A Toast to the Comics

In case anyone is wondering...

I've gotten through The Complete Peanuts box set for this year.  1978 turned out to be an extra hilarious year, at least for this guy's funny bone.

And yes, I've also gotten through Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, the first book Scott Pilgrim series this past Friday night.  So... how did it hold up?  Which is really a 'reversal' [story reference there!] since I technically should have come to the work of Bryan Lee O'Malley first.  How do I relate to the source having loved the translation over the moon?   The answer is I like it very much.  I so enjoyed the parts of the film that utilize O'Malley's deceptively simple art.  It's great to experience it first hand.

I'd been surprised to find out that the movie begins at the same place as the books.  I had expected a tiny bit of backstory... having known from the film extras that there had been a bus scene of Scott meeting Knives and such.  Well, that's surely there, but it's one of those "cut to" moments.  Hence, any scene from before shows up as a flashback, a la remembrance of the character.  Which is just fine.  I'm happier this way, that the two are so close.  That's not to say they are exact, but on the whole, it's the same thing... just with some added or shifted scenes.  (Film: Knives comes to the door when Scott had already been at rehearsal.  Book:  Knives approaches the rehearsal with Scott as he talks with her.)  Such differences are to be expected and it's nice to see "new" material.  In both senses.  New to me, as we all keeping the film fresh without drastically altering what scenes exist.

So as to help me savor it... I took a break about halfway through.  But I couldn't not finish that same night.  What a treat to see the real images and unfolding (literally of turning pages) layout of my favorite of the Evil Ex's, Matthew Patel.

What I wonder the most... and will unfortunately never know... is how I would have heard the voices of but more importantly perceived the characters if I'd not had the movie versions in the back of my mind.  Yes, it's true.  I can't not think of Michael Cera's performance.  What would 'my' Scott have been like?  Would I have put in the same levels of emotion (or lack there of) or inflectary* patterns?  Oh well, I'll take solace in the fact that O'Malley didn't object to what Cera presented and go on with that as a basis.

Of course, now I have to wait a week before I can move on to the next book.  I'm not even picking it up.  It shall remain in the box set until time to read it.  I must simulate the 'torture' of having to await the next chapter of O'Malley's fun and strange little world.

But in other news, I saw an ad recently and I won't have to wait much longer for new episodes of Johnny Test.  He's been off for quite a while now and I don't know how I've survived.  That's only partial jest.

Hmm.  Scott Pilgrim vs. Johnny Test?  Who would win?
Tough call, if you ask me.

* Coined word, see here.

*Also in case anyone is wondering, the title is a View Askew reference.