Comic book crossovers like Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past are inherently silly, but also an important part of comics history. They encourage new readers to check out stories they might otherwise have missed, and they offer a living, interconnected world where anything feels possible, and every corner of the universe can suddenly collide. Giving writer Kevin Smith a full one-shot to do whatever he wants means stuffing the comic with as many heroes as there are puns and comedic references. For most, that’ll be more than enough reason to purchase this light and fun tale.
The premise of Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1 is simple: Doctor Doom wants Jay and Silent Bob dead, or at least jettisoned out of the 616 universe. Standing in his way are the most famous Marvel heroes, like the Avengers, Spider-Man, Deadpool, and even the X-Men. This allows Smith to pepper the book with meet-ups between Jay and Silent Bob and Marvel mainstays, while keeping the story moving as scenes change quite a bit. The book never slows down, and neither do the jokes.
Set after Clerks III, the comic features Jay unveiling a statue of Dante Hicks outside the Quick Stop convenience store. Giving a speech lets Jay pontificate longer than anyone wants, establishing his character and general vibe. He’ll be talking quite a bit throughout the issue. Narrowly being hit with a Doombot blast, the Fantastic Four soon sweep in to save our pot-head heroes. The domino effect carries on from there, like the Brotherhood of Evil mutants attacking the Baxter Building to Doctor Strange dragging them into the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Doom doth cleanse as he pleases.
Credit: Marvel
The humor in the book will vary depending on the reader. Most are tongue-in-cheek jokes on superhero names and powers, or dad-level puns. Smith does sneak in a new dirty convo concerning superpowers and sex, similar to Mallrats, which is far more adult than most of the jokes in this book. Aside from writing so many characters effortlessly, there’s also a decent explanation for why Doom wants Jay and Silent Bob dead. The answer, told via a cutaway of a possible future, is a fun one, even if it’ll feel familiar to fans of Pluribus.
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli is fantastic, and it’s especially fun to read this book knowing he’s mostly stuck to DC Comics over the last few years. Inkers Cam Smith and Roberto Poggi add a little something special to the pages, and the colors by Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega make this feel like a Marvel book versus Camuncoli’s usual DC work. One might think Smith would put too much dialogue into the comic to let the penciler breathe, but Camuncoli does a fantastic job from cover to cover. Full page splashes, homages to iconic Spider-Man swings, and the like keep the book fresh and entertaining.
Closing out the one-shot is a nice letter from Smith detailing how he asked Stan Lee on the set of Mallrats to do a crossover, and Lee agreed if Mallrats was a success. 30 years later, Smith finally got his wish. He also thanks the various artists and editors who made this book happen.
Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1 succeeds because it understands exactly what readers are here for. Kevin Smith unleashes his iconic duo into the Marvel Universe and has a blast bouncing them off heroes, villains, and absurd situations at every turn. The story moves quickly, the jokes arrive relentlessly, and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s artwork elevates every encounter with blockbuster-level energy. While the premise is delightfully ridiculous, there is genuine affection behind every page. For Kevin Smith fans and Marvel readers alike, this one-shot feels like a wish decades in the making, finally coming true.
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