#worst journey graphic novel
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Today my family went to the Discovery museum in Scotland. While walking through the exhibits, one of us made a comment referencing your art/projects, only to find later that your graphic novel was being sold in the gift shop! All that is to say, we bought a copy and the art is beautiful! Thank you for making what you make :)
Oh, thank you! It's so thoughtful of you to send me this story! I'm so glad you enjoyed Discovery Point; it's one of my favourite places and they do such a good job of presenting the history.
You can follow my polar stuff here at worstjourney.tumblr.com in case you weren't aware of it already ...
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Your friendly periodic reminder that, if you live in the US, you don't need to order Worst Journey from the UK, you can get it direct from Silver Sprocket!
And, while I'm at it, Kiwis can get it from the Antarctic Heritage Trust, and in so doing, support conservation of the historic sites and promulgation of Antarctic historical knowledge.
And Germans can get it extra large and IN GERMAN from any bookshop, but here's a link to Dussmann as an example.
If you live in none of these places, you can choose from any of the options on the constantly-updated "Where To Get It" page of worstjourney.com
#comics#graphic novel#the worst journey in the world#comic books#international shipping#germany#new zealand#u.s.a.#apsley cherry-garrard
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IT ARRIVED
Thank you @worstjourney ❄️🐧
#worst journey in the world#cold boys#antarctica#graphic novel#new book#Hanukkah arrived early#polar exploration#there will be so much starving before this is over
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The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard adapted by Sarah Airriess
Animator turned illustrator @twirlynoodle brings to life the Terra Nova expedition memoir of Apsley Cherry-Garrard with the @WorstJourneyGN from @IndieNovella
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#apsley cherry-garrard#graphic novel#indie novella#sarah airriess#terra nova expedition#the worst journey in the world#travel literature
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I guess it's time to start moving some content from twt over here! For those who don't know me, I'm a public librarian with a special interest in polar and nautical history, and I love nothing more than connecting readers with good books. I've managed to convert some friends to my way of thinking, and one of them coined the phrase "sad boat books" to describe the types of books that I'm always reading and recommending. Here is my first list of sad boat books-- I can personally vouch for all of them!
New to sad boat? Start here to see if it’s for you!
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie and John Geiger
Terra Nova, A GREAT first expedition!
The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
A First Rate Tragedy by Diana Preston
Robert Falcon Scott Journals- Captain Scott’s Last Expedition by Robert Falcon Scott
“I Love Ernest Shackleton” starter pack
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Shackleton’s Boat Journey by Frank Worsley
The Endurance by Caroline Alexander
“I Hate Ernest Shackleton” starter pack
The Lost Men by Kelly Tyler-Lewis
Polar Castaways by Richard McElrea and David Harrowfield
Roald Roald Roald!
The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen by Stephen Bown
The South Pole by Roald Amundsen
The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford*
*DISCLAIMER: this guy hates Captain Scott and gets most of the Scott details wrong, read for Roald only!
The Franklin Expedition
Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie and John Geiger
Erebus by Michael Palin
May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth: Letters of the Lost Franklin Expedition edited by Russell A. Potter, Regina Koellner, Peter Carney, and Mary Williamson
Non-polar sad boats
The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
Batavia’s Graveyard by Mike Dash
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Sometimes a sad balloon can be a sad boat
The Expedition by Bea Uusma
The Ice Balloon by Alec Wilkinson
Karluk/Wrangel Island, the expeditions of my heart
Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk by Buddy Levy
The Ice Master by Jennifer Niven
The Karluk’s Last Voyage by Robert A. Bartlett
The Last Voyage of the Karluk: A Survivor’s Memoir of Arctic Disaster by William Laird McKinlay
Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven
Miscellaneous sad boat books that are well worth your time
The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance by Mensun Bound
In The Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts
Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy
If you read and enjoy any of these, please let me know!
