C.K. performed several stand−up shows at the Boston Symphony Hall from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5 on his most recent tour. Each night consisted of an early show beginning at 7 p.m. and a late show beginning at 10 p.m.

For the late show on C.K.’s final night in Boston, comedian Gary Gulman opened the performance with a 15−minute routine. Gulman, who has appeared on both “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and“The Late Show with David Letterman,” also earned the spot of runner−up during two seasons of “Last Comic Standing,” and received a positive response from the Boston audience. Gulman, employing a Boston accent, played up the show’s location by presenting a well−liked bit on the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady.

When Gulman introduced C.K. onstage, the audience applauded wildly, clearly eagerly anticipating the next hour and a half. C.K. introduced his act with a short anecdote about his first trip to Boston Symphony Hall, when he came with his father to see a classical music performance. C.K. divulged that this trip marked the first moment he realized he had full control over the act of killing himself. The audience roared with laughter in response.

C.K. is known for telling simple stories that simultaneously resonate with broader existential concepts, and this evening’s performance was no different. C.K. continued life and death themes throughout various segments of his show, including a hilarious piece on why people are so lucky to have time on earth. While audience members who may not be familiar with C.K.’s style might have expected a more uplifting indicator of the human race’s good fortune, C.K. fans were unsurprised when the comedian reduced the equation to, “We get to have sex!” The joke itself does not necessarily appear original or creative when taken out of context, but C.K. succeeds because he forms clear connections with his audience. In his fearlessness, he keeps nothing from them and in doing so builds up a bond similar an old friend who knows us at our best but more particularly at our worst. The awkward, the painful and the crude are all fair play because of this trust C.K. establishes. We are all in the same position as he is and we all share similar experiences.

The most controversial section of C.K.’s show was without a doubt his finale, which the comedian began by explaining that he often views events and ideas with an “of course, but maybe” mentality. For example, he first states that “of course” safety measures should be taken for people with nut allergies. “But maybe,” C.K. continued, those who are so allergic that contact with nuts is fatal should be allowed to die. He went on to set up another instance using the Make a Wish Foundation and the audience began to murmur and groan, deeming the topic inappropriate for humor.

C.K. maintained his hold on the audience, however, and moved on to the subject of soldiers being killed in action. At this point, heads shook and “oh mans” could be heard across the theatre, but C.K. interjected, “Hey, you laughed at those other ones — you’re all in this with me now.” The now complicit audience laughed with a sense of guilt as C.K. finished the bit. They recognized that the master comedian had proved that there is a comic dichotomy: a comedian can remain distant from a subject and stay on the outside, never taking a chance with a controversial punch line for fear of going into the politically incorrect, or a comedian can allow themself to be pulled into the comic abyss and find side−splitting and profound humor in even the darkest of subjects. C.K. has always chosen the latter, and his ability to balance with the scandalous with the thought−provoking and the profound speaks to his immense skill.

For a series with such an underwhelming slogan, the impact “Seinfeld” has had on television, comedy, and culture is difficult to underestimate. It comes as little surprise, then, that Jerry Seinfeld’s return to New York has garnered so much media attention.

After focusing largely on acting since “Seinfeld” went off the air in 1998, the famed comedian will be making a symbolic return to both New York City and stand-up comedy with a mini-tour of the five boroughs, which began last night with his show at the Upper West Side’s Beacon Theater. Seinfeld will be appearing in a different borough every Thursday night through Nov. 8, when he will perform at Brooklyn College’s Walt Whitman Theatre.

Although most fans know Seinfeld from his namesake TV show, co-created with “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David in 1989, the entertainer initially made his name and developed his signature style in the New York stand-up scene in the late 1970s. Unlike other prominent comics at the time, such as George Carlin and Richard Pryor, Seinfeld emphasized everyday experience rather than broader social issues.

