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Scott Pilgrim #6
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
It's finally here! Six years and almost 1000 pages have all led to this epic finale! With six of Ramona's seven evil exes dispatched, it should be time for Scott Pilgrim to face Gideon Graves, the biggest and baddest of her former beaus. But didn't Ramona take off at the end of Book 5? Shouldn't that let Scott off the hook? Maybe it should, maybe it shouldn't, but one thing is for certain all of this has been building to Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour!
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2010
About the author
Bryan Lee O'Malley
54 books4,315 followersBryan Lee O'Malley is a Canadian cartoonist. His first original graphic novel was Lost at Sea (2003), and he is best-known for the six-volume Scott Pilgrim series (2004 to 2010). All of his Scott Pilgrim graphic novels were published by Portland, Oregon-based Oni Press. In July 2014 his graphic novel Seconds was released by Ballantine Books. He is also a songwriter and musician (as Kupek and formerly in several short-lived Toronto bands).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,997 reviews
July 22, 2016
4.5/5
What a satisfying ending to this series! The last fight was amazing and I love both the message that it sends and the character development (especially Knives's). Definitely recommend this series if you're just getting into graphic novels like me!
What a satisfying ending to this series! The last fight was amazing and I love both the message that it sends and the character development (especially Knives's). Definitely recommend this series if you're just getting into graphic novels like me!
July 27, 2010
10 Life Changing Lessons To Learn from Scott Pilgirm Series.
1. I'm pretty sure Ramona Flowers is related to Nymphadora Tonks.
2. Inventors needs to invent Subspace Highways. SOON.
3. Never ever date a chick with 7 evil ex-boyfriends.
4. But if she's so damn hot, just prepare your katana.
3. Lightsabers are out. Power of Love and Power of Understanding are in.
6. Sparkling bodies are lame. Glowing heads are epic.
7. Life isn't a matter of milestones, nor of moments but of XP's!!!
8. If your life had a face, I'll punch it in the balls!
9. Childish guys like *coughsMEcoughs* Scott Pilgrim are EPIC!
10. August 13 seems like a very distant date. So.Not.Fair!!
1. I'm pretty sure Ramona Flowers is related to Nymphadora Tonks.
2. Inventors needs to invent Subspace Highways. SOON.
3. Never ever date a chick with 7 evil ex-boyfriends.
4. But if she's so damn hot, just prepare your katana.
3. Lightsabers are out. Power of Love and Power of Understanding are in.
6. Sparkling bodies are lame. Glowing heads are epic.
7. Life isn't a matter of milestones, nor of moments but of XP's!!!
8. If your life had a face, I'll punch it in the balls!
9. Childish guys like *coughsMEcoughs* Scott Pilgrim are EPIC!
10. August 13 seems like a very distant date. So.Not.Fair!!
September 19, 2016
Final Level!
This is the sixth and final book (in a series of six) of “Scott Pilgrim” saga.
Creative Team:
Creator, writer and illustrator: Bryan Lee O’Malley
PILGRIM’S PATH COMES TO AN END
I don’t think I’m ready to be a grown-up.
I don’t think you are either, buddy. But hey, you’ll get it.
It just takes practice.
This final book was…
AWESOME!!!
Even I think that the art was even better (the artwork along the series was always good) but I don’t know it’s like the inking is better, the use of shadowing is better, the backgrounds are better, even the nights are better!!!
You can’t be mistaken! Scott Pilgrim’s saga comes to an end and it’s with a bang!
Scott Pilgrim’s life reached low in absurd levels, his band (Sex Bob-Omb) broke up, he has been jumping from place to place, he lost his job, and…
…Ramona Flowers disappeared (literally!!!).
Knives Chau is finally 18 years old, and almost no longer a high schooler, and almost free of her infatuation for Scott… almost… but plenty enough.
Envy Adams is back in town, due the harsh rupture of Clash at Demonhead’s band, she is now a solo singer and about to present her first solo album and guess what? Yep. She’ll do it in a new club owned by Gideon (see the second section of this review).
Kim Pine is out of town, got back to her parents’ home and trying to find herself.
Young Neil isn’t that young anymore, and that’s it about his participation. Thanks for asking.
Stephen Stills formed a new band! (and no, Scott isn’t on it!)
Julie Powers (I didn’t mention her before in the saga’s reviews) never did something relevant in the whole story (that’s why I never mentioned her before), she was the original and best, mean bitch queen alright, but hardly that qualifies her to be a character that it was always mentioned in the main cast of the saga.
Stacey Pilgrim was never pushed to her real potential as character, it’s not like she does something really relevant in the movie, but still, I was expecting more about Stacey, since definitely she had a lot of potential as character.
Wallace is still Scott’s conscience, and along with Kim, they are responsible to help Scott to find his path again…
…but you’ll have to read the book to find out the rest, folks!
But trust me…
…it’s awesome!
THE LEAGUE: SEVENTH ROUND – FINAL BOSS
I don’t even want to fight you! The secondary characters made me do it! She’s gone, okay?!
That makes you the newest member of the league, doesn’t it?
The league of evil ex-boyfriends?
Join me, Scott, and I will complete your training! Together we can rule Ramona’s future love life!
Gideon Gordon Graves, millionaire, professional asshole, vicious mastermind, he likes to control what his women should wear, say, think and even when they should stay (literally) frozen meanwhile he’s busy, the very embodiment of everything that’s evil in Scott Pilgrim’s world, final boss and intellectual founder & financial supporter of the League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends!