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how to avoid writing quirky and stiff characters/dialogues/storytelling and sound natural, or you know human-made
Three Steps to Telling Authentic Human Stories
1 - Be an Observer of Humanity - Being a writer is all about being an observer. We can't tell storieYs without first observing the people, situations, and elements that create stories. So, pay attention to the world around you. People watch. Interact with family and friends. Ask questions. Read human interest stories. Read short stories, fan-fiction, books, graphic novels, comic books... whatever piques your interest. Play video games that feature human stories. Watch documentaries about people and life. Watch TV shows and movies. Really pay attention to people and characters, learn what drives them and what's going on inside their hearts and minds, observe how they interact with each other, and how they converse with one another. If you're at a loss, you're not doing these things enough.
2 - Know Your Characters - Another critical part of being a writer is learning how to create realistic people from the ground up. This goes beyond just knowing what a character looks like and what their personality is like. This also includes knowing their internal conflict, what past experience or emotional wound led to this internal conflict, and how their internal conflict has led to their life/situation not being as good as it could be. You also need to understand how all of these things (past experiences, emotional wound, internal conflict, personality, present situation) impacts not just the emotional journey of who they are at the beginning of the story, but the emotional journey they'll take as they experience the events of the story. In other words, you need to know how all of these things affect the choices they make, and how the events of the story influences their change (for better or worse) or influences them to change the people/situation around them.
You also need to understand their goal (what they're trying to accomplish), their motivation (why they want to accomplish their goal), and what's the best/worst that can happen if they do or don't achieve their goal (what's at stake.) Part of the process of developing your characters may also include research into various things, like your character's mental health or neurological wiring, how their past experiences may have affected them, how certain personality traits can influence behavior and what people do or don't do, etc. Just bear in mind that everyone is different, and there's not just one way to portray any type of person. The research just gives you the knowledge you need to make the best creative decisions for your characters and story.
3 - Help Your Reader Know Your Characters - Once you know all of this about your characters, you have to let the reader know. You can illustrate who your character is--their personality, thoughts, feelings, relationships with others, life situation, relevant likes and dislikes, etc.--by showing their behavior, how they interact with others, the relationships they have with other characters, and what they think and feel. You can also weave in back story to clue the reader into the character's past experiences, the event/s that had the most influence on who they are now, etc. And, finally, you can illustrate their internal conflict by exploring their thoughts and feelings as it relates to that conflict. All of this can be accomplished through a relative balance of exposition (explaining things), action (things happening), and dialogue (conversation).
Happy writing!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
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Warrior Cats Ask Game!
🎇: Most exciting scene?
💛: Favorite character?
☠️: Most impactful death scene?
👶: Favorite characters as a kid?
⭐️: Favorite leader?
💧: Scene that made you cry?
🗺️: Favorite MAP, PMV, or AMV?
🌄: Best location in Warriors?
📚: Favorite Main Series book?
📕: Favorite Novella?
📗: Favorite Super Edition?
📖: Favorite Guide Book?
🪺: First book you read?
📙: Favorite Graphic Novel?
☢️: Worst written character?
🧬: Genetically accurate or artistic license designs?
📝: If you could make one AU canon, what would it be?
❌: Worst book or series?
🚷: Least favorite character?
✅: Best canon design?
🎵: What headcanon voices do you have?
🍁: Favorite Clan (unofficial included)?
🍂: Favorite non-Clan or Clan-esque group?
🍃: Best non-Clan cats?
⚡️: Best ThunderClan cats?
🌊: Best RiverClan cats?
🌪️: Best WindClan cats?
🌑: Best ShadowClan cats?
☁️: Best SkyClan cats?
🩸: Most interesting conflict?
🛤️: Favorite journey?
💫: Protagonist with the best arc?
🥀: Protagonist with the worst arc?
🌻: Non-protagonist with the best arc?
🌘: Character with the most wasted potential?
🕰️: When did you first read the books?
⏳: When did you first join the fandom?
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It dawned on me that a lot of people are starting travel for Christmas tomorrow, so here, let’s do this today!
