Asheville graphic novelist and his comic book creation on verge of Hollywood notoriety

Good story here by the London Free Press. Brian Lee O’Malley lives in Asheville:

A London-raised artist and his comic-book creation are on the verge of Hollywood stardom.

 

Bryan Lee O’Malley, the St. Thomas Aquinas high school alumnus who writes and draws the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, is enjoying his last few months of relative obscurity before his characters hit the big screen in an A-list, live-action film set to open next year.

 

“The film is actually based on the whole arc” of Pilgrim books, the sixth of which is due out in 2010, he said.

 

“I don’t have much to do while they’re filming, so I’m just quietly working on my comics here.”

 

While Scott Pilgrim vs. the World will be pretty mainstream — Michael Cera of Juno and Superbad plays the title character — the comics themselves are anything but: To win a girl’s heart, the 20-something hipster must first defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

 

The wonky premise and O’Malley’s style have both earned widespread praise.

 

Awards won by O’Malley and the series include Entertainment Weekly’s Independent Comic of the Year.