Honestly, if you think that movie version of Gideon was bad (in the evil sense, duh!)...
...you still have to see the original book version of Gideon!
GEEZ FRAKKIN’ DARN!!!
Scott V. Gideon: the Dawn of Lunacy…
…this is the fight that you were waiting for five books, and certainly the waiting paid off, since is definitely an awesome final duel, with several surprising twists and shocks…
…even stuff that we already embraced as normal or didn’t pay attention, you’ll realize that they shouldn’t being normal or that you should paid attention, but…
…that’s the appealing of Scott Pilgrim’s saga!
Oh! And…
…The final update on my hunch (see reviews of books 3, 4 & 5)…
…well, the hunch didn’t pay off. Bummer. I mean, there was something about this secondary (almost tertiary) character in relation with a relevant secondary (almost primary) character, but pleeeeease! What resulted was sooooo obvious that I saw it coming since the third book. It wasn’t even a shock. My hunch was expecting something else, something related to the main story, some kind of surprising plot twist, but nope. Oh, and I won’t say who that character was, since I guess if you ever read the story, you’ll know about who I was speaking about.
But don’t get distracted with this darn hunch that didn’t reach anywhere!
Scott Pilgrim’s saga is fun, entertaining, clever, and if you can deal with all its wackiness, you’ll have a wonderful thrillin' ride while reading it!!!
This is the sixth and final book (in a series of six) of “Scott Pilgrim” saga.
Creative Team:
Creator, writer and illustrator: Bryan Lee O’Malley
PILGRIM’S PATH COMES TO AN END
I don’t think I’m ready to be a grown-up.
I don’t think you are either, buddy. But hey, you’ll get it.
It just takes practice.
This final book was…
AWESOME!!!
Even I think that the art was even better (the artwork along the series was always good) but I don’t know it’s like the inking is better, the use of shadowing is better, the backgrounds are better, even the nights are better!!!
You can’t be mistaken! Scott Pilgrim’s saga comes to an end and it’s with a bang!
Scott Pilgrim’s life reached low in absurd levels, his band (Sex Bob-Omb) broke up, he has been jumping from place to place, he lost his job, and…
…Ramona Flowers disappeared (literally!!!).
Knives Chau is finally 18 years old, and almost no longer a high schooler, and almost free of her infatuation for Scott… almost… but plenty enough.
Envy Adams is back in town, due the harsh rupture of Clash at Demonhead’s band, she is now a solo singer and about to present her first solo album and guess what? Yep. She’ll do it in a new club owned by Gideon (see the second section of this review).
Kim Pine is out of town, got back to her parents’ home and trying to find herself.
Young Neil isn’t that young anymore, and that’s it about his participation. Thanks for asking.
Stephen Stills formed a new band! (and no, Scott isn’t on it!)
Julie Powers (I didn’t mention her before in the saga’s reviews) never did something relevant in the whole story (that’s why I never mentioned her before), she was the original and best, mean bitch queen alright, but hardly that qualifies her to be a character that it was always mentioned in the main cast of the saga.
Stacey Pilgrim was never pushed to her real potential as character, it’s not like she does something really relevant in the movie, but still, I was expecting more about Stacey, since definitely she had a lot of potential as character.
Wallace is still Scott’s conscience, and along with Kim, they are responsible to help Scott to find his path again…
…but you’ll have to read the book to find out the rest, folks!
But trust me…
…it’s awesome!
THE LEAGUE: SEVENTH ROUND – FINAL BOSS
I don’t even want to fight you! The secondary characters made me do it! She’s gone, okay?!
That makes you the newest member of the league, doesn’t it?
The league of evil ex-boyfriends?
Join me, Scott, and I will complete your training! Together we can rule Ramona’s future love life!
Gideon Gordon Graves, millionaire, professional asshole, vicious mastermind, he likes to control what his women should wear, say, think and even when they should stay (literally) frozen meanwhile he’s busy, the very embodiment of everything that’s evil in Scott Pilgrim’s world, final boss and intellectual founder & financial supporter of the League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends!
Honestly, if you think that movie version of Gideon was bad (in the evil sense, duh!)...
...you still have to see the original book version of Gideon!
GEEZ FRAKKIN’ DARN!!!
Scott V. Gideon: the Dawn of Lunacy…
…this is the fight that you were waiting for five books, and certainly the waiting paid off, since is definitely an awesome final duel, with several surprising twists and shocks…
…even stuff that we already embraced as normal or didn’t pay attention, you’ll realize that they shouldn’t being normal or that you should paid attention, but…
…that’s the appealing of Scott Pilgrim’s saga!
Oh! And…
…The final update on my hunch (see reviews of books 3, 4 & 5)…
…well, the hunch didn’t pay off. Bummer. I mean, there was something about this secondary (almost tertiary) character in relation with a relevant secondary (almost primary) character, but pleeeeease! What resulted was sooooo obvious that I saw it coming since the third book. It wasn’t even a shock. My hunch was expecting something else, something related to the main story, some kind of surprising plot twist, but nope. Oh, and I won’t say who that character was, since I guess if you ever read the story, you’ll know about who I was speaking about.
But don’t get distracted with this darn hunch that didn’t reach anywhere!
Scott Pilgrim’s saga is fun, entertaining, clever, and if you can deal with all its wackiness, you’ll have a wonderful thrillin' ride while reading it!!!