Some know about its previous incarnation, but for anyone new: "Rock & Roar 2: The Heartstring Diaries" is my project B, a story I'm developing in tandem with the current Rock & Roar comic. The story takes place 20 years after the setting of the first Rock & Roar story, in the year 2006. It follows the journey of Miles's niece - Emma Kitteridge - and her bandmates: Jimmy, Cassie, and Troy. The story is set during the time that saw the unprecedented mainstream rise of the third wave of emo, and the radio domination of pop punk. MySpace, crunk, "bling", and tacky fashion will also feature prominently. 😆 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
This project holds special meaning for me because, like these characters, I was in high school in 2006 and it was an incredible time to experience this explosion of alternative music and be an emo teen. 🖤
Rock & Roar 2, the graphic novel, won't roll out for a couple more years because it would spoil events that haven't happened yet in Rock & Roar 1. *But!* I will be sharing short comics, and lots of artwork and fun things featuring these characters from here on out! I love drawing them, and I hope that others will enjoy getting to know them.
A big thanks again to everyone who has subscribed to my Rock & Roar comic this year, and thank you also for your interest in my other projects! You all rock! 🤘🏼
#webcomic#rock and roar#visual development#concept art#webcomics#animal characters#original character#anthropomorphic#cartoon animation#anthro#emo kid#emo#2000s emo#2000s#2000s nostalgia#2000s music#emo scene#scenecore#scene kid
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It's the eve of Terror Camp 2023 and there's a full slate of incredible presentations and talks about the history of polar exploration and the storytelling inspired by it! There's still time to RSVP and party down with both days' worth of programming (Arctic on Saturday, Antarctic on Sunday) or just one as your fancy dictates -- both days have absolutely incredible keynote speakers (Sarah Airriess whose graphic novel adapts Worst Journey In The World; Francis Spufford, author of I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination; and for my fellow AMC's The Terror enthusiasts, cast members Nive Nielsen and Paul Ready.)
2023 Program
Artists' Alley (Original artwork across many mediums, pins, prints, badges, and more!)
I'm a vendor this year with my Gallipot Project storefront and I'm offering a special 20%-off promo code just for attendees. Last year was a blast -- please join us!
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How would you suggest people get started learning about polar expeditions? I read Frozen in Time but I'm at a loss of where to go now 😭 any suggestions?
Hi!!! It depends on which era you're interested in!!
For Victorian exploration including the FE, I always recommend Erebus by Michael Palin, William Battersby's Fitzjames biography, and Barrow's Boys by Fergus Fleming. Now, all of those books have their flaws as many nerds (like me) will tell you, but they are all great starting points and will introduce you to the cast of characters/run of events of that era. Once you've advanced a bit, you could check out Dave Woodman's Unraveling the Franklin Mystery for an intensely detailed look at Inuit testimony; The Spectral Arctic by Shane McCorristine for an academic exploration of ghosts and clairvoyance in Victorian exploration; or Finding Franklin by Russell Potter for an overview of the search expeditions up to the present day. Michael Smith's Crozier biography is also a solid read. (EDIT: I forgot The Man Who Ate His Boots by Anthony Brandt if you want to know more about Franklin himself and his earlier expeditions!)
If you're more interested in the late Victorian/Edwardian era, commonly referred to under the "Heroic Age" umbrella, you have a lot of potential starting points....
That era could be said to have begun in 1897 with the Belgica expedition, one of the most chaotic and insane expeditions of all time. Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton is a RIDE of a book (more like FRATHOUSE at the end of the earth, amirite) and will get you started with two of my favorite figures of the age: it was the polar origin story of Roald Amundsen, and where he met a pre-pole controversy Frederick Cook (HIS SOULMATE).
For more Amundsen after the Belgica, I really liked The Last Viking by Stephen Brown. You could also check out Roland Huntford's biography buuut this blog is a No Roland Zone so I am hesitant to recommend him, even though re: Amundsen he's more legit than elsewhere.
