@6: It’s called homage.

Still gender obsessed?

After 3 volumes, Scott’s kindof a bad boy. I think maybe Cera was chosen for local authenticity.

This is one of the compelling things about the comic: O’Malley’s writing is so good that he can make a character as deeply flawed as Scott still likable. Combine that with having a incredibly intuitive sense of the social dynamics of “being in a band” and you have a very powerful comic masquerading as a bunch of jokes about video games and anime references.

That being said, if Edgar Wright screws this up the wrath of Knives Chau will seem like a pleasant Spring afternoon by comparison.

Part of what makes it great is the thick stew of video-game / indie-rock / manga / superhero references. (If anyone’s still reading it 50 years from now, it’s going to require as dense a thicket of annotations as “Ulysses”.)

But beyond that, O’Malley is brilliant at creating characters who are simultaneously clichés and also real live breathing people. The interactions between the characters really remind me of the early Love & Rockets comix (back before the Bros expunged the humor and superhero references.) Simply making Scott himself a likeable character is an achievement, since his overwhelming levels of clueless selfishness could easily make him insufferable. (Michael Cera is a perfect casting choice.)

Speaking of the movie, I’m really excited about it. Everything that’s been shown in the photos and video-blogs so far makes it clear that these are people who love and understand the comic, bringing it to life. It’s amazing to watch. My only concern is how they can cram all six books into a single film; I would have gone with two per film at most and made it a trilogy :-)

@BOBA FETT DIOP
‘ a incredibly intuitive sense of the social dynamics of “being in a band” ‘
I’m pretty sure Mal used to be in a band. I know he still occasionally releases music on the internet under the name “kupek”.

I’m trying to find comix to smuggle into the hands of my nieces.

The book is rated 13+; there’s a couple of swears, cartoony violence and some sexy scenes, but nothing serious.

And if you want to see a masterclass in how to build hype for a film, just follow director Edgar (he of Shaun of the Dead) Wright’s dripfeed flickr page.

Just sayin’.