February 23, 2021
Having completed all required tasks to date, Scott's at a loss, after losing Ramona! Where's Ramona? Will Scott face the final evil ex boyfriend, Gideon? And, what is Gideon's story? The final instalment of this cult indie-rock-anime-slacker-nerd off-beat romantic smash-em-up dark-ish comedy leaves me as underwhelmed as the entire series. The art homage to anime is pretty good, but I don't feel that it works with this material. The plot is like for a 10 year old (no offence to 10 year olds). I don't often not recommend a series, but this is close, say if you'er reading less than 20 graphic novel serials a year, I wouldn't waste my time with this one. 5 out of 12
For the record, I read the original monochrome editions.
For the record, I read the original monochrome editions.
November 25, 2023
Edit after re-read. Scott Pilgrim vs the anime. I decided to re-read this series after watching Netflix's animated show and I probably should have done that before. Show while it's awesome and fitfully adapts O'Malley art style requires previous knowledge to enjoy fully. Without spoilers I can't say anything but I wouldn't call it re-imagining or adaptation. Closest parallel I can think of is New game+ mod in games (or maybe I'm playing too many roguelikes these day) /edit
Scott Pilgrim vs the movie.
Throughout the series I wasn't sure do I like movie or comic better.After I finished it I decided I like comic a lot more and that is saying something since I loved the movie.
Movie is like a compilation of most awesome Scott Pilgrim moments.Some events and dialogues where altered and some cut out but it's same kind of meta humor with lot of pop culture and gaming references.
I find comic better because there is lot more to it.Comic takes place over a course of a year and it has lot more events, lot more back story and character development.We see growth of almost every major character, they change and so does their relationships.
Where I like movie more are the visuals.I didn't hate comics illustration's like I did in Seconds (Graphic novel by the same author with same kind of illustrations) but I'm not fan of jRPG/manga-like style and I heavily prefer visual style of the movie.
At the end I think it's obvious I liked comic more but if you are not sure what you are getting into I would recommend watching movie first.Scott Pilgrim is peculiar beast and it's something you either love or hate with a passion and movie takes less time committed than 6 volumes of comic book and if you liked the movies than this is must read.
For the end one of my favorite quotes from this volume and series in general:
Scott:"This can't be the same, can they?"
Ramona:"Dude... Things never were the same. Change is... It's what we get".
Scott Pilgrim vs the movie.
Throughout the series I wasn't sure do I like movie or comic better.After I finished it I decided I like comic a lot more and that is saying something since I loved the movie.
Movie is like a compilation of most awesome Scott Pilgrim moments.Some events and dialogues where altered and some cut out but it's same kind of meta humor with lot of pop culture and gaming references.
I find comic better because there is lot more to it.Comic takes place over a course of a year and it has lot more events, lot more back story and character development.We see growth of almost every major character, they change and so does their relationships.
Where I like movie more are the visuals.I didn't hate comics illustration's like I did in Seconds (Graphic novel by the same author with same kind of illustrations) but I'm not fan of jRPG/manga-like style and I heavily prefer visual style of the movie.
At the end I think it's obvious I liked comic more but if you are not sure what you are getting into I would recommend watching movie first.Scott Pilgrim is peculiar beast and it's something you either love or hate with a passion and movie takes less time committed than 6 volumes of comic book and if you liked the movies than this is must read.
For the end one of my favorite quotes from this volume and series in general:
Scott:"This can't be the same, can they?"
Ramona:"Dude... Things never were the same. Change is... It's what we get".
July 28, 2010
1.5 stars. In the previous volumes of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim epic, there had been a buildup to a metaphysical / existential conclusion. Characters were floating in and out of a reality that was peppered with video game physics and razor-sharp wit, and it seemed natural that the final volume would be a collision of parallel worlds.
The finale, however, seems to play into a chaos-driven philosophy in explaining its logic. What seems to be intended as a post-modern foray into love, redemption and comeuppance instead reads as disjointed and completely random. Gone too is the humor and affection of the main characters and supporting cast, as they seem to embody the roles of stand-ins to provide obtuse and at times unfunny humor. There is random, uncharacteristically blunt talk of sex and nihilism, which in O'Malley's world can indeed be funny, but for some inexplicable reason in the book, the dialogue comes off as unlikable and off-putting.
Although the book took some time to come out, it feels rushed and incomplete, and sadly, it feels completely flat. O'Malley, who previously wrote, drew and lettered the series himself, has taken on two more artists for this volume, and the book very much feels out of O'Malley's talented hands. It is shockingly inconsistent with the other books, and that leads to a tremendous letdown and a flat ending to one of the most enjoyable graphic novels of the decade. A major, major disappointment.
The finale, however, seems to play into a chaos-driven philosophy in explaining its logic. What seems to be intended as a post-modern foray into love, redemption and comeuppance instead reads as disjointed and completely random. Gone too is the humor and affection of the main characters and supporting cast, as they seem to embody the roles of stand-ins to provide obtuse and at times unfunny humor. There is random, uncharacteristically blunt talk of sex and nihilism, which in O'Malley's world can indeed be funny, but for some inexplicable reason in the book, the dialogue comes off as unlikable and off-putting.
Although the book took some time to come out, it feels rushed and incomplete, and sadly, it feels completely flat. O'Malley, who previously wrote, drew and lettered the series himself, has taken on two more artists for this volume, and the book very much feels out of O'Malley's talented hands. It is shockingly inconsistent with the other books, and that leads to a tremendous letdown and a flat ending to one of the most enjoyable graphic novels of the decade. A major, major disappointment.
June 27, 2017
4.5
Y juntos, tomados de la mano, se perdieron en la puerta del subespacio...