The Worst Journey In The World is a classic for a reason: a really beautiful and detailed first-person account of Scott's last expedition that is a pillar of travel writing and the foundation for much of the historiography that came after. However, you could also start with A First Rate Tragedy by Diana Preston (which I haven't read yet but comes highly recommended) or even Cherry's biography by Sara Wheeler which is really excellent. OH and the graphic novel version of Worst Journey just released its first volume which is a WONDERFUL introduction to the story! Buy it here and support the artist!
I've also really enjoyed all of the other first-person accounts I've read, many of which are free & in the public domain: With Scott: The Silver Lining by T. Griffith Taylor and The Great White South by Herbert Ponting are super interesting and give you a taste of what it was like to really be there.
For Shackleton, definitely start with Endurance by Alfred Lansing and go from there. Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition is a good second step & will get you background on him and Scott (& Wilson). I have had Shackleton: A Life In Poetry by Jim Mayer recommended to me as well but haven't read it yet. After that, Frank Worsley (captain of the Endurance) wrote two books which are great supplements: Shackleton's Boat Journey and another one just called Endurance. And Caroline Alexander's The Endurance is really good too but it's a coffee table book with nice pictures, so grab a hard copy!
And last but CERTAINLY not least, I May Be Some Time by Francis Spufford is the be-all and end-all of polar exploration nonfiction, IMO. I'm just finishing a reread right now actually—I first read it post-Franklin obsession but pre-Scott obsession and honestly, it's an entirely different book once you're crazy about the Heroic Age, so while I have recommended it in the past for people just getting started, and still do, at this point I also kind of want to tell people to maybe wait until you've already reached a certain level of derangement to dive into it.
#polar exploration#there's a bajillion books out there but not all of them are good lol so hope this helps!!!
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Sonamy "Before The Proposal" Comic sneek peek panel ! 🥀🌹💙💕 ((Uploading very soon just final edits to do!)) 😄
Full Comic of this in my gallery Sonamy "Before The Proposal" Comic :
After 15 years I have went back to the comic I started when I was 13.. I left it on a very serious,dramatic scene were Sonic and Amy were trying to escape Eggman's exploding airship. Eggman seized the tribe of aliens and did a dirty missile launch causing Sonic and Amy to crash.😨
Sonic managed to find Amy in the debris, luckily she was OK but Amy's head was injured during the jolt from the missile. She is extremely dizzy and weak. 🤕😵💫
Both of them are completely stranded out in the open in an alien desert. It's dark, cold and to make things worst for Sonic he's battling through a sandstorm. Sonic must now take care of Amy so she can recover,find them shelter, food water and keep her warm... so they can continue their journey together to save lil Jack's tribe of people and stop Eggman from wrecking their planet!
These pages will show Sonic stepping up, protecting Amy looking after her and them sharing adorable wholesome moments together. Two hedgies surviving alone together on an alien planet 💙🌏💖
You will see how much he really loves her, he hates to see her in this way, he feels to blame for the crash.
It is drastically different looking from the old comic,especially now I'm 28, was just 13 when I started this comic digitally drawn cinematic graphic novel look to it, will be uploading very soon just final edits to do. 😊👍
#sonamy art#sonamycomic#sonamyfanart#sonamy fanfiction#sonamy#sonic#sonicthehedgehog#amyrose#sonic art#sth#sth au#sth amy#sth fanart#sth fanfic#sonicandamy#fan comic#old comics#15 years ago#i'm back#sonic fanart#amy fanart#amyrosethehedgehog#amy rose fanart#love#sega#sonic team#dramatic#wholesome#love story#power couple
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Vol.1 of my graphic adaptation of The Worst Journey In The World is coming out 24 Nov.! Visit indienovella.co.uk to preorder worldwide – other international options coming soon.
#graphic novel#history comics#polar exploration#polar history#illustration#comic books#antarctica#heroic age#heroic age of polar exploration#scott expedition#terra nova expedition#the worst journey in the world#twjitw#apsley cherry-garrard#shameless self-promotion
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It was so gratifying to draw pages which were more or less directly drawn from what I see in my head when I read the book. New Year's Eve 1910 was one of them.
