• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

What do you think about "Comic Book Men" and Kevin Smith in general?

Jayson1

Fleet Admiral
Admiral
I'm someone who really has a hard time ever getting into reality tv. I think I might have liked 4 of them at best over time. "Comic Book Men" has got to be my favorite of those 4. Even though I can see some of the fake reality stuff in it that goes with the genre I enjoy it because I like seeing all the toys and comics and I think the people are usually honest in the opinions they give.

As for Kevin Smith I am also a huge fan. I loved his early Jerseyverse movies and I am one of those people who likes to listen to him talk on those specials or his podcasts. He feels like a true genre fan to me. Also I like his most recent movies as well from Red State,Tusks, and even Yogo Hosers.

I still can't get the ending out of my head for "Tusks" and "Red State" I think might have been his best movie in terms of drama since at least "Chasing Amy."

Jason
 
I don't watch Comic Book Men, but I like Kevin Smith. His "View Askewniverse" movies are mostly great, with only one complete dud (Chasing Amy) and one mixed bag (Mallrats). My favorite Kevin Smith movie is a very close tie between Clerks II and Dogma. I'm very excited for his announced Jay & Silent Bob sequel, and I hope it gets made (its too bad about Clerks III getting killed because an actor, people are assuming Randal's actor, refusing to come back).

As for his other movies, I own Red State but haven't seen it. I did see Tusk and I loathed it, so I won't watch Yoga Hosers or Moosejaws (when it comes out). I get my weekly/semi-weekly/etc dose of Kevin Smith through his Fatman on Batman youtube channel (and I liked the podcast version before it).
 
I'm a fan, though I haven't seen his more recent movies yet. I enjoy both Comic Book Men and the Fatman on Batman YouTube videos he does with Marc Bernardin. With the latter, I sometimes delay viewing them depending on the topics, since I try to avoid spoilers.

As for my favorite Smith movie, I'd have to say Clerks, since I also work in retail and can very much identify with Dante. I also enjoyed the Clerks returning over the years, from the comic books, the animated show, the Flying Car short, and of course Clerks II. But while Clerks is my favorite, I've yet to watch a Kevin Smith movie I didn't like.
 
I've only seen Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma,and I enjoyed them all. I think I might need to rewatch Dogma some time, when I watched it before, I knew almost nothing about Christianity and the Bible, so I think there was a lot of stuff I didn't get. His Arrowverse episodes were also really good.
I haven't watched his CBM or his podcasts, but from the interviews and stuff I've read and watched he seems pretty cool.
I've heard some strange things about some of his comics.
 
His early movies are really good (Dogma and Mallrats the best), after the first few just average, a lot less ambitious. His commentaries are generally OK, some good points but mostly going on about petty complaints.
 
I really like Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy.

I kind of like Dogma, J&B Strike back, Clerks 2, Zack & Miri, and Red State.

I didn't see (and don't plan to ever) Jersey Girl or Yoga Hosers.

I hate Cop Out.

And I reserve the bottom rung for Tusk. I more than hate that film.

As a Personality, I find him 50/50. I watched one ep of Comic Book Men, that was more than enough for me. Same as every other constructed reality TV garbage, but with nerd stuff plugged in.
 
well...if you like watching (mostly) middle aged white guys talk about nerd stuff... it's not horrible. It's weird for me me that Kevin SMith is in practically nothing that actually goes on AT the store. He's just in the framing segments, to remind us that he's involved in this show.

It's nothing to actively boycott, but wouldn't notice if it disappeared. This is probably a really cheap show for AMC to air, so it works for them.
 
The show is a fun diversion. Kevin Smith is really a fan as much as a filmmaker and that makes him entertaining.
 
well...if you like watching (mostly) middle aged white guys talk about nerd stuff... it's not horrible. It's weird for me me that Kevin SMith is in practically nothing that actually goes on AT the store. He's just in the framing segments, to remind us that he's involved in this show.

It's nothing to actively boycott, but wouldn't notice if it disappeared. This is probably a really cheap show for AMC to air, so it works for them.

Well, Smith owns the store, so there's that. I also think AMC wanted him visible in the show, as they surely wanted the name recognition. But, for me, it also works narratively, as it's basically a "tell me what's going on in the store" scenario with Smith standing in for the audience.
 
Last edited:
Listen to the Tell Em Steve Dave podcast, Comic Book Men is essentially a watered down version of that, minus Brian Quinn.

As for Kevin Smith, he is basically a 46 year old teenager, nice work if you can get it.
 
I've been listening to his podcasts basically since podcasts have been a thing and have probably spent as much time with his voice in my ear as I have actually hanging out with most of my friends and family in my adult life, so I have a(n admittedly strange) sort of attachment to him as a person and want to see him succeed. That said I haven't particularly enjoyed his last few movies. Cop Out was lame, Red State was interesting and well-performed but generally unremarkable, still haven't managed to watch more than the first few minutes of Tusk without coming up with something better to do, put on Yoga Hosers a while back and I guess was entertained but won't be revisiting it. Dogma and Chasing Amy however are golden in my book, with the rest of the Askewniverse at the very least worth an occasional rewatch. Even Jersey Girl gets at least a C from me, if only for the healthy serving of Carlin.

Comic Book Men also isn't really to my tastes, as much as I enjoy Walt and Bry in less staged situations. I watched it when it aired right after the first few seasons of Walking Dead but when I gave up on Walking Dead I certainly wasn't going to go out of my way to watch it.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top