Gracias por tanto, Bryan.
Y juntos, tomados de la mano, se perdieron en la puerta del subespacio...
Gracias por tanto, Bryan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2016
Ok, so there is some cool stuff here: closure on Kim, Envy and Knives and of course walking off with Ramona (duh, like we didn't know that was gonna happen). The battle with Gideon wasn't bad and the new band? Eh, I preferred Sex Bom-ombs or whatever it was called. Didn't see the point of that story arc I guess.
Overall, I give the Pilgrim series a 3.5 rounded up to 4. I am an old far so it was probably more of a 4.5 for the targeted Millennial audience. I am not completely out of it so I could appreciate the +50 XP references and all and the art is great. Just, I found the story confusing at points and sloppy in others but there were still enough surprises and the 6+ battles to look forward to. Guess I gotta see the movie now!
Overall, I give the Pilgrim series a 3.5 rounded up to 4. I am an old far so it was probably more of a 4.5 for the targeted Millennial audience. I am not completely out of it so I could appreciate the +50 XP references and all and the art is great. Just, I found the story confusing at points and sloppy in others but there were still enough surprises and the 6+ battles to look forward to. Guess I gotta see the movie now!
January 11, 2016
Reading Scott Pilgrim series
Enjoyment +3
Free time -1
Satisfaction +2
Reading challenge +6 ( can go to +8 with the two short stories )
Social life -2 ( worth it )
Now, this last volume it’s very different from all the others and is a roller coaster. You go from this
image:
to this
image:
Everyone have their own way of dealing with problems, but no matter what you do you can’t run forever. Here we have Ramona and Scott two people that so far were avoided their past mistakes. Now they both decide it’s time to face the truth. Besides their own problematic self they have another problem GIDEON!! Blaaahh I hate that guy. He is Ramona’s last evil ex-boyfriend and of course the most powerful ( there is a reason for that ).
About the entire series. The writing is great, it’s real life problems presented in the most awesome way possible. The lead characters are evolve though the story and they really loveable. The support characters are one of the best things in the entire series. I can’t imagine how this would be without Kim , Wallace, Knives etc. Every good hero needs a good villain and here Scott find him ( I’m talking about Gideon ). And when you I finished it I was like
image:
Which is exactly what I was looking for. So 5/5 stars
Enjoyment +3
Free time -1
Satisfaction +2
Reading challenge +6 ( can go to +8 with the two short stories )
Social life -2 ( worth it )
Now, this last volume it’s very different from all the others and is a roller coaster. You go from this
image:
to this
image:
Everyone have their own way of dealing with problems, but no matter what you do you can’t run forever. Here we have Ramona and Scott two people that so far were avoided their past mistakes. Now they both decide it’s time to face the truth. Besides their own problematic self they have another problem GIDEON!! Blaaahh I hate that guy. He is Ramona’s last evil ex-boyfriend and of course the most powerful ( there is a reason for that ).
About the entire series. The writing is great, it’s real life problems presented in the most awesome way possible. The lead characters are evolve though the story and they really loveable. The support characters are one of the best things in the entire series. I can’t imagine how this would be without Kim , Wallace, Knives etc. Every good hero needs a good villain and here Scott find him ( I’m talking about Gideon ). And when you I finished it I was like
image:
Which is exactly what I was looking for. So 5/5 stars
December 21, 2020
This series ended magnificently. There's a lot of closure; whether it's character arcs, or Scott and Ramona getting to the chance to actually fix their relationship and not become evil exes of each other. If you're familiar with Edgar Wright Scott Pilgrim movie, this ending is way different but ultimately more satisfying.
I've re-read this series in the colored edition and it's simply the best way to enjoy this story.
I've re-read this series in the colored edition and it's simply the best way to enjoy this story.
February 13, 2023
The final epic showdown between Scott and Gideon doesn't disappoint. It goes into full on battle mode with dozens of pages of action. Super entertaining.
"John Kantz and Aaron Ancheta served as art assistants on this book". The art is a bit more polished than usual.
"John Kantz and Aaron Ancheta served as art assistants on this book". The art is a bit more polished than usual.
December 19, 2016
Ahhhh...well that was pretty satisfying, although not quite as satisfying as I would have liked. Considering the huge build-up concerning Gideon, I thought his defeat was pretty anticlimactic :/
Nothing was ever really resolved concerning Kim which was a shame because I honestly think she was the best choice for Scott. There was a bit of closure for Scott and Envy which was nice and Ramona...well Ramona was her usual complex self. She literally disappeared in volume 5 and re-appeared in this one. Luckily, she teamed up with Scott to defeat her evil-ex - now that was satisfying!
The whole philosophy behind the league and being inside Gideon's messed-up head could have been tighter and sharper in my opinion but overall it was a pretty decent ending to an incredibly unique series.
Nothing was ever really resolved concerning Kim which was a shame because I honestly think she was the best choice for Scott. There was a bit of closure for Scott and Envy which was nice and Ramona...well Ramona was her usual complex self. She literally disappeared in volume 5 and re-appeared in this one. Luckily, she teamed up with Scott to defeat her evil-ex - now that was satisfying!
The whole philosophy behind the league and being inside Gideon's messed-up head could have been tighter and sharper in my opinion but overall it was a pretty decent ending to an incredibly unique series.
