Here at Geeks of Doom, we’ve been hard at work putting together some Holiday gift ideas so that those of you who are buying for a geek have a much better idea of what we love, what we want, and what we’re downright twitching to get our hands on. If you’ve missed them, be sure to check out our DVD/Blu-ray, Video Game, and Specialty Item guides for some Christmas shopping suggestions.

Now we turn our attention to the exciting land of comic books, where many of today’s most popular movies are born.

Comic books meet you halfway between books and movies — you get to read, but there’s wonderful artwork throughout, perfectly painting the story in words and drawings and colors. They’re a feast for both mind and eyes, and we’re quite passionate about them!

For the very best in comic book gift ideas, won’t you be our guest and continue reading for our Holiday Geek Gift Guide 2010: Comic Books!

Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour
Scott Pilgrim: Volume 6
Written and Drawn by Byran Lee O’Malley
Oni Press
Release date: July 20, 2010

This sixth book in the series has already been out for a while now, but with the movie version of Scott Pilgrim out on DVD now, we’re back to take a look at the final volume in the comic book series. I’m happy to say that Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour is very good, and it brings the series to a close in a very satisfying way. Yes, this is a great series that you owe it to yourself to read if you haven’t yet. It’s a modern classic that will hopefully get a whole new generation excited about comics.

Here is your official spoiler warning: I will be discussing events that happen not only in this volume, but any other volume in the series that I feel the need to reference. If you have not read Scott Pilgrim before, know that this is a very good series with a sense of humor deeply immersed in video game and music, but at its soul it is the story of two young people trying to make the switch from youthful lust into an adult relationship. The art borrows a lot from manga but is distinctly its own, and part of the joy is seeing writer/artist Bryan Lee O’Malley style evolve and mature over the course of all six volumes. It is very, very good and well worth your time and money. Okay, for the rest of you who have read the series, here are my thoughts.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date: November 9, 2010

The lack of success that Scott Pilgrim Vs the World met at the box office shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. It’s not shocking that the studio couldn’t find a good way to advertise the movie, and it may just be that there was always going to be a small audience for this film. However, this is a film that should not be measured by its box office receipt. It is one of my favorite movies of the year and it is a joy for me to watch every time I see it. So now that Scott Pilgrim Vs the World is out on DVD and Blu-ray, I certainly hope that the film discovers the audience it deserves. Not that I gain anything from it doing well, but I feel that this is a very good film that is a lot of fun, has some fantastic music, and some great performances.

Now granted, I am the target market for this Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. I am a fan of the comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, and I am also a fan of director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). I was very excited when I heard that Wright was going to direct it, as I knew he was a comic book fan and had a great voice for directing comedy and tragedy.

Recorded August 28, 2010.

This month, Guy Jen, Vactor, and Henchman21 take a look at the media juggernaut that is Scott Pilgrim. Hear them discuss the comic series, the movie, the animated short, the video game, and more on this episode of Comics of Doom, the official comics podcast of Geeks of Doom.

This episode is brought to you by Instocktrades.com and DCBservice.com. Check them out for some great deals on the Scott Pilgrim comics!

Podcast player is here below.

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When I first picked up Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s Scott Pilgrim series, I fell for it, hard. Here, finally, was a quirky, beautiful love interest who wasn’t just another Manic Pixie Dream Girl — a three-dimensional girl with motivations and an inner life of her own. (It doesn’t sound like that should be too much to ask, but the sad case is that it often is.) I found O’Malley’s take on the archetype to be just about perfect.

Then Edgar Wright‘s film adaptation came out, and it was hilarious, and inventive, and energetic, and sweet, and… and yet another story about a Hapless Hero and a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Although the film remained mostly faithful to the main plot of the source material, it had to cut copious amounts of backstory to fit into the running time. Perhaps no one suffered more than Ramona Flowers, who went from a fascinating, complex woman to a pretty trophy to be won.

What was most disappointing about it is that the downgrade felt unnecessary. Manic Pixie Dream Girls abound, but there’s always an opportunity for them to be more than that. Below, in honor of O’Malley’s original Ramona Flowers, are five other Manic Pixie Dream Girls who aren’t.