Where To Next?: Scott Pilgrim

Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series is arguably the biggest indie comic from the past 10 years, and after the Edgar Wright movie starring Michael Cera came out in 2010, it has exploded into a comic and film phenomena.

Unfortunately, the series is only 6 books long, so many fans crave more once they're done. It's one question I've seen all over the internet: what comics are similar to Scott Pilgrim? or what should I read next? And, all over the internet, there doesn't seem to be a single useful answer. Sure, there are some decent suggestions that share similar ideas, but when people want more out of Scott Pilgrim, it's the feel of it they crave, not one specific theme.

So, here is a list of comics, films, TV shows and whatever else I can find that have the same charm as the Scott Pilgrim series, and that fans of the comics will likely enjoy.



Tank Girl

This British comic strip was created by artist Jamie Hewlett (the guy who created Gorillaz) and writer Alan Grant. It's a post-apocalyptic tale of, you guessed it, a girl who lives in an army tank. It follows her misadventures through the wasteland, along with her boyfriend Booga, a giant mutant kangaroo. 

Tank girl is a comic for those people who enjoyed the crazy, surreal parts of Scott Pilgrim. The strip uses various styles of visual art along with different kinds of narrative structure and themes. It has everything including absurdism, surrealist art, collage-style art, metafiction and every other crazy style you can think of. It's a much more punk rock comic than Scott Pilgrim, but you'll find that overall, the two really aren't that different.

Crank & Crank 2: High Voltage

The two Crank films are perfect for fans of Scott Pilgrim. Jason Statham stars in both movies, which focus on him staying alive by keeping his heart going in ridiculous ways. While Crank has its fair share of insanity, Crank 2: High Voltage multiplies that by ten, so you should definitely see both of them.

These films feature the same type of stylized, video game violence as Scott Pilgrim, along with everything from 8-bit scenes to Godzilla-esque kaiju battles. And not to mention, these movies are also an insanely funny blend of comedy, action and mayhem.

Kick-Ass

Much like Scott Pilgrim, Kick-Ass was an awesome comic book series adapted into a popular film. It tells the story of Dave, an average comic book lover who decides to become the world's first ever real life superhero. The problem: he sucks at it. Soon he hooks up with Hit-Girl and Big Daddy, and the trio go on a bloody crime-fighting spree like no other.

Kick-Ass is much more violent and gritty than Scott Pilgrim, but it shares the same sense of humor. Vulgar-mouthed little girls, dorky super villains, and a ton of ass-kicking; what's not to love? This series is much more traditional when it comes to story-telling and structure, and doesn't break the fourth wall like Scott Pilgrim, but it's definitely not one to miss.

Community

I once read someone saying that "The Big Bang Theory is a show about smart people for dumb people, Community is a show about dumb people for smart people" and I think it's a fairly accurate way to introduce one of the funniest shows in TV history (sorry Big Bang Theory fans). 

Community is about a rag-tag study group of complete misfits all attending Greendale Community College. It follows the group through their various experiences at Greendale, with episodes about everything from coming of age to Dungeons & Dragons to spaghetti westerns.

Don't let your preconceived notions about NBC shows fool you, Community is nothing like any sitcom or TV comedy you've ever seen. Much like Scott Pilgrim, it's chock full of meta-humor, breaking of the fourth wall, and references to every cool thing you've ever heard of. 

This is the ultimate show for people who enjoyed the sense of humor in Scott Pilgrim, however, there are some things you should know about Community before you start watching it. The number one thing being that Community has 3 seasons, that's it. There is no 4th season. Don't even acknowledge that it exists. After season 3, series creator and executive producer Dan Harmon was let go, along with everyone else who made the show the unique creation it had become (executive producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, writer/producer Chris McKenna, actor/writer Dino Stamatopoulos, and episode directors and executive producers Anthony and Joe Russo), and it became very obvious that something changed after that. 

There's no need to fear though, the show isn't incomplete after three seasons. The season 3 finale is an excellent, bittersweet closing to the show that season 4 decided to completely ignore, however, for Dan-Harmon-purists like me, it was the perfect ending, and one that Scott Pilgrim fans will certainly enjoy. 

Deadpool

Speaking of meta-humor and breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool! 

If you're more of an anti-hero, guns & violence kind of comic book fan, Deadpool is perfect for you. The so-called "merc with a mouth" is known for his unique sense of humor, which very frequently features breaking the fourth wall in a similar fashion to Scott Pilgrim. He'll often reference that fact that other characters are in his book, or that he thinks in neat yellow boxes.

Deadpool was originally conceived by Rob Leifeld as a character in New Mutants, where he was a mercenary hired to attack Cable. He soon became a recurring character, and eventually spawned his own title in 1997. He's been a fan favorite ever since. Deadpool has always been known for his comical themes and storylines, and is currently being written by comedian Brian Posehn. 

While there are certainly no lovey-dovey relationship themes in Deadpool, it's definitely something I believe fans of Scott Pilgrim will enjoy mostly for the sense of humor and utter disrespect for the fourth wall. 

Edgar Wright's fimography

If you've seen the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World film, you're already 1/3 of the way through some of Edgar Wright's best work!

Along with the Scott Pilgrim movie, Edgar Wright is mostly known for his other two films, starring those lovable brits Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who both star in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Wright's humor is undeniably present in Scott Pilgrim, which is why watching his other films should be the first thing you do after seeing that one. 

Shaun of the Dead is about two slackers survivng the zombie apocalypse while one of them tries his best to win back his disinterested girlfriend, and Hot Fuzz is about two witless cops trying to save a small town from the strange events occurring all over the place. Wright, Pegg and Frost's newest adventure, The World's End hits theaters this August int he US, and will certainly be a must-see. 

Regular Show

If you've never seen an episode of Cartoon Network's Regular Show, you're missing out.

Arguably one of the best cartoons on television right now, Regular show is about Mordecai (a blue jay) and Rigby (a raccoon), two slacker friends with a low-paying job as groundskeepers at a local park. Much of the show involves Mordecai and Rigby venturing off out of boredom, and is largely based on show creator J.G. Quintel's experiences in college (where he met Thurop Van Orman [ creator of Flapjack] and Pendelton Ward [creator of Adventure Time]). 

The cartoon is the ultimate slacker-comedy for the 18-30 year old male demographic, and, despite being on Cartoon Network, is certainly aimed at this age group. Of everything on this list, Regular Show is surely the most similar to Scott Pilgrim in theme, aesthetic, attitude and humor. It has everything from video games to relationships to crappy jobs to slacking off and being broke. It walks on the very thin line between regular Cartoon Network programming and Adult Swim shows, making it perfect for fans of Scott Pilgrim. If someone had told me Bryan Lee O'Malley had produced this show when I first saw it, I would've easily believed them. 

There it is folks, everything you need to get past your post-Scott-Pilgrim-depression. All of these comics, shows and movies will certainly help you recover from finishing the amazing six-book-series, and may even spark some new interests in you over time. Enjoy!