You’re killing me, Kevin Smith! But as Roberta Flack (and yes, The Fugees) sang, you’re “Killing Me Softly” with sweet, sweet blankets of love and nostalgia. Last issue of Quick Stops was a deeply moving tribute to Shannen Doherty and her Mallrats character Rene. Having been a lifelong fan of Shannen Doherty, who I felt always got treated horribly by the poison-dripping pens of the press, it was wonderful reading Smith’s experiences with her and how she was such a joyful soul with a wonderful sense of humor. Now comes Quick Stops Volume 3 #3, written by Smith with art by Mark Reihill, and it’s another heart shredder.
What starts off as a wacky little diversion into fantasy and horror for Jay and Silent Bob soon turns into a beautiful eulogy for not only eternal everyman Dante Hicks, but also for the great Alan Rickman (who starred as the angel Metatron in Smith’s film Dogma). It’s amazing how Jay and Silent Bob never feel stale or past their prime. Some may disagree with me, but the two have never “jumped the shark”, they’ve always been fresh and hilarious.
I first saw Clerks when I was in college, on a VHS tape (remember those?) that was owned by a cousin of a friend. When Jay and Silent Bob first appear in the film, I was like “Who are these jerks?” and I honestly didn’t like them. In fact, I cringed when they popped up in their next couple scenes. But by the end of the film, after Dante loved and lost and Randal experienced nirvana at Big Choice Video, I suddenly realized I wanted to see more of Jay and Silent Bob. I wanted to know what they did after the Quick Stop closed for the night. And was Silent Bob really one of the great modern philosophers?
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That’s the mark of a great film, when the characters still roam around in your mind after the end credits roll. And thankfully, in the years afterward we got many more adventures with them. They even popped up in one of the Scream films! Watch out, Jay and Silent Bob! Quick Stops Volume 3 #3 takes place after Clerks 3, with Jay and Silent Bob stealing a Buddy Christ statue and bringing it to a graveyard in the hopes of casting an incantation to bring back one of their deceased friends, inadvertently summoning Metatron, their hilariously snide angelic ally in Dogma. There’s nothing better than the person who created the characters coming back to write them again and Kevin Smith (as usual) makes the book feel like watching a sequel to both Clerks 3 and Dogma, as Jay and Silent Bob get updates from Metatron on Rufus and Muse (Chris Rock and Salma Hayek’s characters from Dogma).
Jay and Silent Bob’s chat with Metatron eventually turns to the pangs of mortality, how we never truly appreciate someone until they’re gone. The discussion alternates between hilarious (Jay’s not exactly a master debater, he’s a mastur… never mind) and devastating. One panel in particular really hit me square in the heart like one of Hawkeye’s arrows.
It’s all incredibly touching and artist Mark Reihill not only gets all the characters’ likenesses right, he captures the essence of them too, right down to Jason Mewes’ jittery swagger and Metatron’s perpetual smirk. The story’s a beautiful farewell to Alan Rickman, an actor who was as humble offscreen as he was arrogant onscreen, and I found myself revisiting a couple of his films after I read this issue. Like Jay and Silent Bob, I just didn’t want to let the guy go.
Kevin Smith has taken a lot of shots from “keyboard tough guys” over the years and he has always been self-deprecating, as harsh on himself as the people sniping jabs at him online. But few writers hit your heart like Smith does or make you laugh as hard. He’s truly one of the great writers of the human condition. I loved this issue and I’m so glad Smith has this series, where he can tell new stories inside his Askewniverse with all these amazing characters he’s created over the years.
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