Fourth Level!
This is the fourth book (in a series of six) of “Scott Pilgrim” saga.
Creative Team:
Creator, writer and illustrator: Bryan Lee O’Malley
PILGRIM’S PATH GOES INCOGNITA
Are… are you recording music? You have a home studio?! Oh my god.
Do you want something? Can I help you?.
Can you record our album? Sex Bob-Omb needs to record an album! We need to take it to the next level! You saw us in play in volume 3, right? We aren’t all that sucky, right?
Life is good for good ol Bryan Lee O’Malley (the author, duh!) since we notice improvements in the publishing of this fourth book with 8 opening pages in full color, and the best backcover ever (well, so far in the series) especially if you are fan of the old 8-bit video games!
As I guessed while reading the third book (see review), the experience on the fourth was a delicious "terra incognita" since many of what you watched in the film adaptation, was used in the original third book, so while certainly is the same evil ex-"boyfriend" here, the events weren't pictured in the movie version, and along with several other exclusive book events, certainly you'll never know what may happened here, until you read it!
Ironically in this fourth book, you’ll get a pretty straight narrative (if you got my pun! Wink, wink! Well, if you don’t anything about the fourth book, maybe you’ll need to read the second section of this review to get the pun, but don’t worry, you’ll reach it soon enough). Anyway, in this fourth volume you won’t get flashback chapters or flashback glimpses, and nothing related to a flashback at all.
So, you can say that it’s a volume quite attached to the present…
Don’t you just wish this moment could last forever?
This moment with your hand on my boob?
…Smooth, Scott. Real smooth.
Our heroes of the Sex Bob-Omb band are quite busy in this fourth volume…
Scott Pilgrim is maturing, gaining a lot of experience points, and now he has a real job! Washin’ dishes in a restaurant, yes I know, but what can you expect with Scott’s resume? NASA?! This is a looney world, but not that looney!
Also, Scott is finally leaving Wallace’s nest (not that he would have any choice, but still.) and thanks that he isn’t a jobless loser anymore (oh, no! Now he’s a loser with a job! Big difference!), so Ramona Flowers allow him to move in her house.
Stephen Stills is coordinating the record of the Sex Bob-Omb’s first album.
And Kim Pine, well, Kim, mmh… let’s just say that beer and misandry is a terrible mix.
THE LEAGUE: FOURTH ROUND
Your dreams suck, Pilgrim.
Nuh-uh… They’s cool. Like anime.
Roxanne “Roxie” Richter, accomplished fine artist, half-ninja, versed in subspace, armed with a ninja sword, kinda chubbier than she used to be in college and the fact that she is a woman isn’t a deterrent to be…
…the fourth evil ex-boyfriend! I mean girlfriend! I mean ex-girlfriend! Darn it! Evil ex-girlfriend! Geez!
Past love life of Ramona was anything but boring! So, she had a phase in college and got a thing for a time with Roxie Richter, and of course now Roxie want to kill Scott. Nothing that shocking in this story.
However, in the defiant life of Scott Pilgrim, always there are more than one challenge (at a time!) and his hands will be full (besides of Ramona’s boob, of course) with a mysterious stalker with sword (yes, there will be A LOT of swords in this fourth volume) (nope, I won’t spoil who the mysterious stalker is!) and the return of Lisa Miller (do you remember her? From volume 2 (see that review but don’t see the movie, since she isn’t there) Ha! I knew that she would come back!)) with the dangerous accumulated unfulfilled crush for Scott that will put to the test the still fresh and fragile relationship of Scott & Ramona.
About my hunch in the third volume (see that review), well, it wasn’t what I thought. Nope. Not even close. However, I still think that the good ol’ Bryan Lee O’Malley is messing with my mind! Since there is something odd in that secondary (almost tertiary) character and noticing something odd in a world like the one of Scott Pilgrim isn’t cheap talk, so we’ll see (okay, I’ll see!) if there is indeed some hidden surprise about that character.