Review: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Color Edition)

(Photo: OniPress.com)

The Scott Pilgrim saga is one of my all-time favorite series. Writer/illustrator Bryan Lee O'Malley (Lost at Sea) gives readers a six-volume epic about post-adolescent love and life in a video game-ified version of Toronto that is the perfect balance of fantasy and reality. If an Empire Records DVD and a Street Fighter arcade box moved to Canada and had a baby, it would be Scott Pilgrim.

OniPress originally published the books in 5.5" x 8" black and white editions, which was reflective of its manga-inspired style. In March, it was officially announced that deluxe, 6" x 9" full color hardback editions of the book would begin rolling out in August. And here we are.

I just finished my color copy of Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, and I'm very pleased. The story, of course, remains the same, and the remastered lettering is as clear and easy to read as ever. It's the art the really benefits in this edition. The bump in the book's size gives the panels a little more breathing room, which only adds to the immersive effect of the color.

Oh man, guys. The color.

Now, I'm not knocking black and white at all. At no point in my original reading did I stop and think, "This is awesome, but I find the lack of color disturbing." It's also worth noting that the first chunk of volume 4 was printed in color, along with some shorts and other materials, so not everything had been left to the imagination up until this point.

But the color. Is. Awesome.

A lazy or ill-conceived color job can totally destroy the integrity of a piece, but colorist Nathan Fairbairn (Batman Incorporated, Swamp Thing) does a beautiful job here, adding a gorgeous layer of depth that lifts  each panel off the page without upsetting the tone or eclipsing the core designs.

As an added bonus, the back of the book is loaded with extras, including O'Malley's notes on the origins of the series, along with early character sketches, the original pitch, and more. I particularly enjoyed the pages where he discusses walking around Toronto to scout locations and lays the pictures he took alongside the color panels.

The book is a must-have for fans, or for anybody who really was legitimately bothered by the black and white originals (but were you, I mean really?). If you're only interested in the bonus material at the back, be aware that it only covers the first book, not the entire series. More will be released in the subsequent volumes.

Precious Little Life, Color Edition, is out now ('cause it's after August, in case you didn't realize). For an extra $15, you can get a copy of the Evil Edition, which features a Matthew Patel variant cover (the Scott portrait from the front of the regular edition is featured on the back), from the OniPress web site. Update: The OniPress site currently shows that the Evil Edition is sold out.

(Photo: OniPress.com)

If you're a hardcore fan, an extremely limited Collector's Edition was put together that includes the Evil Edition of the book, a numbered bookplate signed by Bryan Lee O'Malley, five 9x12 art prints depicting both versions of the cover and three of the volume's biggest moments, a 2" metal Scott Pilgrim 1-up coin, eleven vinyl stickers of some of O'Malley's favorite panels, a hand-crumpled setlist belonging to Trasha of Crash and the Boys, two embroidered scout badges featuring Scott and Patel, and a digital download code. 

Unfortunately, this collector's set, which was limited to 1,000 pieces and retailed for $100, is sold out. However, there are still a few floating around on eBay. Keep an eye out and you might get lucky. I love mine for the 1-up coin alone.

The color edition of volume 2, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, is scheduled to ship in early November. Check your local comic shop, book store, or Amazon for pre-order options.