#the worst journey in the world#graphic novel#comics#new year's eve#drawing#illustration#apsley cherry-garrard#edward leicester atkinson#atch#antarctica#scott expedition#terra nova expedition#history comics
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THE UNTOLD TALE
Book One of the Accidental Turn Series
✨Read on WATTPAD
✨Read on A03
✨Read on RADISH
✨Buy the eBOOK or PAPERBACK (coming early 2024)
✨Read about the rest of the series
This novel follows Pip, who is pulled against her will into the epic fantasy novel series she's loved since she was a teenager. However, the world is darker, and far more dangerous than she could have ever predicted, especially when it turns out the hero is a much bigger jerk than she expected him to be.
Pip knows how to circumnavigate the Hero's Journey and the pitfalls and loopholes of this particular world - but what will happen to her beloved characters outside of the comfort of the fantasy they were written for? And what happens when it's not the hero, but the hero's overlooked and bullied little brother who proves to be her biggest champion?
✨📜✨
Forsyth Turn is not a hero. Lordling of Turn Hall, yes. Spymaster for the king, certainly. But hero? That's his older brother's job, and Kintyre Turn is nothing if not legendary. However, when a raid on the kingdom's worst criminal results in the rescue of a baffling woman, oddly named and even more oddly mannered, Forsyth finds his quaint, sedentary life turned on its head.
Dragged reluctantly into a quest he never expected, and fighting villains that even his brother has never managed to best, Forsyth is forced to confront his own self-shame and the demons that come with always being second-best. And, more than that, when he finally realizes where his companion came from and why she's here, he'll be forced to question not only his place in the world, but the very meaning of his own existence.
✨📜✨
Smartly crafted, THE UNTOLD TALE gives agency to the overlooked, and asks what it really means to be a fan when the worlds you love don't resemble the world you live in, celebrates the power of the written word, and shows us what happens when someone stands up and refuses to remain a secondary character in their own life.
New Chapters drop every Tuesday.
Cover by @once-upon-a-reblog
Map by Christopher Winkelaar
Art by J.M. Frey / Canva Graphics
#jmfrey#j.m. frey#the untold tale#the accidental turn series#fantasy#writing#amwriting#romance#wattpad#AO3#Radish#fantasy book#fantasy novel#fantasy series#romantasy#romantasy book#romantasy series#romantasy novel#creative writing#indie author#selfpublishing#small press author#author#fiction#writer#novelist#authors of tumblr#must read#TBR#book tbr
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BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT, I'm back with more Sad Boat Books for Sad Boat People! But first, some words.
I never dreamed that a silly little graphic I made for some friends would generate this much response on twitter and here, but I'm overjoyed that it resonated with so many of you! I read every single comment and tag, and by far my favorites are all of the people who say some variation of "I thought I was the only one who loved these books." We are NOT alone, there are literally thousands of people who reblogged or retweeted this list-- people of all ages and backgrounds and gender identities. Sad Boat isn't just for old white men! I was also delighted to hear from other librarians who are using this in displays and for reader's advisory. PLEASE go forth and do so with my blessing, nothing would make me happier! I was recently laid off from my librarian job as part of a restructuring under new management (don't worry about me, it sucks right now but I'm gonna be fine), so I would love to think that I'm still contributing to the library ecosystem while I'm out of commission. I would also love to keep making these lists (including one that deals with Sad Boat fiction and one with recommendations for other types of media), and I've never had more time to do it, so if you have suggestions, please drop them in my inbox!
Anyway, enough of that-- here are more books! I've either read all of these, or the recommendation came from someone I trust, so read with confidence!
First Hand Accounts
The Quiet Land: The Antarctic Diaries of Frank Debenham edited by June Debenham Back
The Voyage of the Discovery by Robert Falcon Scott
Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen
Endurance by F.A. Worsley
Boats boats boats!
