View Askewniverse

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File:View Askew.gif

The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are made reference to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film.

Smith's recurring characters, settings, and motifs first appeared in his debut film, Clerks. Since then, the main canon has consisted of six feature films, in addition to several short films, comic books, and a short-lived animated TV series. The View Askewniverse is centered on the towns of Leonardo and Red Bank, both located in Monmouth County, central New Jersey. Chasing Amy also takes place partly in New York, and both Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back involve road trips.

The following is a complete list of media in which the View Askewniverse has been portrayed. Jersey Girl is currently the only film directed by Smith not to take place in the View Askewniverse, although it does take place in New Jersey.

Media

Feature films

File:Clerks.jpg
The poster for Clerks, the film that began the "View Askewniverse".
  • Clerks (1994)—The first in the series of the View Askewniverse, follows a day in the lives of two clerks, Dante Hicks and Randal Graves.
  • Mallrats (1995)—Takes place one day before the events in Clerks., the film is about two young men, Brodie Bruce and T.S. Quint, who hang out at a mall after being dumped by their girlfriends.
  • Chasing Amy (1997)—A heterosexual man, Holden McNeil, falls in love with a lesbian, Alyssa Jones, against his best friend's (Banky Edwards') advice.
  • Dogma (1999)—The world ends if two angels enter a church in New Jersey and it is up to Jesus' last scion, Jay, Silent Bob and the thirteenth apostle to stop them.
  • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)—Jay and Silent Bob try to stop a "Bluntman and Chronic" movie from being made.
  • Clerks II (2006)—Roughly ten years after Clerks., Dante and Randal are now employed in the fast food industry.

Short films

Television

  • Clerks: The Animated Series—six-episodes featuring characters from the movie Clerks. that originally aired on ABC in 2000 (only for two episodes) and were later released on DVD in 2001.
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation—In three episodes, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes appear as themselves as part of a story arc involving the production of a fictitious View Askewniverse film entitled Jay and Silent Bob go Canadian, eh?.
  • My Name is Earl—has made several View Askewniverse references (see "Kevin Smith connections").

Comics

  • Clerks. (comic)—a three-part comic book series published in the late '90s, continuing the adventures of the film's main characters.
  • Chasing Dogma—a four-part series about Jay and Silent Bob's adventures between the events of Chasing Amy and Dogma. Many elements of the comic would end up in the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
  • Bluntman and Chronic—the comic "created" by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy, published to coincide with the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
  • "Jay and Silent Bob in Walt Flanagan's Dog"—a story in Oni Double Feature #1.
  • "Bluntman and Chronic in The Derris Affair, Part 1,"—published in Oni Double Feature #12.
  • "On the Perils of Cinema"—a one-page Clerks. comic in the November 1999 issue of Talk magazine.
  • Where's the Beef?—20-page comic bridging the gap between the events depicted in the opening scenes of Clerks II.
  • Chasing Amy—In Japan, the screenplay of Chasing Amy was adapted into a novel by Kenichi Eguchi and published by Aoyama Publishing. The unique concept of the book is that it is roughly half-novel, half-manga, with Moyoco Anno providing the art for the comic book pages. Joey Lauren Adams reportedly saw the book and hated it, as she felt that her character's past sexual experiences were depicted in too graphic a fashion.Vizmedia.com

Non-canon

Film

  • Clerks—a live-action pilot based on the film Clerks. (This production did not involve Kevin Smith).
  • Much of the cast of Mallrats featured in a simultaneous production, Drawing Flies, which features two actors credited as one of their characters in the View Askew films; Kevin Smith credited as Silent Bob & Ethan Suplee credited as Willam Black. Both are referred to as different characters within the film, but "Silent Bob" is credited as himself. Smith also wore the same Bob coat from Mallrats in the film.
  • Scream 3—Although not officially a part of the View Askewniverse, the third and final film of the Scream trilogy, Jay and Silent Bob make a quick cameo appearance, appearing as tourists visiting Sunrise Studios. In the original Scream, a VHS copy of their first film Clerks. can be spotted in Stu Macher's house. Kevin Smith would later go on to include Wes Craven in a cameo as the director of a fictitious Scream 4 in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; in addition, a copy of Scream 3 can be seen in the background of a scene taking place within a video store in Smith's Jersey Girl.
  • Lucy You Love It (2000)
  • Jersey Girl—Also not part of the View Askewniverse, this film has a set piece from Dogma: In the scene where Ollie breaks down crying while feeding the newborn baby, a small statue of the "Buddy Christ" from Dogma is visible in the background on the shelves.
  • In Superman Lives, an unused draft of Kevin Smith's script featured a character named "Derris". It also mentions a "Governor Caitlin Bree" and her son "Brodie".