May 9, 2020
What an absolutely crackin' ending 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
January 31, 2011
Hey, that was pretty good; much better than the rest, in any case. The new artists definitely helped. It's funny, but in all the reviews, no one ever mentions that Pilgrim hired Kantz and Ancheta, but then again, it's not like they get billing on the cover, which is a pretty disingenuous move by O'Malley: he brings in some talented artists and he gets all the credit.
I'm surprised that more people didn't recognize the change right away, there was a bigger art shift from vol 5 to 6 than from vol 1-5. You go from sketchy, loose buildings to CG-aided perfect perspective.
As for the story, we didn't need over a thousand pages to get here, there were only about three volumes worth of story. It also would have been better with some stronger structure and development that drove toward this conclusion. O'Malley did a lot of foreshadowing, but that isn't the same as actually exploring how events came about or what they meant.
Apparently, O'Malley saved anything unexpected or introspective for the final volume, which I'm not sure was the best pacing decision, but at least we get one good book out of it. My webcomic analogy stands: first 90% is confused, dull, melodramatic, and painfully autobiographical, last ten percent is kinda fun and quirky.
I'm rather glad I kept with it, despite it being dull and oddly homophobic. I probably would have enjoyed back issues of 2000AD more, but enjoyment is not the primary goal; sometimes you read stuff you don't love to try to push your boundaries.
And comics are much more forgiving, in that regard. If someone says that Scott Pilgrim gets better at the end, it's only another hour or so of my life, not like with genre fantasy series where, apparently, to determine conclusively whether George R.R. Martin sucks, I have to spend six straight months in a hole flipping bound paper freeweights.
So yeah, Scott Pilgrim was okay, a bit dull, melodramatic, insulting, trendy, lolrandumb, homophobic, and messily-structured, but overall okay. Then again, I'm just a sad, out-of-touch old man, so what do I know?
I'm surprised that more people didn't recognize the change right away, there was a bigger art shift from vol 5 to 6 than from vol 1-5. You go from sketchy, loose buildings to CG-aided perfect perspective.
As for the story, we didn't need over a thousand pages to get here, there were only about three volumes worth of story. It also would have been better with some stronger structure and development that drove toward this conclusion. O'Malley did a lot of foreshadowing, but that isn't the same as actually exploring how events came about or what they meant.
Apparently, O'Malley saved anything unexpected or introspective for the final volume, which I'm not sure was the best pacing decision, but at least we get one good book out of it. My webcomic analogy stands: first 90% is confused, dull, melodramatic, and painfully autobiographical, last ten percent is kinda fun and quirky.
I'm rather glad I kept with it, despite it being dull and oddly homophobic. I probably would have enjoyed back issues of 2000AD more, but enjoyment is not the primary goal; sometimes you read stuff you don't love to try to push your boundaries.
And comics are much more forgiving, in that regard. If someone says that Scott Pilgrim gets better at the end, it's only another hour or so of my life, not like with genre fantasy series where, apparently, to determine conclusively whether George R.R. Martin sucks, I have to spend six straight months in a hole flipping bound paper freeweights.
So yeah, Scott Pilgrim was okay, a bit dull, melodramatic, insulting, trendy, lolrandumb, homophobic, and messily-structured, but overall okay. Then again, I'm just a sad, out-of-touch old man, so what do I know?
August 13, 2016
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
Finally writing this review!
I think Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour is a pretty good conclusion to the series. After the events of the last volume Scott hit rock bottom and his state was not much better at the beginning of this volume, not to mention that he was a total creep, especially with Knives.
The other thing, which I thought was cool, was the fact that things with Envy were resolved, as she was maybe the only villain/anti-hero that concluded their story-arch in an amicable way with the heroes. I was also impressed how the narrative slightly changed. Up until this volume everything around Scott was described more or less the way HE sees it, but here we were able to see that Scott is maybe not the most reliable narrator after all. Which made me like Envy more than I expected!
This takes me to the battle of the two Scott's. Even though this book is mostly fun, I can't not see how there are some pretty accurate descriptions of emotional states, which through the magic of comic books are instead made into reality. In this case I am referring to the fact that Scott had such a strong inner battle for staying sane and not be overcome by sadness/depression/etc. that it actually manifested and it was the power of love and hope that helped Scott defeat it.
The point of the volume, the showdown with Gideon, was a little underwhelming, simply because he was described as too formidable an enemy in all previous volumes. However, I loved the story with the cat, especially the one panel where Scott cuddled the cat! Another thing that I appreciated is how they went back to Scott winning a life in one of the previous volumes, as at the time I read it, I was really hoping it would not be forgotten later on.
Overall, this has been a great series and I am glad I read it!
Thanks to my comic book guru, Mateusz, for recommending it.
Finally writing this review!
I think Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour is a pretty good conclusion to the series. After the events of the last volume Scott hit rock bottom and his state was not much better at the beginning of this volume, not to mention that he was a total creep, especially with Knives.
The other thing, which I thought was cool, was the fact that things with Envy were resolved, as she was maybe the only villain/anti-hero that concluded their story-arch in an amicable way with the heroes. I was also impressed how the narrative slightly changed. Up until this volume everything around Scott was described more or less the way HE sees it, but here we were able to see that Scott is maybe not the most reliable narrator after all. Which made me like Envy more than I expected!
This takes me to the battle of the two Scott's. Even though this book is mostly fun, I can't not see how there are some pretty accurate descriptions of emotional states, which through the magic of comic books are instead made into reality. In this case I am referring to the fact that Scott had such a strong inner battle for staying sane and not be overcome by sadness/depression/etc. that it actually manifested and it was the power of love and hope that helped Scott defeat it.