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus by Alanna Mitchell and John Geiger
The Voyages of the Discovery: The Illustrated History of Scott's Ship by Ann Savours
HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting, and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship by Matthew Betts
The SS Terra Nova (1884-1943): Whaler, Sealer, and Polar Exploration Ship by Michael C. Tarver
You'll learn about the Ross Sea Party and you'll like it
Shackleton's Heroes by Wilson McOrist
Shackleton’s Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Bickel
The Ross Sea Shore Party 1914-1917 by R.W. Richards
The Lost Men by Kelly Tyler-Lewis*
Polar Castaways by Richard McElrea and David Harrowfield*
*These were on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want
Sad Airships and Planes
From Pole to Pole: Roald Amundsen's Journey in Flight by Garth James Cameron
N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia by Mark Piesing
Antarctica's Lost Aviator by Jeff Maynard
Disaster at the Pole: The Tragedy of the Airship Italia and the 1928 Nobile Expedition to the North Pole by Wilbur Cross
More Shackleton Content
Shackleton: A Life in Poetry by Jim Mayer
Shackleton's Last Voyage by Frank Wild
The Quest Chronicle: The Story of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition by Jan Chojecki
Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition: The Voyage of the Nimrod by Beau Riffenburgh
Polar Partners
Snow Widows by Katherine MacInnes
Polar Wives: The Remarkable Women Behind the World's Most Daring Explorers by Kari Herbert
Widows of the Ice by Anne Fletcher
Sad Boat Graphic Novels
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi
The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*
How To Survive in the North by Luke Healy
*This was also on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want
Biographies
Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane
Ice Captain: The Life of J.R. Stenhouse by Stephen Haddelsey
Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard by Sara Wheeler
Birdie Bowers: Captain Scott's Marvel by Anne Strathie
Roald Amundsen by Tor Bomann-Larsen
Miscellaneous sad boat books that are well worth your time
I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination by Francis Spufford
Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, The First US Expedition to the North Pole by Bruce Henderson
Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy by Fergus Fleming
Pilgrims on the Ice by T.H. Baughman
The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture by Michael F. Robinson
Ghosts of Cape Sabine by Leonard F. Guttridge
Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer
If you read and enjoy any of these, please let me know!
EDITED TO ADD: OG Sad Boat Books post here!
#reader's advisory#sad boat#sad boat books#polar exploration#nautical history#read this#sad boat 2: electric boogaloo
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Bone of my Sword
Scott Pilgrim is a franchise I hold near and dear to my heart. I was already a fan of the comic when it dropped way back when as I WAS those kids. When the OG graphic novel first released, Scott Pilgrims’ Precious little life, I was that twenty year old, hipster douchebag, who knew everything but absolutely nothing. I, personally, didn’t struggle with relationships (fortunate to have met the great love of my life early on and never looked back), but I had friends who were desperately trying to maneuver that mire of self-discovery and intimacy. Scott Pilgrim is the distillation of the Millennial experience during out prime years (if you buy into that sort of thing), captured perfectly on the page by Bryan Lee O’Malley. That said, the film adaption? Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? That is a Millennial culture milestone. When that movie released back in the early Tens, it spoke to me, directly. It spoke to a lot of us. We were those wayward idiots, living in garages, spinning our wheels in terms of careers, just vibing away to dope music and life experiences. I remember being that young, discovering The Killers and Kid Cudi, moving out of state on a whim just chasing new stimuli. Seeing that film, was like watching a crib notes of my entire life experience to that point and it left a strong impression. If I wasn’t a fan before, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World definitely made me one. I showed that movie to anyone who would watch it, gushing about its overlooked genius, and lamenting how there wasn't an anime or something, which adapted the entirety of the comic. Fast forward thirteen years later and, as if the Netflix gods heard me pining all those years ago, they delivered unto us Scott Pilgrim Takes off. I have feelings.
Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a goddamn masterpiece! I absolutely adored this show. It's exactly not what you think and i thought making that choice, was a brilliant one. Don't get me wrong, i am a Scott Pilgrim purist but, if we're being honest, with two decades worth of perspective behind me, the OG Scott Pilgrim story is kind of bullsh*t. Scott is the worst and never really had to reconcile for that sh*ttiness. He dated Knives and never really caught any flack for it on his end. He mooched off Wallace until he started mooching off Ramona. Scott was a scumbag on par with e very other Evil Ex, with the exception of, maybe, Roxie. Removing him from the equation not only gave Scott the distance from his would-be actions to grow into a solid, redeemed character, but gave the rest of the cast that very same opportunity. It gave Ramona that opportunity, one she sorely needed. One that we, as fans, didn't even really KNOW she needed. Giving the big chair to Ramona allowed her to reconcile how terrible she was toward her Exes. It gave her so much more agency than just being "won" at the behest of the weirdly gross and aggressively abusive, Gideon Graves. Takes Off is as much Ramona's story as it is Scott's and that sh*t makes for the overall narrative, becoming something more. Adding Ramona's story to this tale, adds a layer of maturity, which makes sense considering it's been twenty years since Scott first punched Matthew Patel into pocket change. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise.
This take on the story sees Scott actually "defeated" by Matty Pat and the ensuing mystery of his perceived "death" sends Ramona on a quest to find the truth. During this journey, SHE is forced to "fight" with her Exes, and by fight, i mean actually apologize to them for being a sh*tty person. Ramona finally stopped running after she met Scott and he basically murdered all of her evil exes. That made for, at the time, some cool imagery but it was, objectively, an absurd way to properly unpack your traumas. Especially the ones you create yourself. And let me tell you, that League of Evil Exes? Yeah, Ramona definitely created that sh*t. We get hints of each villain origin story in the film and graphic novels but Takes off is ABOUT those relationships and why they ended the way they did. It doesn't take long to understand that Ramona, too, is just as terrible as Scott, but in a different way. Seriously, Roxie's episode hammers that home with such intensity, you don't have a choice but to accept it as gospel. Every Evil Ex gets this treatment. Mostly. Once again the Katayanagi Twins get shafted but that's their thing and they kind of don't seem like assholes anyway. Not really in the previous takes on the story, either. Like, those relationships should have keyed us into just how f*cking destructive the trail to Ramona's flower truly was but we were kids back then, too, and that's the brilliance of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: We're not kids anymore and neither are these characters.
I'm thirty-nine years old. While i love Scott Pilgrim for what it was, as a dude two decades removed from that time in my life, i can honestly say i was a f*cktard. All twenty-somethings are. We haven't figured out life, at all, and some of us won't even as we approach our mid-Thirties. By the time you're my age, however, once should hope you have a handle on your sh*rt enough to recognize that, maybe, way back when, during your Twenty-something scumbag days, that you were a little bit of a scumbag. That's what Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is doing. That's what the story is about. It's catharsis and acceptance which comes with the benefit of time and space. Bryan Lee O'Malley published the first Scott Pilgrim story when he was about twenty-five. That means he wrote it at an even earlier age and it reads as such. That narrative reflects the emotional maturity of someone who had experienced a handful of years unto themselves, outside the protective bubble of their parents, give or take. Takes Off is written by a mid-Forties, adult man, who has had a life. O'Malley has been married, found success with his goofy little story about wayward love, walked the Hollywood red carpet, made a name for himself, and suffered the sting divorce. He's not punching his problems or running away from them anymore, he's confronting them head on and accepting that, a lot of the issues in his life, are because of his choices. As i approach the cusp of the big Four-Zero myself, i recognize that. I accept that. I've been doing that. To see it happening in one of the most culturally defining stories of my generation, is both comforting and surreal. Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a wonderful show. It's the most appropriate period on a sentence we Millennials started writing way back when we took our first steps into adulthood and i love it for that. That said, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is the best thing to ever come out of this franchise. Fight me about it.
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