“What we’re seeing in his [Seinfeld’s] stand-up is a shift towards … something that’s not really about political or social issues, but rather the minutiae of daily life—observational humor where it’s autobiography that really provides the framework for comedic observation,” said Robert King, an associate professor of film studies who teaches classes on comedy. “That, then, obviously feeds into the show ‘Seinfeld,’ but it also feeds into the orientation of stand-up today, which remains largely observational—which remains grounded in this sense that comedy comes out of autobiography.”

When “Seinfeld” premiered on NBC, it introduced viewers to its creator’s signature focus on the petty annoyances of everyday life. Episodes centered on topics as seemingly mundane as lost socks or waiting in lines, creating a sense of absurdity and meaninglessness. Producer Larry Charles famously described the show’s philosophy of humor grounded in observation rather than moral lessons as “no hugging, no learning,” representing a clean break from the family sitcoms that had once dominated the airwaves.

In addition to its characteristic concern with the everyday, “Seinfeld” also derived much of its humor from its unique setting: New York City.

In the world of “Seinfeld,” “New York … is a collection of very idiosyncratic and strange, crazy people who are all, in their own ways, outsiders—who all in their own ways have a series of obsessions that set them apart from all sorts of other people,” Jeremy Dauber, associate professor of Yiddish language, literature, and culture, said. Dauber incorporated “Seinfeld” into the syllabus of his own class, “Humor in Jewish Literature,” along with the work of other Jewish comedians like Woody Allen.

Dauber noted that “Seinfeld” incorporated Jewish identity into the sitcom. In the world of the show, “New York is Jewish,” Daubner explained. “Even if you’re not Jewish and you live in New York, you’re Jewish. ‘Seinfeld’ decreed this kind of sense of what New York was as a Jewish place in presenting New York as that same kind of world that he and his couple of friends have,” he said.

But the show is accessible, irrespective of religion. Characters like the now-famous Soup Nazi and locations like Columbia’s beloved Tom’s Restaurant incorporated New York into the show long before programs like “Sex and the City” hit the air.

Evangeline Morphos, Columbia U. associate professor of professional practice in film, cites the accurate depiction of the city as an essential element in the humor of “Seinfeld.” Morphos recalls Seinfeld’s famed monologue on socks going missing from the laundromat. “I lived in the same block as Seinfeld, and, honestly? The dry cleaner would take my clothes and wear them,” Morphos said.

The Soup Nazi was also based on a real-life example: “Years ago, one of the great audition places in New York was in the West 50s. And you’d go across to this soup place, and you had to be prepared, because that guy was a nightmare. And of course, it is the Soup Nazi! We’ve been there,” Morphos explained.

To many students at Columbia, however, the impact of Seinfeld’s comedy is far less immediate. Seinfeld’s sitcom went off the air in 1998 after an impressive run of nine seasons, and his last stand-up special, “I’m Telling You for the Last Time,” was released that same year. Nonetheless, Seinfeld’s career has had an enduring impact on the way much of Generation Y experiences humor, including several Columbia comedians.

“Seinfeld and Larry David were the first people that showed me the funny people are the same as the smart people,” Orli Matlow said. Matlow is involved with Jester, a humor magazine, and takes improvisational and sketch comedy classes at New York’s famed Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Matlow cited Seinfeld as one of her most prominent comic influences. “When I sit down to write jokes … it just comes from a knee-jerk reaction in my everyday life,” she said. For Matlow, Seinfeld depicted “the comedian’s process as not isolated from the world, but really of the world.”

Contemporary viewers can find humor that is “of the world” in nearly every popular sitcom of the past decade. Tune in to an episode of “Friends,” and you will probably find Rachel, Ross, Monica, and the gang worrying about being on time for an event, what outfit to wear, or how to interact with a former childhood friend—in other words, exactly the kind of mundane issues that “Seinfeld” made fair game for television humor.

