Cover Art for Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past
Written by Kevin Smith
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inks by Cam Smith & Roberto Poggi
Colors by Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega
Lettets by VC’s Travis Lanham and Joe Sabino
As far as comic book crossovers go, this one ranks among the most humorous ever made. Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past is the brain child of famed actor, director and comic book enthusiast Kevin Smith and an incredible art team led by Giuseppe Camuncoli. This crossover was decades in the making and if you’re a fan of Smith’s Askewniverse, which includes Clerks, Dogma, and Chasing Amy among others, you’ll really enjoy this. Even as someone who has only seen one or two of Smith’s films, I found this highly enjoyable. Let’s get right into it. Spoiler Warning Now in Effect for Jays of Future Past and Clerks III!
A Recap of the Issue
Jays of Future Past opens at Castle Doom where Kang the Conqueror hopes out of time and interrupts a diplomatic dinner between Dr. Doom and Silver Sable. Kang has a dire warning from that future and warns Doom of an “existential threat” that could cause irreparable damage to the Earth and rob Doom of his future plans. Doom of course cannot stand for this insolence and seeks out the person responsible for this threat.
From Latveria, we head to, where else, but Leonardo, New Jersey, as Jay and Silent Bob are unveiling a statue of their late friend Dante Hicks, who passed away towards the end of Clerks III. The statue is right outside the convenience store that the Clerks films are centered around, and they have a nice group outside, including some cameos from other Clerks characters. The peaceful moment doesn’t last long as Doombots blow a hole in the statue and nearly kill Jay and Silent Bob before the Fantastic Four show up, save them, and bring them back to the Baxter Building.
The battles are far from over, as soon after showing up at the Baxter Building, the Brotherhood of Mutants (with a Sentinel in tow!) attempt to capture the duo. With the Fantastic Four faltering, the X-Men show up to lend a hand, and the battle gets even more hectic. With the battle raging on between the mutants and the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man shows up to save the duo from any further harm. They aren’t safe for long as Deadpool steals them away from Spider-Man. It looks like it might be game over for the duo until a hammer smacks Deadpool’s head.
Deadpool hits the ground and gets his head smashed in by Iron Man as the Avengers (The Hulk, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, and Thor) save Jay and Silent Bob. A great moment takes place as Silent Bob is shown to be able to lift Mjolnir. The Avengers take them to the Sanctum Sanctorum, where not even Dr. Strange can figure out just why Doom is so hellbent on capturing these seemingly innocent civilians.
As it turns out, in Kang’s future, Silent Bob’s new strain of umm… medicine (called Banana Hammock) is way too perfect and essentially makes way for a utopian society on Earth. Governments destroy their weapons stockpiles, and world peace is achieved. Humanity enters a “new age of utter enlightenment.” Unfortunately, this results in Earth being taken over by a horrific alien race and humans becoming nothing more than cattle for food since they no longer have the means to defend themselves.
With the Avengers and the Doombots engaging in a massive battle outside the Sanctum, Strange realizes what he must do. Since this future cannot come to pass, the destruction of the strain of Banana Hammock won’t be enough because someone will come for that formula one day. So Dr. Strange has no choice but to erase the memory of Jay and Silent Bob from everyone… except for people from New Jersey.
After the spell is complete, we join the duo the following day in Jersey, where things have basically gone back to normal, except we get one final surprise. Not everyone forgot who Jay and Silent Bob were. Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, is from Jersey City and thanks the duo for everyone who will never forget how they helped save the world. Jay, Silent Bob, and Jay’s daughter, Milly, walk off into the sunset as Silent Bob drops an iconic line with his one piece of dialogue in the issue: “With Great Power, There Most Also Come Great Responsibility.”
Thoughts on the Issue
This issue was really fun. Flat out, it was just a really good time. According to Kevin Smith, he’s been wanting a proper Jay and Silent Bob-Marvel Crossover since the late 90’s. You knew once he got the chance to create one, he was going to deliver on a great story. Now, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend this is the most eloquent story in comic history, but it didn’t have to be to be as enjoyable as it is. It’s just pure, fun comic-booky goodness with massive battles, fun moments, and Smith’s signature humor mixed into one big package. I can make crude jokes, too, Kevin Smith!
If you liked the humor of the Clerks films and that universe, then the humor in this book will be right up your alley. The juxtaposition of having the more adult kind of humor inside a book with all the Marvel heroes was pretty funny. Deadpool is usually one of the few who makes his share of crude jokes and has a more adult sense of humor, so it was fun to see Jay and Silent Bob have those kinds of interactions. There are fantastic examples from the issue that highlight this, including the first real conversation Jay and Silent Bob have with the Fantastic Four at the Baxter Building.
Jay has some not-so-subtly inappropriate questions for Susan Storm, and she has a great response. After Jay asks if she and Reed ever do the horizontal tango, she responds by turning her skin invisible, showing all her muscles and tendons underneath, freaking Jay out. Great moment. The entire scene at the Baxter Building, pre-mutant attack, has great moments of dialogue with all the characters. Jay and Silent Bob’s entire conversation with Deadpool is another moment where Smith’s dialogue really shines through. Silent Bob being able to pick up Mjolnir was a great moment.
Those two scenes are good examples, but in no way is Smith’s humor limited to just those scenes. Peppered throughout this issue are great one-liners and back-and-forth’s between the characters that will have you cracking a smile as you go through the issue. Jay, unsurprisingly, handles 99.9999% of the dialogue for the duo, and his conversations with the Marvel heroes are the main thing that really made this issue hit for me. This honestly would have made a fun animated feature in some other universe.
The art in this issue was great. Big moments, great-looking heroes, massive battles, and colors that make it all pop; I can’t say enough good things about this art team. A crossover this massive needed to make sure it nailed it, not just on the story, but on the art as well. Jays of Future Past succeeds on both levels. The art in this issue has an almost bright and playful feel to it. Despite the dire straits that Jay and Silent Bob may find themselves in, it never feels too dark thanks to art style and color palette. This isn’t the type of issue that needed moody and dark art and the art team captured the feel of it perfectly. Shoutout to the art team for their tributes to Amazing Fantasy #15, Days of Future Past, Fantastic Four #1 and a few other fun cameos. It was a nice nod to some classic comic history
Kevin Smith’s Jays of Future Past will delight longtime Jay and Silent Bob fans. Smith tells a story he’s wanted to tell since the late 90’s and, along with some killer art, his one-shot in the Marvel Universe is a pretty fun ride. Smith’s snappy dialogue drives the issue forward, and the art had the perfect feel for a story that has lots of levity. Will Jay and Silent Bob cross paths with the Marvel Universe again? Never say never, but if this truly was one and done, I’m glad Smith got to have his moment.
Rating: 8 Convenience Store Coffees out of 10