In this week's My, What a Busy Week!, Alison recommends the exhibit of Bryan Lee O'Malley's original Scott Pilgrim art that's currently at Floating World Comics (20 NW 5th). I went down to check it out last night for First Thursday, and goddamn, it's great. Seeing O'Malley's pencils and inks—and seeing them next to the final, printed pages, which accompany the original art—is a fantastic glimpse into O'Malley's artistic process. I didn't think it was possible for my opinion of O'Malley's vibrant, manga-influenced art to go any higher, but seeing these SP pages in rougher form somehow managed to do just that.

Here's the show's centerpiece, a two-page spread from Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour. Hit the jump for a few more crappy iPhone pics that don't do the art justice—and a depressing glimpse into my personal finances, or lack thereof!

Here's another of my favorite pages at the show:

And I almost bought this next page:

Why didn't I? Uh, 'cause each page is going for $1,000. With Scott Pilgrim at what's likely to be the peak of its popularity—Edgar Wright's movie adaptation of the books comes out next week, and O'Malley's bestselling final volume now in bookstores and comics shops—that price is hardly surprising, but goddamn. I'd be eating ramen for a year if I were to drop a grand on a page—and yet, I'm still kind of wishing I had. Hopefully that page goes to a good home, and hopefully that good home has single-pane windows that're easy to throw bricks through, and a security system I can easily deactivate using only simple tools. Like, say, a baseball bat and some jealousy.

O'Malley's art is on display at Floating World through August 30.