“He [Seinfeld] would have these conversations like, ‘How do you know when you’re in a relationship? Do you have a standing date for Saturday night, is it implied, is it this or that? How long do you have before you can return a gift?’” Dauber said. Seinfeld’s humor, he continued, has “this extremely detail-obsessed focus, almost legalistic perspective of how we all operate in our daily lives, taking these minutiae and turning them into the subject of great investigation and speculation.”

Seinfeld’s comic success stems not only from the content of his humor, but also its style. Bob Vulfov, member of improv group Fruit Paunch, and co-writer of XMAS!7, said, “Comedians our age tend to swear and curse, and he’s this beacon of a comedian who still can be hilarious and extremely influential without needing to be completely inappropriate.” Vulfov explained, “When you see him do stand-up live in the Comedy Cellar or something, he’s still very clean and appropriate, and that’s something I think anybody can appreciate—a person who can be funny without being too offensive.”

Part of the Seinfeld shtick of “not doing anything” is the legitimate idea that the method behind his comedy is just as deceptively unintentional as the sitcom.

“As much as I love ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘Colbert,’ they don’t mask biases, and the setup of the joke is just to serve as the setup to the joke, whereas in ‘Seinfeld’ the setup is funny in and of itself,” Matlow said.

Seinfeld’s return to stand-up coincides with a recent resurgence in the medium’s popularity, demonstrated by the runaway success of comics like Louis CK, star of FX’s “Louie,” and Marc Maron, the host of the podcast, “WTF with Marc Maron.” “To a certain extent, the idea of Seinfeld now returning to New York … I wouldn’t say that it’s exactly closing the loop, between these two cycles of stand-up booms, but it’s certainly drawing a line or a connection between these two periods,” King said.

Both as the creator of one of the most influential television sitcoms to date and as a comedian in his own right, Jerry Seinfeld’s impact on humor has only gained force since “Seinfeld” aired its last episode over 14 years ago. And if the number of tourists taking photos outside of Tom’s is any indication, that reputation is here to stay.

Most will recognize the 39-year-old comedian for his biting one-liners (“Saying, ‘I’m sorry’ is the same as saying, ‘I apologize.’ Except at a funeral”), which he underscores with pleasant plucks from his guitar. Others might remember the observational “visual aids” he uses, such as the large pad to explore the paradoxes of sitting in chairs.

In our digital age, standup comedians are readily available commodities. Even talented ones are easy to come by. But with his new special, which premiered last Saturday on Comedy Central, Martin continues to prove his unique comedy techniques are as razor-sharp and cunning as ever.

Martin, who finds inspiration in everything from daydreaming and music to people watching at coffee shops, said his success comes from basing his routine on simple jokes and one-liners rather than long, drawn-out personal stories.

“My material is simple and relatable enough,” Martin said. “Kids come up to me and they tell me they like my stuff, and someone who’s like 60 also might like the jokes. They’re just basic ideas about the human condition.”

Standup Comedian is no different.

In the one-hour special, Martin doesn’t set out to offend or make sweeping remarks about any particular group. Instead, he artfully showcases his punch line prowess and innovative tactics that are guaranteed to receive laughs every time. Filmed at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, Standup Comedian features Martin playing up his established tricks brilliantly and delivering pithy remarks accompanied by his music (“It’s cool when an ex-girlfriend becomes an XL-girlfriend,” he says).

Martin even tackles new visual media like his ridiculous yet hilariously handwritten fliers — “Free tiny strips of paper!” one cleverly says — which he posted on coffee shop bulletin boards to generate a reaction.

He even shows off his physical comedy chops by demonstrating the absurdity of mechanized responses in public restrooms: “The automatic paper towel dispenser is a solution to something that was never a problem.”

Standup Comedian marks Martin’s first cable special since his Comedy Central Presents show back in 2004. When asked what he learned from his experience creating a televised special nearly six years ago, Martin claimed that the biggest challenges of the process would arise on the cutting room floor.

“When I did the first show, having seen my other friends’ specials live and then seeing how they got edited, I wanted to protect myself,” Martin said. “And by that I mean I wanted it to be the way it was when I shot it when it aired on TV.”