The point of the volume, the showdown with Gideon, was a little underwhelming, simply because he was described as too formidable an enemy in all previous volumes. However, I loved the story with the cat, especially the one panel where Scott cuddled the cat! Another thing that I appreciated is how they went back to Scott winning a life in one of the previous volumes, as at the time I read it, I was really hoping it would not be forgotten later on.
Overall, this has been a great series and I am glad I read it!
Thanks to my comic book guru, Mateusz, for recommending it.
December 14, 2016
Oh, I am definitely at the minority here. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour is my least favorite volume in the series.
Before I get to this particular volume, let me say first that the whole Scott Pilgrim series is a very worthwhile read. There is nothing that is near it. The mashup of Japanese with western pop culture makes it unique. Bryan Lee O'Malley has definitely crafted a classic. The whole series is a four stars for me.
Now back with the final volume. The best I can say is that it is a fitting conclusion to this crazy story. If there's one word that summarizes this particular book, it is maturity. But you see, that is my problem with volume six. This maturity theme takes so much fun away from the story. Everyone (except for Scott) sort of changed and moved on. The thing is, I just wanted a silly book about juveniles with all those hilarious pop culture references in music and gaming, getting crazy and lousy with love or perhaps their perception of it. I wasn't ready for the unexpected serious undertones. The buildup towards the Gideon fight was full of exposition and self-realization, and I cringed reading those pages (that Nega Scott thing, the sabbatical wilderness stuff and the cryo-frozen fan-service anime girls Gideon has been collecting). The Saiyan Gideon inside Ramona's mind, treating her like some BDSM material gave me very uncomfortable sensations. It is just waaaay off.
So to summarize what I have written so far: it is not that I hate this maturity thing in the final volume, it is just I do not want it in this material. Scott Pilgrim for me is meant to be an unadulterated guilty-pleasure graphic literature, free from preaching and the horrors of understanding what it is to be adults.
The biggest contradiction though is Scott Pilgrim getting on with Ramona Flowers! If Scott truly understood maturity, he would not have chosen Ramona IMHO. Hell, he could have been with Knives or Lisa, or even Kim! I guess it is the power of Backstreet Boys' "As Long as You Love Me" perception of love which prevailed, eh?
So again, let me be clear, the narration is solid, I just don't like how it turned out to be. There were no disjointed panels like the ones I have mentioned in the previous volumes. Artwork is inconsistent in some pages, but this is a nitpick so it is not a big issue. Thus the two stars is more of a personal preference/rant and not a score from a technical standpoint.
Before I get to this particular volume, let me say first that the whole Scott Pilgrim series is a very worthwhile read. There is nothing that is near it. The mashup of Japanese with western pop culture makes it unique. Bryan Lee O'Malley has definitely crafted a classic. The whole series is a four stars for me.
Now back with the final volume. The best I can say is that it is a fitting conclusion to this crazy story. If there's one word that summarizes this particular book, it is maturity. But you see, that is my problem with volume six. This maturity theme takes so much fun away from the story. Everyone (except for Scott) sort of changed and moved on. The thing is, I just wanted a silly book about juveniles with all those hilarious pop culture references in music and gaming, getting crazy and lousy with love or perhaps their perception of it. I wasn't ready for the unexpected serious undertones. The buildup towards the Gideon fight was full of exposition and self-realization, and I cringed reading those pages (that Nega Scott thing, the sabbatical wilderness stuff and the cryo-frozen fan-service anime girls Gideon has been collecting). The Saiyan Gideon inside Ramona's mind, treating her like some BDSM material gave me very uncomfortable sensations. It is just waaaay off.
So to summarize what I have written so far: it is not that I hate this maturity thing in the final volume, it is just I do not want it in this material. Scott Pilgrim for me is meant to be an unadulterated guilty-pleasure graphic literature, free from preaching and the horrors of understanding what it is to be adults.
The biggest contradiction though is Scott Pilgrim getting on with Ramona Flowers! If Scott truly understood maturity, he would not have chosen Ramona IMHO. Hell, he could have been with Knives or Lisa, or even Kim! I guess it is the power of Backstreet Boys' "As Long as You Love Me" perception of love which prevailed, eh?
So again, let me be clear, the narration is solid, I just don't like how it turned out to be. There were no disjointed panels like the ones I have mentioned in the previous volumes. Artwork is inconsistent in some pages, but this is a nitpick so it is not a big issue. Thus the two stars is more of a personal preference/rant and not a score from a technical standpoint.
December 6, 2015
3.5ish out of 5
THIS is probably my least favourite of the six volumes which is a bit of a shame but I still enjoyed it so all good. I think I would have liked this a lot more had I not seen the movie before reading these because I spent the whole time comparing the final volume to the movie. Scott really annoyed me in this volume- normally I find him really cute and quirky but this time he was just annoying and selfish.
I liked getting more backstory for Ramona and Envy and stuff but it was still kind of meh overall. Not the best conclusion to a series ever but still a pretty great series.
THIS is probably my least favourite of the six volumes which is a bit of a shame but I still enjoyed it so all good. I think I would have liked this a lot more had I not seen the movie before reading these because I spent the whole time comparing the final volume to the movie. Scott really annoyed me in this volume- normally I find him really cute and quirky but this time he was just annoying and selfish.
I liked getting more backstory for Ramona and Envy and stuff but it was still kind of meh overall. Not the best conclusion to a series ever but still a pretty great series.
January 27, 2024
i love these cute, silly, little guys on my screen
July 23, 2010
This review doesn't so much contain spoilers as consist of them.
