommend the book as his pick of the week, ultimately):

I loved (as I always do) the videogame stuff, the witty dialogue and particularly the boss villain who’s unbeatable because he’s a vegan. (Fucking. Hilarious.) On the “yeah, but…” side, the ambitious alternating flashback structure didn’t work as well as it should have (why did Kid Chameleon fall apart again?), too many of the characters looked alike (despite O’Malley’s thoughtful attention to design) and the endless number of new characters felt less like a rich and bustling world and more like a confusing parade of in-jokes and shout-outs … more

Title: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (Scott Pilgrim Series Volume 3) Creator: Bryan Lee O’Malley Publisher: Oni Press Cover Price: $9.20 Format: B&W Paperback Digest

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