Why Scott Pilgrim is Based on a True Story
Channel: Video Game Story Time
Date: 2021-01-23

So, yeah. Scott Pilgrim. Good comic, good movie, good game. The rare three hit wonder.


Scott Pilgrim VS The World: The Game - Complete Edition is out, and it's exactly as popular as you'd imagine. The fine folks at Limited Run are cleaning up with pre-orders for physical copies of the game, in large part because it's gained cult status as the ultimate example of the limitations of digital media.


Initially released in 2010 to tie in with the film of the same name, Scott Pilgrim VS The World was then delisted a few years later. Nobody involved is comfortable talking about why - the game simply vanished. It's assumed that this was due to some kind of licensing agreement, but regardless, players weren't able to get hold of it legally for the better part of a decade.


Now, the game is back, and it begs the question: where did this ridiculous idea of a gamer fighting his evil exes actually come from?


The answer: it's all real. Well, sort of. Scott, his group of friends, even his mysterious American girlfriend, are all real. Not sure about Knives Chau, it's understandable that nobody wants to openly admit to kind of ruining her life for a bit there. That poor, sweet angel.


Bryan Lee O'Malley, the creator of Scott Pilgrim, who both wrote and drew the comics, and who worked extensively on the film alongside various producers and director Edgar Wright himself, has said that Scott Pilgrim's precious little life is based on his own. The roommate, the band, the friends, the unforgettable ex, the parties, the video games.


But what of the evil exes? Are they real too?


Yes.


Bryan Lee O'Malley's cool American girlfriend Hope Larson, herself now a multi-Eisner award winning comic creator, told him that's she'd dated three men all named Matthew in the past. From this, O'Malley began to dream up the League of Evil Exes, who at first were all named Matthew.


Only Matthew Patel, the first Evil Ex, kept this name. Even so, the moral of the story is: don't trust Matthews.


Oh, interesting thing about this video: it has both a face reveal and a name reveal for Kotor, the artist who draws all this stuff!


Because, yeah, turns out he's a Matthew as well. Very sus.


Lots of love,
BretonStripes (http://twitter.com/bretonstriped) and Matthew (http://twitter.com/kotorcomics)


Sources:
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-06-12/interview-scott-pilgrim-creator-bryan-lee-omalley/.132808
https://radiomaru.tumblr.com/post/47717806942/why-are-matthew-patels-and-todd-ingrams-names
https://radiomaru.tumblr.com/post/53857149606/q-this-isnt-meant-to-be-an-insult-or-a-rant-or
https://radiomaru.tumblr.com/post/20175257195/questions-answers-iv