So. Anyway.
I hadn't reviewed any of the previous volumes because I like watching narrative skeins play out. From the end, O'Malley doesn't disappoint me at all. At a certain kind of entertaining, geeky writing about relationships, he's a master, the equal of Moore & Eick or DiMartino and Konietzko. Call it the Higher Fanservice.
There is, probably, something to these books other than the sheer pleasure they create in watching relationships play out, but I almost don't care. Geeks need soap operas too. I'm just so happy that Jonathan and Stephen Stills ended up together! That Knives turned out okay! I sort of shipped Kim and Scott, but a case is made, and noted by the characters, that maybe Scott and Ramona actually are perfect for each other. It's not that either is the shining human being Scott has imagined, but that they're both sort of lame, and trying to get better together. Scott's attempts to get his ex-girlfriends back (even Envy!) are pathetic, and realistically cartoonish, and funny and true.
Gideon is my favorite Big Bad since volume 3: creepy, gross, and generally awful (cryogenically frozen ex-girlfriends FTL), but still oddly human, except in his own and other people's minds. Scott's Level of Understanding makes so much mid-twenties sense. I sort of love that the League of Evil Exes began as a drunken Craigslist post.
My life hasn't been much like Scott Pilgrim's. (Less little? Less precious? And yes, if his life had a face, I'd punch it in the balls.) Yet I knew him and all of his friends on sight. I won't attempt to defend these books as great comic art-- I lack the vocabulary or, really, the taste-- but as a generational touchstone and a pure entertainment, I can ask no more. I can read one of these volumes in half an hour, and do it over and over.
So. Anyway.
I hadn't reviewed any of the previous volumes because I like watching narrative skeins play out. From the end, O'Malley doesn't disappoint me at all. At a certain kind of entertaining, geeky writing about relationships, he's a master, the equal of Moore & Eick or DiMartino and Konietzko. Call it the Higher Fanservice.
There is, probably, something to these books other than the sheer pleasure they create in watching relationships play out, but I almost don't care. Geeks need soap operas too. I'm just so happy that Jonathan and Stephen Stills ended up together! That Knives turned out okay! I sort of shipped Kim and Scott, but a case is made, and noted by the characters, that maybe Scott and Ramona actually are perfect for each other. It's not that either is the shining human being Scott has imagined, but that they're both sort of lame, and trying to get better together. Scott's attempts to get his ex-girlfriends back (even Envy!) are pathetic, and realistically cartoonish, and funny and true.
Gideon is my favorite Big Bad since volume 3: creepy, gross, and generally awful (cryogenically frozen ex-girlfriends FTL), but still oddly human, except in his own and other people's minds. Scott's Level of Understanding makes so much mid-twenties sense. I sort of love that the League of Evil Exes began as a drunken Craigslist post.
My life hasn't been much like Scott Pilgrim's. (Less little? Less precious? And yes, if his life had a face, I'd punch it in the balls.) Yet I knew him and all of his friends on sight. I won't attempt to defend these books as great comic art-- I lack the vocabulary or, really, the taste-- but as a generational touchstone and a pure entertainment, I can ask no more. I can read one of these volumes in half an hour, and do it over and over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2012
The final book in the excellent Scott Pilgrim series winds up a storyline you probably had seen coming from Book 1 – Scott defeats the final Evil-Ex (or the Boss of the final level) and gets the girl. There’re spades of anime-style fighting, lots of video game references, and Gideon is as villainous as any villain should be.
But despite its predictability, it’s too damn likeable, funny, and entertaining to ever make me feel I was reading something derivative or tired. Scott’s too damn charming and his entire strange quest is too much fun to read, it’s impossible to put the book down once you’ve started reading and is equally impossible to dislike in any way shape or form.
The final book in the series lives up to the excellent premise and originality it offered throughout, the story ends satisfactorily, and rather than feeling content, I wanted to read more. So yeah, a pretty damn perfect ending to a pretty damn amazing comic book series. Finest Hour indeed Scott – play again?
But despite its predictability, it’s too damn likeable, funny, and entertaining to ever make me feel I was reading something derivative or tired. Scott’s too damn charming and his entire strange quest is too much fun to read, it’s impossible to put the book down once you’ve started reading and is equally impossible to dislike in any way shape or form.
The final book in the series lives up to the excellent premise and originality it offered throughout, the story ends satisfactorily, and rather than feeling content, I wanted to read more. So yeah, a pretty damn perfect ending to a pretty damn amazing comic book series. Finest Hour indeed Scott – play again?
August 26, 2010
I'm in a meeting and I'm bored so I thought you might like to know that I read this book and I thought it was loads of fun! Why 4 stars and not 5? Because like I said "I'm in a meeting" and meetings make me grumpy..
June 28, 2022
Omg everyone worked out their trauma!! Yay!!!
January 7, 2024
3.5
these were all fun and quick reads but i can’t say i loveeeeeed them. definitely liked though! i don’t really know if scott redeemed himself though… still a grown man who dated a high schooler
these were all fun and quick reads but i can’t say i loveeeeeed them. definitely liked though! i don’t really know if scott redeemed himself though… still a grown man who dated a high schooler
April 14, 2022
COMBINED REVIEW, BOOKS 2-6: Ok, so actually did go in and read them all. Surprisingly enjoyable, with a lot more backstory - and therefore sympathy - for many of the characters than in the film. And yes, these updated reissues are much better in color, even though the whole series was originally printed in just black and white and apparently did just fine. Comparing the first and last books, O'Malley continued to refine his style over the course of the decade it took to write all six volumes, so that by the end some of his drawings had a distinctively Skottie Young look, which is about as high praise as I can give.