He added, “In my Comedy Central Presents show, I didn’t have any access to the edit. If you don’t have access, some guy you don’t know edits it a certain way and takes out the second punch line, for example, or takes your closer and puts it in the second act as opposed to the end of the show. They can do whatever they want. So, by doing something like the large pad or playing my guitar, it’s harder to edit because there’s the sequence to it.”

But Martin didn’t learn this industry savvy over night. In fact, one of his earlier jobs was as a writer for Conan O’Brien’s Late Night show in 2003, and later as a “Senior Youth” correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. From those experiences, Martin said he learned a lot about the industry, including how to write on a deadline.

“With Conan, you had to be on it, do your stuff, and hand it in,” Martin said. “At The Daily Show, I’d shoot the piece with the producer, and then we’d be in the editing room and Jon Stewart would come down and say, ‘let me see it.’ So it’s really cool because it’s not only screened for an audience, but also [for people you look up to].”

And while his late night experience was beneficial, Martin joked that he learned an even more important lesson from his time writing for these talk shows.

“I have a lot of respect for those guys, but I don’t want to do that job. That is a grind,” Martin said. “It’s [close] to doing real standup but with a lot more responsibility and staff. But it does have that pretty immediate feedback which is cool.”

But during his near-decade of mainstream standup success, Martin discovered his knack and passion for acting, which stemmed from a love of film and desire to write screenplays. In 2009, Martin created and starred in a sketch comedy series for Comedy Central called Important Things with Demetri Martin, which lasted two seasons. He also appeared in films such as The Rocker with Rainn Wilson as well as the HBO series Flight of the Concords. Though he admits that he’s still “learning as he goes” with acting, Martin is excited to absorb as much as he can from the talented people around him.

“My plan was always to write films and write parts for myself that I know I’d be perfect for, “ Martin said. “But I’d be psyched when I got parts even if they were small, because it’s cool to be on set with somebody like Ang Lee or Steven Soderbergh. It’s like being at school. I get to see how they get through their workday, how they shoot a scene, how they do the coverage … just all the different moving parts of a film. It’s really cool.”

An incredible amount of experiences have led Martin to his successful career, and even though he enjoys performing for every type of audience around the country, he says that his college fans are by far his favorite.

“College crowds are among the best because [college] is a very hopeful time in people’s lives. Even with the economy being as terrible as it has been, there’s still a certain kind of optimism and possibility on the college campus that you can’t really find anywhere else,” Martin said. “There’s a certain earnestness, and I really like that.”

His college fans especially will appreciate Standup Comedian and Martin’s honest, fresh flair on comedy. With this special, Martin is truly in his best form with his always-relatable material and quirky and unconventional methods. Authentically funny, quirky and genuinely kind, Demetri Martin is a comic that will continue to leave a lasting impact on audiences of all ages.

The original Watchmen series, written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins, was released between 1986 and 1987 through DC Comics. The series featured a gang of vigilante superheroes, who during the Cold War tried to prevent a nuclear apocalypse, while also trying to balance their personal issues amongst each other. The series stands as one of the most defining comics of all time, elevating the medium to great literary and critical heights, and selling over 2 million copies worldwide; it is widely regarded as a smash hit. However, due to contractual bindings, DC has decided to release a prequel mini-series to The Watchmen, tentatively called Before Watchmen, without any of the original creators’ permission.

Moore, who is unabashedly antagonistic towards the new series as opposed to his more neutral co-creators, says that the prequel is “completely shameless.” In a recent statement, Moore said, “I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago.” Moore had a falling out with DC Comics in the past over the creative direction of the original series and the widely-panned feature film. Co-publishers of DC, Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, defend the move saying, “It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant. After 25 years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told.” When asked if he would try to sue, Moore said that they’d come after him with “an infinite battery of lawyers.” He said, “I don’t want money. What I want is for this not to happen.”