Television

Music videos

References In Pop Culture

In an episode of The Simpsons where the family builds a puzzle together, Homer says (after the task is completed) " This is the only thing worth-while I've ever made that wasn't Lisa." Maggie then gets angry and gives him a dirty look, to which he replies "Prove me wrong Silent Bob!"

In the video game Tony Hawk's Underground, one of the drug dealers in the New Jersey level bears a similarity to Jay and sports a trenchcoat and black "skully" cap.

Daniel Dumile (as MF DOOM) references Silent Bob in his song "Saliva" on the album Vaudeville Villain.

Notable characters

Recurring actors

Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film. This is most notable in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, in which several actors play multiple characters from earlier View Askewniverse films. Some of the more notable include:

Actor/Actress Clerks Mallrats Chasing Amy Dogma Clerks: The Animated Series Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Clerks II
Jason Mewes Jay
Kevin Smith Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer 		Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Producer 		Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer 		Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer 		Silent Bob
Writer/Executive Producer 		Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer 		Silent Bob
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer
Scott Mosier Angry hockey-playing customer, Willam Black
Producer/Editor 		Roddy
(cameo)
Producer 		Tracer collector

Producer/Editor

Bus passenger
Producer/Editor/Second Unit Director 		Willam Black
Executive Producer 		Extras wrangler
Producer/Editor/Second Unit Director 		Concerned Father
Producer
Walt Flanagan Woollen cap smoker, egg man, offended customer, cat-admiring bitter customer Walt the Fanboy Woollen cap smoker
Bryan Johnson Steve-Dave
Brian O'Halloran Dante Hicks
 Gil Hicks
 Jim Hicks
 Grant Hicks
 Dante Hicks
Jeff Anderson Randal Graves Gun shop clerk Randal Graves
Vincent Pereira Hockey goalie, engagement-savvy customer Startled pinball player Quick Stop customer
Ernest O'Donnell Rick Derris Bystander Cop
John Willyoung Dante's killer (alternate ending) Cohee London Passerby
David Klein Hunting-cap smoking boy, low-IQ video store customer, hubcap searching customer, angry mourner
Director of Photography 		Bald comic fan
Director of Photography 		Director of Photography Director of Photography
Virginia Smith Animal masturbator customer Comic-Con woman
Grace Smith Milk maid Milk maid
Joey Lauren Adams Alyssa Jones (Clerks: The Lost Scene) Gwen Turner Alyssa Jones Alyssa Jones
Jason Lee Brodie Bruce Banky Edwards Azrael Brodie Bruce/Banky Edwards Lance Dowds
Ben Affleck Shannon Hamilton Holden McNeil Bartleby Holden McNeil/himself Gawking guy
Ethan Suplee Willam Black Fan Gologathan (voice) Teen #2
Shannen Doherty Rene Mosier Herself
Renee Humphrey Tricia Jones Tricia Jones
Malcolm Ingram Creepy staring guy Creepy staring guy Pissing customer
Dwight Ewell Hooper X Kan the gang leader Hooper X
Matt Damon Shawn Owen (TV executive #2) Loki Himself
Dan Etheridge Priest Plug Deputy
Chris Rock Rufus Chaka Luther King
George Carlin Cardinal Glick Blowjob-giving hitchhiker
Paul Dini George Lucas
Writer 		Bluntman & Chronic Loader/Clapper
Alanis Morissette God God
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Missy Emma
Harley Quinn Smith Baby Silent Bob Kid in window

Motifs

Main article: View Askewniverse Motifs

The View Askewniverse has many common plot threads, references, and jokes, which are often mentioned in many of the films, television shows, and other mediums influenced by Kevin Smith.

External links

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