Why Bryan Lee O'Malley is one of the most underrated cartoonists of all time

New aesthetic, same genius.

Who is Bryan Lee O'Malley? Most people I've met genuinely have no clue who he is. Honestly that's a little bit sad if you ask me.


Drop the name Scott Pilgrim and their expression changes: "I love that film" they say. I reel backwards in disgust, I'd spit out venom if I could!


I agree, the film is good but by no means will I accept anyone who doesn't even know that it's an adaptation. Bryan Lee O'Malley was the cartoonist behind the 6 volumes used to make up the entire Scott Pilgrim saga. 6 amazing books were condensed down into one film... ONE!

I always carry the classics.

So, even with his work condensed and some being completely oblivious to his genius I still believe that O'Malley is one of the greatest cartoonists on the planet. Far-be-it for me to decide who gets classed as a genius, but for me he is up there with Alan Moore and Stan Lee.


Lets go through this, what has Bryan Lee O'Malley written? He started out with Lost at Sea, a beautiful little book that is as insightful as it is entertaining. Then there's the Scott Pilgrim series, 6 books, seven evil exes, already world renowned. Next comes Seconds, a different book, longer and familiar in theme to other cult classics and even 1985's Back to the Future. O'Malley's most recent work is as the writer for the monthly comic Snotgirl, which he also contributes art to. Snotgirl is new, fresh and very amusing, especially with its use of beautifully crafted satirical realism.

A beautiful hardcover for a beautiful book.

So why don't people recognise O'Malley as much as he truly deserves? Well if you ask me I think it's down to both Hollywood and early success. This isn't to say that O'Malley's later works haven't been received well, truly they have, but he seems to be immortalised as the creator of Scott Pilgrim. It seems to be a double-edged sword in a way, creator of a perfect example of a graphic novel but also trapped by it.

But what does this all mean? Well to me it means two things. The first is that Bryan Lee O'Malley is a genius, celebrated widely for his work, a work that will be remembered for being immortalised in film. But then it means something a little more sad, O'Malley's work may never top the success of Scott Pilgrim in the mainstream media. And that really is sad, but what is worse is the fear that he may be forgotten as an author and an artist completely, leaving only his work behind.


Imagine the Mona Lisa without DaVinci. It loses some of the magic doesn't it?