Whether or not the move was an ethical one, done out of the best interest of the story, or for money, this new series is very much anticipated. The new editions have the potential to maintain the vision of the original while invigorating the series, much like The Dark Knightdid for Batman. But at the same time, it could wind up being the Star Wars episodes 1-3 of comics.This bring up the perennial debate, which transcends the genre of comics: should creators protect their legacy and let sleeping dogs lie, or should their ideas be drained for every penny they are worth, releasing sequels and movie adaptations at the expense of their original vision? God knows each Mission Impossibleis more painful than the last and the GodfatherParts III and IV should never have seen the light of day. The directors and writers of these continuations must know that what they’re doing is cheapening the original material into something that will be derided by critics and viewers alike.

Big screen producers should take a page from the new, exciting, and most importantly, original shows on television, like Breaking Badand Mad Men,that continue to stun critics with their cunning plots and relatable characters, and have gained millions of loyal followers. Although the creators of Alien vs. Predator 2should be locked away for all eternity, the consumers of this drivel are just as blameworthy for buying tickets to the first Alien vs. Predator. It boils down to this: if people are sick of the same rehashed trash, they need to stop supporting the endless cycle of sequels and demand something new, daring and devoid of derivation, supporting original ideas and creativity in American entertainment. Moore summarizes this point best: “As far as I know, there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to Moby Dick.” Sometimes it’s best to just let classic works be.

Panels are usually with people from the industry, but they can also just spotlight a niche interest. They can range from a spotlight on the creators of Cartoon Network shows like “Adventure Time with Finn and Jake” to an hour-long presentation about Star Wars Crafts; sometimes they can focus on something as seemingly arbitrary as the action figures that will be released by Hasbro in the coming year. I’m not kidding—I went to that panel.

Hasbro’s Marvel Action Figure Team (yes, that exists) gave a half-hour long presentation on what they have in store for the coming year, and—believe it or not—the room was packed with at least two hundred people eager to hear the news. While I am not an avid reader of comics, I love all of the Marvel Studios movies that have come out recently. All of the Avengers are getting multiple versions of their own action figures and some X-Men reboots from the ’90s as well. Each prototype of a figure being released in 2012 was projected on a large screen in the front of the room and greeted with copious “oooo’s” and “ahhhhs” by the assembled crowd. One of the more interesting slides was simply entitled “Frog Thor” and featured a small, unpainted frog garbed in Viking gear and holding Thor’s signature hammer. When these enigmatic words flashed up on screen, the presenter, Hasbro’s Dwight Stall, simply said, “How did that get there?” and skipped over it. I still have no idea what “Frog Thor” is, but any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

One of the most highly anticipated panels of the weekend was Marvel’s sneak peek of the upcoming “Avengers” film, held in the IGN Theater. Unfortunately, most fans (including myself) didn’t have a prayer of getting into this high-profile event. The NYCC staff didn’t clear the room after each panel, which means that the most die-hard Marvel fans simply sat in the IGN Theater all day, watching every single panel that was held there. For a frame of reference, the “Avengers” panel was held at 6:30 p.m., and the first panel of the day was at 10:30 a.m. In fact, not a single person got into the “Avengers” panel before it started—every single fan there had already been in the IGN Theater for at least two hours.

Luckily, there were other options for those cast out of “Avengers” glory. Another extremely popular panel (and one I was dragged to by several of my female friends who happened to be at NYCC) was entitled “Girls Kick Butt: Strong Female Heroines in Young Adult Fantasy.” The main attraction at this event was Tamora Pierce, an incredibly popular writer for young adults, especially in the female demographic. Writers Caitlin Kitteredge and Esther Freisner were also featured. The event was moderated by Kate Kilmo, a publishing director at Random House who has just published her own young adult novel. As someone who has never read a book by any of the authors featured, I will say that their banter was both enlightening and entertaining—much like watching an episode of “The Golden Girls”—and the fervor with which the authors were greeted were truly impressive.