If you've seen the movie, you know the (extremely oversimplified) premise of the whole thing is Scott's having to fight multiple ex-boyfriends to win Ramona as his girlfriend. So as the books wore on and the fights multiplied, O'Malley made the very clever decision to relegate more of these fights to the background of the 20-something angst going on around them - a particularly nice touch, as seen here:
FINAL NOTE: I'm embarrassed to say that it wasn't until well into Book 4 that I finally got the joke about Scott's guitar-player - who is inexplicably named Stephen Stills - having a slightly younger roommate everyone called "Young Neil"...and if any of you don't get the joke, ask your boomer parents!
If you've seen the movie, you know the (extremely oversimplified) premise of the whole thing is Scott's having to fight multiple ex-boyfriends to win Ramona as his girlfriend. So as the books wore on and the fights multiplied, O'Malley made the very clever decision to relegate more of these fights to the background of the 20-something angst going on around them - a particularly nice touch, as seen here:
FINAL NOTE: I'm embarrassed to say that it wasn't until well into Book 4 that I finally got the joke about Scott's guitar-player - who is inexplicably named Stephen Stills - having a slightly younger roommate everyone called "Young Neil"...and if any of you don't get the joke, ask your boomer parents!
December 20, 2017
My Scott Pilgrim reread ends with the sixth volume. O'Malley concludes his epic the way one completes a video game: a final boss battle. That, and life lessons that Pilgrim has to learn before his ultimate encounter with Gideon, Ramona's final evil ex.
The entire Scott Pilgrim series has been a great ride. I still remember when I read it first a few years ago, it was a rollicking read, just it is now. It also helped restore my real image of the Scott Pilgrim, which lately has been influenced by the Edgar Wright movie. Both are great on their own merits and one can enjoy both as separate stories.
If you're into comic books and graphic novels, you should make it a point to read Scott Pilgrim.
The entire Scott Pilgrim series has been a great ride. I still remember when I read it first a few years ago, it was a rollicking read, just it is now. It also helped restore my real image of the Scott Pilgrim, which lately has been influenced by the Edgar Wright movie. Both are great on their own merits and one can enjoy both as separate stories.
If you're into comic books and graphic novels, you should make it a point to read Scott Pilgrim.
August 28, 2019
بعد كل القتالات التي واجهها سكوت بيلجرم للقضاء على رِفاق رامونا السابقين، كان قد حان الوقت لمواجهة الرَفيق الأخير. ولكن بعد أن وصل لأدنى مرحلة في حياته، اعضاء فرقته الموسيقية قد انفصلوا، ليس لديه وظيفة، اختفاء رامونا المفاجئ. هل سيستطيع محاربة الرَفيق الأخير والفوز عليه؟
ما خاب ظني ابدًا بهذا الكتاب، فبعد ما حسيت الكتاب ال��امس كان الأضعف فكان الكتاب الأخير عكس هالشي. القتال الأخير كُتب ورُسم بشكل ممتاز، وتطور الشخصيات كان موجود بهالسلسلة. الجهد اللي اتعمل في هالسلسلة قوي وبأتمنى يصدر الكاتب كتب أخرى
5 / 5
ما خاب ظني ابدًا بهذا الكتاب، فبعد ما حسيت الكتاب ال��امس كان الأضعف فكان الكتاب الأخير عكس هالشي. القتال الأخير كُتب ورُسم بشكل ممتاز، وتطور الشخصيات كان موجود بهالسلسلة. الجهد اللي اتعمل في هالسلسلة قوي وبأتمنى يصدر الكاتب كتب أخرى
5 / 5
April 29, 2015
I don't even like graphic novels, but these are amazing. They make me happy for some reason.
October 19, 2015
A crazy fun end to a crazy series.
December 20, 2019
Well... that was nice or whatever?
The author did sort of explain why Scott was such a forgetful bitch and what subspace high-ways were. I guess I'm too dumb to understand such complex stuff.
The comic books had the funniest illustrations but the actual story got sketchier and sketchier. This last one is my least favorite, the first one is my most favorite. However, I loved how bloody things got in this and the memory cam bits were hysterical. The final battle was as big as it should have been, though the mind-controlling part was confusing.
Sigh. Kim deserved sooooo much better, she knocked sense into Scott a hundred times and was funny besides. I don't get why Ramona was so special, by all accounts, it should have been Kim. I also loved Wallace. It's hard not to love Wallace.
There is probably more I should think over and add but I don't want to and stuff. But I think I made the right choice, reading this series.
The author did sort of explain why Scott was such a forgetful bitch and what subspace high-ways were. I guess I'm too dumb to understand such complex stuff.
The comic books had the funniest illustrations but the actual story got sketchier and sketchier. This last one is my least favorite, the first one is my most favorite. However, I loved how bloody things got in this and the memory cam bits were hysterical. The final battle was as big as it should have been, though the mind-controlling part was confusing.
Sigh. Kim deserved sooooo much better, she knocked sense into Scott a hundred times and was funny besides. I don't get why Ramona was so special, by all accounts, it should have been Kim. I also loved Wallace. It's hard not to love Wallace.
There is probably more I should think over and add but I don't want to and stuff. But I think I made the right choice, reading this series.
July 30, 2023
It’s a fun read when adulthood seems to overwhelm you
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