Reading for the Nerd

First, a thank you to all of the well-wishers for my 20th birthday. It was a good day, and now I'm 20. Who knew?

One of the most crucial parts of maintaining this blog is keeping in touch with gamer culture. Well, I'm pretty horrible at that. At best, I learn all about things like "I Am 8-Bit" and Penny Arcade from friends who work at video game retail stores (cough, Griffin, cough).

However, I just recently came across this book, called "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life" by Bryan Lee O'Malley. It's the first volume in a series of one of the funniest things I've ever read in my entire life. Ever. I received the first two volumes of Scott Pilgrim from one Ms. Rowan Barrie for my birthday (thanks, Rowan, I really appreciate it).

The books are in the style of Japanese Manga comics. The catch? They're written by O'Malley, a Canadian, and the books take place in Toronto. The books feature actual locations in Toronto. I heard this from another incredible writer, Scott McCloud, who took a Scott Pilgrim tour of Toronto with his family.

It's the story of a 23-year-old (Pilgrim) in a rock 'n' roll band called Sex Bob-omb (Mario/Tom Jones reference - amazing), which forms after his band Sonic and Knuckles falls through. In the books, he aims to hold onto his relationship with Ramona Flowers by defeating her seven evil ex-boyfriends. On the way, he also has to dodge his own crazy ex-girlfriends and deal with the stresses of waking up before 1 p.m.

This book has been around since 2004, with four volumes currently out (two more are on the way, and a film has been optioned), so I know that I'm extremely slow on the uptake. But each book is chock full of gaming references - from the band names, to whenever he defeats an enemy (they turn into coins and items that Scott picks up).

If you get the chance, pick up AT LEAST the first two books. You'll finish them both in no time flat and ache to read them over and over again. O'Malley is one of the most talented writers I've had the pleasure to see in graphic novel form, and the book just leaves you wanting more and more and more.

(EDIT: This post marks the last time you'll see a Griffin McElroy post on this page without delving into the archives. Scroll all the way down and pour one out for mi amigo. Respeck.)