The last panel I attended over my NYCC experience was hosted by TheOneRing.net (TORN), the largest fan-run Lord of the Rings website. This was one of their first events in anticipation of the 2012 release of the first “Hobbit” adaptation film, “An Unexpected Journey.” The production studio is keeping most information under close guard in the year leading up to the film’s release, but the staff of TORN took the crowd through all the developments on the film that have occurred throughout the past seven years, including new casting decisions, and speculated on how the plot of the film will be constructed. At the end of the panel I was certain of two things: one, that these films are going to be awesome and two, next year, TORN is going to get a far more impressive panel time than the 8:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. slot they occupied this year.

Now onto some of the less publicized parts of the Con. A major destination for fans is the combination of Artist’s Alley, where the actual artists of various comics talk about their work and do signings, and the Show Floor, where local vendors and major industries alike vie for the attention of the 100,000 or so fans that swarm the con every year. Oh, the show floor–where do I even begin?

I went to NYCC for the first time last year, and I learned my lesson. This year I was prepared for the onslaught of commercialism that greeted me as I entered the show floor. Put yourself in my shoes for a second, if you will.

Imagine 675,000 square feet covered with vendors of all sorts of delightfully nerdy paraphernalia. The question, “Do I really need a sword?” was debated in my mind for well over five hours on Saturday. Comic books, anime, action figures, Steampunk, replicas, publishers, drawings—how could one possible expect to navigate such an embarrassment of riches without being sucked in by the allure of the flashing lights and free swag? For those of you not in the loop, in the industry “swag” is all of the free stuff they give away at cons to entice you to purchase more items. I imagine the feeling of walking onto the Show Floor as similar to what hippies feel like when they go to India for the first time.

Last year, being a total n00b, I bought everything I could afford and was beyond broke after day one. This year my mantra was, “You know you only want steampunk goggles. Nothing else.” That being said, I also ended up buying an 8-bit Star Wars T-shirt in addition to my goggles. I guess the energy sword will have to wait until next year. In my humble opinion, the show floor is a magical place where all of your geeked-out wishes can come true.

At this point I feel it is important to mention that there is another, less profitable part of all cons: lines. So many lines. Lines to enter, lines to leave, lines to get things signed, lines to test games, lines to get free stuff, lines to pay for things. Seriously people, if I was going to pay to wait in line I would just drive through a tollbooth several times. Have you ever seen someone wait in line for two hours for a free book? I have. It’s not pretty. In the middle of the day on Saturday, it is impossible to traverse the show floor without constantly cutting across a line of people waiting for some exclusive release or celebrity appearance. But if you decide that wading through the mass of people is a small price to pay for all the wonders that Comic Con holds, then welcome to the club. You’re one of us now.

By the end of any con, you are tired, smelly, and carrying way too many things. In fact, there is at least one point near the end of every NYCC weekend when I ask why I would ever choose to put myself through something so painful. But about the time tickets go on sale for the next year,  I realize I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Additional Reporting Provided by Jessica Jordan, Arts Editor

After six years, six volumes and seven evil exes, was she worth it? That’s the big question about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s “Scott Pilgrim: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour.”

‘How we got here: Scott Pilgrim is 23 years old, played bass in the band Sex-Bob-Omb with his friends and fell in love with this awesome delivery girl, Ramona Flowers.

Problem: Scott must defeat the aforementioned seven evil exes before he and Ramona can date.

Solution: Flawed and messy. It’s not that simple when fighting Japanese twins, half ninjas and a vegan psychic are the least of Scott’s worries as he makes the transition to adulthood.

O’Malley had a towering task in front of him with the final volume of his “Scott Pilgrim” comic book series. All the subplots need to be wrapped up, characters need their closure, back stories need to be filled. Then there’s the inevitable boss battle with the last evil ex, Gideon Graves, a man who seems to be richer than Bill Gates and Oprah combined, and hipper than the Pitchfork Music Festival. O’Malley concludes his epic with confidence, an intact sense of humor and his best art yet.

