TORONTO - Canada finally has its own ‘Twilight' phenomenon -- albeit one with all the smarts, heart and humour that a certain vampire soap opera lacks.
I came to this realization Monday night in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood when more than 2,000 people, mostly hip kids, many dressed as their favourite characters, showed up for the midnight release of "Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour" – the sixth and final book of Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim" graphic novel series.
The series' popularity is only set to soar in coming weeks, as the much-buzzed blockbuster adaptation of the series, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," hits theatres August 13. A side-scrolling throwback videogame of the series will be available Aug. 10.
"Scott Pilgrim" is arguably the most successful Canadian cultural export in recent history (Justin Bieber doesn't count as cultural – sorry, tweens) -- which might be obvious to its fans, and bewildering to those who haven't heard of it before.
Both the series and the movie are proudly set in Toronto, featuring landmarks such as Casa Loma, Lee's Palace and Honest Ed's that are intimately familiar to T.O. residents, but are no CN Tower to those outside of the city.
"Scott Pilgrim" also encapsulates Toronto-youth culture, and really modern hipster-gaming-music culture, in a way that social anthologists should appreciate 50 years from now.
For those not in the know -- and frankly, it's reasonable to assume if you are over 30 and not a comic book fan, you are not -- the series is about the adventures of Scott Pilgrim, a young, jobless lad in a mediocre band who is forced to fight Amazon.com delivery girl Ramona Flower's seven evil exes in order to win her affections.
The zany plot, with its bizarre, frantically hilarious asides (several out-of-the-blue pages devoted to a recipe was a real corker) and constant videogame and pop culture references told in an anime style, may seem silly or inaccessible to the uninitiated.
But a real heart beats inside the series' Nintendo chest. The romantic trials of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers, when they aren't fighting ninjas, are frighteningly lifelike. Past relationships flair up, leaving in their wake, feelings of jealousy and confusion.
The two romantic leads are flawed people -- he's a cocky self-absorbed jerk at times, she's a flight risk. You love them because you know them.
And despite being hand drawn in 2D, the supporting cast are hardly stock comic book characters. Fan favourites like Pilgrim's "cool gay roommate", Wallace Wells, and ex-girlfriend/current drummer, Kim Pine, ring more true than the sardonic hipsters that actually hang out in Toronto's west end.
"Scott Pilgrim" is pop-art that has gone global in ways that few Canadians' products have in the last decade (the musical equivalent might be Arcade Fire, if they had a sense of humour).
The film, directed by genre-mashing wunderkind Edgar Wright and starring Canadian Michael Cera as Pilgrim, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman and Chris Evans, should go a long way in establishing the "Pilgrim" brand – one that is certainly Canadian, but without a hint of maple syrup cliché.
An invisible star
More than 1,000 people waited patiently in line to have their copy of "Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour" signed by the author Monday night outside of Toronto's world-renowned Beguiling comic shop. Certainly that's a decent level of cult fame.
But despite being the guest of honour at his own party, surprisingly few people recognized O'Malley, the London, Ont.-raised, former Toronto resident.
Wearing thick-framed glasses, a classic Konami code T-shirt (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) and taking snapshots with a tiny digital camera, the meek O'Malley blends in chameleon-like among his adoring fans.
A few whisper, "I think that's him" – but it isn't until he's introduced as a judge in a Scott Pilgrim costume contest that the crowd visibly "ahhhs" at the sight of their hero.
Speaking with Canada AM earlier Monday, O'Malley comes off as a pretty shy guy, not surprising for an author who's suddenly getting mainstream media attention for the first time, but somewhat unexpected considering how extroverted the "Scott Pilgrim" series is.
"Everything surprises me about it, I never really expected anyone to read them," he says with a quiet laugh when asked about the success of his series.
Speaking with someone who works for his publisher, I am told 100,000 copies of the new book were printed and shipped, and many more are expected to be printed afterward, particularly if the movie is a hit.
But for the fans in attendance Monday, they aren't apologizing for loving something geeky, and certainly don't have time for bores like Robert Pattinson.
They may not have the ‘Twilight' numbers, but when it comes to "Scott Pilgrim"'s fans, it gives me hope that the kids are alright.
"Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour" is published by Oni Press and is available in fine comic book shops (and some cooler bookstores) everywhere.
