There is a story type called the hero’s journey. It goes like this: Once upon a time the hero was living his life normally. Then one day something happens that changes his life forever. He must then embark on an epic journey to do something important. He overcomes obstacles, gets stronger, and grows more mature. Often times he meets people he helps and befriends. This is the case for all stories of this type, including Epic Epic of Epicness, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. The story of Scott Pilgrim has one of the most memorable openings ever, with the caption, "It all started with Scott Pilgrim is dating a high schooler." To him, it’s just another day in his precious little life. Living with his gay roommate, Wallace Wells, and playing in his sucky band Sex Bob-omb, a clever Mario reference, with his friends Stephan Stills and Kim Pine. But this all changes when he meets and then proceeds to become obsessed with Ramona Flowers, a girl with Seven Evil Exes, a lot of emotional baggage, and who works as a “Ninja Delivery Girl” for Amazon.ca, a clever reference to modern culture.
In fact, the entire series is littered with references to video game and pop culture. From Stacy Pilgrim, Scott’s Sister, being rated T for Teen, to Scott doing a 64 hit combo in a fight. The books could be described as a swan song to the modern geek. Anyone with any knowledge of video game should be able to see most of them. But if you don’t, it’s still defiantly worth a read. Both for the humor and the story. Scott can be simple-minded at times, but he’s a hero you can root for in his quest to defeat the seven evil exes and win Ramona’s heart.
So while Scott Pilgrim may not do anything new with the hero’s journey archetype, it's a creative take on it, mixed with good characters, funny jokes, and enough references to make a geek's head explode. It's defiantly worth a read. --Brandon Young, Teen Reviewer
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