So My big article today is going to maybe more wistful or something dumb, but I'm thinking about Scott Pilgrim and how it was for me the Watchmen of my generation for better or worse.

*Exalted why would you compare Watchmen to Scott Pilgrim?

It's a comic that a lot of people have read and cite's it's influence and has changed how comics are made and SPAWNED a lot of imitators and responses . Hell I remember comics sites use to shill it like crazy.

Indie comics where in a weird transitional phase when Scott came out, the 90's grunge and goth scene where giving way to more manga and webcomic style content and Scott Pilgrim was at the forefront of it.

If you read webcomics Scott might not be too special, but it does have a storytelling style that was more unique, combing parody and actual examination of a transitional phase in life. Scott is in that phase where your coasting.

But I'm not really here to talk about the story other then yes Scott is meant to be a shithead at times who has to figure himself out and that is the journey of the series. It's not hard.

I think about Bryan Lee o'Malley's previous comic lost at sea. It's a less mature book despite having more serious subject matter, depression, mostly because hey we can't always be a big hit with our first work. Still Scott Pilgrim is important for it's weird impact on comics.

I remember during the whole Calarts beanmouth discussion and how in some of the classes they were using Scott Pilgrim in talking about how to design characters, and....yeah I can see that. Thank's Scott for creating the new everyone is tired of art style, Liefeld thanks you.

But yeah Scott like Wathcmen actually inspired a bunch of rip off is in the indie scene for a while. Lucky Penny here is a really blatant one shot if you want to see what I mean. Which is sad because it's good till you see that influence.

Emo boy was another one that was going around at the time too. Not to mention some video game webcomics also incorporated some Scott Pilgrim elements into it. Still Scott is also important in one factor.

Scott was one of the few western comics that released like manga that was successful or talked about. Tokyo pop tried to make a line...that screwed over it's creators and trapped there series in a legal hell. Thanks Tokyo pop for somehow being worse then Marvel or DC at the time.

I will say when Scott finished up there was a backlash to it, a little like Watchmen had but it was still a best seller and the only comic I tend to remember that Oni Press publishes till I think of another series by them...I try to think of the good ones.

Yeah and Scott is a mini franchise, not huge but with the movie and game more people know about it them some comics I could mention. It's kind of insane that so many people know who all the girls are and can argue who is the best one. Not many comics get that now.

and does the series hold up? Like any comic it depends on how tired of certain cliche's you are and of it's influence. I think the comic is fine, but one problem is now it's so well known that the sudden shift in a fighting story is no longer a surprise it once was.

Yeah when the first evil Boyfriend shows up it was actually kind of a twist of the story. Because for most of the comic it's very slice of life and not you know, video game inspired fight comic. This was one of the reasons it's got people talking back in the day.

and like any comic, it's of it's time, because well who knew trap music was going to be a thing or anything else. Then again I'm okay with comics being of there time as long as the focus is not on really hardcore references.

I'm going to admit and I was going to talk about but I actually prefer the Black and White original over the new color edition, The comic was made with black and white in mind so it's use that style to actually nice effect, and the new color edition look off to me in the linework

Scott Pilgrim has been reprinted to death, which is why I compare it to Watchmen, it's one of those comics that is always in circulation and so more people are going to read it and have opinions on it some terrible.

WHO IS MORE PROBLEMATIC SCOTT OR RORSCHACH? THEY BOTH DO TERRIBLE THINGS! HOW COULD THEY!
.....
Jokes aside this just comes with being a popular comic.

But it's not like Scott is a world of saints in my opinion, like the common factor in Ramona relationships is Ramona you know. Scott I feel is about normal who just live in a musical world, except they fight, and they are just flawed.

Now I have no given my option on it but my feelings towards it are nostalgia/10. It was a big book for me growing up and that is why I get that Watchmen or Sandman feeling, that felt like a book that changed everything.

Coming back can be cringy, because you think about the girls you used to like, the people you used to hang out with...and the dreaded....god was as I dumb as Scott? JESUS I WAS!

and honestly Scott does fail in one department compare to Watchmen is probably detail and storytelling craft at times. This isn't a flaw but Scott doesn't really do too much in terms of panel layout, that makes you go. OMG LOOK AT THAT!

Again this is no slight against Scott just talking about it feels more Popcorn popular then critically popular. I never see people break down Scott's panels instead just sharing the funny bits.

and honestly one issue with comics criticism in America, is that if something is different we tend to give more of a pass then say superheroes. A bad work will stick out but indie can get away with more because well it's not superheroes right?

Like I said that is just American comics criticism and man I hate the fact that I'm seeing that BLEED INTO SHONEN now. I hate comics that feel samy too and will call it out, but if the comic is good or bad I want to be honest about it rather then blame it trying to be something.

Bryan other comics Seconds and Snot Girl live in the shadow of Scott for worse, cause they both have there place but don't seem to be connecting as much. It happens Alan Moore had to create From Hell and that didn't stop people from talking about Watchmen.

Snot Girl seems very unique especially but it's more of a colab I feel, rather then a singular artistic vision and it's nice to see Bryan stretch out a little, though the story has taken quite a bit to come together I feel.

and that's really all I have to say on Scott right now, Ramona might have ruined an entire generation of women...somehow. But it was a fun graphic novel series that I enjoyed when it was out, it changed things, and comics are going to be under it's shadow. But Always remember....

There are more stories in comics than the popular ones, and also some lost classic, and book that WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE READ. It's a medium and it should not just be defined by the popular ones. There is more to it then Scott or Rorschach, or even a Smile.