Living in a video game world would be really fun, wouldn’t it? I mean, that’s why many people become addicted to video games like “World of Warcraft” and “Final Fantasy” — they can become more than who they are in real life. One of the great thrills about reading

“Scott Pilgrim” is that video game life mixes with regular, messy, exciting, dramatic, real life without any seams showing. Scott is as grateful for the longsword proficiency he picked up in fifth grade as he is for his job as a dishwasher.

For mere mortal readers, there’s much to enjoy, since O’Malley knows when not to linger too long. Don’t get the numerous references to classic video games? Feast on the manga-esque art. Are the drama and angst getting a little too heavy? Here’s a 16-page fight scene, complete with superpowers and special weapons. And the name of this game is change. Scott needs to confront not only Gideon, but also his own past, and end the chain of confusion and hurt feelings.

Will he win? Will Scott ever get Ramona back? Like any classic role-playing game, all the hours of reading and re-reading will pay off in an epic way during “Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour.”

Final Grade: A-

But why wait? For the third topic, I mean. ‘Cause if you want to jump on the bandwagon and have the street cred for the inevitable conversations, then picking up “Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour,” the sixth and final volume in Bryan Lee O’Malley’s landmark comic series, is probably the best way to feign the sexy confidence of a comics connoisseur and make the jean shorts drop.

Of course, checking out the first five volumes is advised. For the stubborn: Scott Pilgrim lives in Toronto, is obsessed with video games/music and dates an American girl with a shadowy past. Nothing too spectacular, except that Scott must fight and defeat this Ramona character’s seven evil exes.

“Finest Hour” picks up where the fifth book left off: Scott trying to figure out why Ramona left with only one more ex-boyfriend to defeat. Typically, Scott is staving off any excess anguish by playing PSP. On the advice of his roommate – “get laid and forget her” – Scott strikes out on the whole casual sex bit, crawling back to old girlfriends. But these pathetic attempts give the failed Lothario some perspective and ultimately the cajones to confront the “final boss,” while recalling the thematic gauntlet thrown down since the first book: Grow up or lose the girl.

O’Malley could be cited for treading in Apatowian man-child waters, but Scott is a far more identifiable and nuanced character than Rogen or Segal archetypes. Scott’s slacker is sweeter, less crude than most perpetual-adolescents, unlike Apatow’s failed man’s man, full of cynicism and stoner rebellion at being picked last in sport. He (Scott) was too busy playing Pokemon for school yard rugby and he isn’t so much irresponsible as unaware of any responsibilities. He’s totally solipsistic. His life is a paradigmatic example of the slothfulness and boundless energy attributed to teenage boys. However, Scott’s struggle is too emotionally mature without sacrificing his geek livelihood. His nemesis and final opponent, Gideon, is suave, rich and powerful, making the final battle a struggle between alpha and omega males. In that way, he’s the anti-Don Draper, struggling with masculine identity, except headed in the opposite direction. And just like Don Draper, Philip Marlowe and any other Knight-errant masturbatory aid, Scott isn’t real. His absentmindedness, independence, earnestness and commitment to the virtua vida is simply a pipe dream for admiring dorks. But as a fantasy, Scott Pilgrim is top-notch, making the faded indie band t-shirt a suitable rival for the grey flannel suit.

The manga-influenced artwork and video game allusions in “Finest Hour” are fresh and funny. O’Malley incorporates familiar level-ups and extra lives gags while introducing other media-blending humor. For example, the final showdown features commentary by a Web 2.0 Greek chorus, updating characters’ Wikipedia pages amid the action.

But none of these Gnostic nerd gags are necessary to enjoy “Finest Hour.” Scott Pilgrim’s appeal is broad and extends beyond the comic-indie-Canadian axis. “Finest Hour” takes Scott Pilgrim to the next platform.