Scott Pilgrim is a normal Canadian twenty-something doing his best to get his life together while navigating jobs, friends and complicated romantic relationships. He’s a normal guy—except he has to fight a league of evil exes in order to be with his true love. Oh, and did I mention that his world is some kind of cross between video games and reality?

Maybe Scott Pilgrim isn’t that ordinary. Especially once he meets delivery girl/American ninja/girl of his dreams Ramona Flowers. In order to date her, he has to defeat seven of Ramona’s evil exes (somehow they all became evil and formed an evil league). In between battles, Scott has to find a job, keep his band together, break up with his high-school girlfriend, get over an ex of his own and figure out if Ramona really is the One.

Since Scott’s world functions sort of like a video game, there are all kinds of crazy moments scattered throughout his “regular” life. Like when Ramona travels through sub-space highways, or when Scott “levels up” and pulls a flaming sword out of his chest. The battles scenes between Scott and the Evil Exes sometimes involve ninja skills, robots and special magic abilities, and when an ex is defeated, they disappear and leave behind a bunch of coins (or bunnies)!

Scott is busy getting his life together and fighting for Ramona, but there’s plenty of other characters to get to know and love in this series. A couple of my favorites are Scott’s sassy and hilarious roommate Wallace Wells, and Scott’s grumpy bandmate, Kim Pine. They’re all in their twenties, working crappy jobs, living with roommates, playing in bands and generally stumbling their way through life.

Even though Scott’s world is a lot wackier than reality, the characters all (more or less) live real-feeling lives and have their own problems to deal with. Scott and Ramona don’t have a perfect relationship, and Scott’s video-game reality doesn’t always make things easier for him. The author and illustrator, Bryan Lee O’Malley, does a great job balancing the character’s growth and development with crazy action sequences and sly jokes, making for an engaging read.

There are six volumes of Scott Pilgrim’s adventures, and a movie adaptation that is just as fun and exciting as the books!

If you haven’t met Scott Pilgrim and his friends yet, I’d highly recommend taking a trip into his less-than-ordinary world!

-Adina

Adina enjoys cooking and eating (mostly eating), ranting about books and watching movies with her friends. You can find her working at the West End branch or relaxing in her cozy apartment.