REVIEW: ‘Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past’ Issue 1

Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1 is a one-shot published by Marvel Comics. Written by Kevin Smith, with pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli, inks by Cam Smith and Roberto Poggi, colors by Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega and letters by Travis Lanham and Joe Sabino.

In this comic, Doctor Doom decides that Jay and Silent Bob must die, leading to a series of run-ins with Marvel’s heroes and villains. This is a very interesting crossover, as the Askewniverse and Marvel Universe are brought together. The characters Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes have inhabited for close to three decades bring chaos to Jersey and the wider world, with so many groups and parties getting involved. Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1 is a collaboration between Marvel and Smith’s own comic imprint,

It helps to have knowledge of the multiple movies the comedy duo have been involved in, as there are numerous references to them at the start of the one-shot. Once it really begins, the comic moves rapidly. Jay and Silent Bob are bounced around the most iconic locations, passed between teams and characters as a great mystery is investigated.

For some reason, Doctor Doom is hunting the duo, and the real reason is a fantastic surprise. The whole story is a fun romp that shouldn’t be taken seriously, as Smith seems to enjoy writing every encounter with his beloved characters and the comic book heroes that inspired him.

The comedy within Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1 is the exact kind of wackiness that comes from the Jay and Silent Bob franchise. Not only is Smith an excellent filmmaker, but he’s also an established comic book writer. There are multiple jokes on every page, and almost every comment coming from Jay is a comedic statement. He tries to flirt with any of the female characters, and almost all of the other figures have a joke thrown at them.

It should be mentioned that many of the teams don’t really work, especially the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Both Emma Frost and Magneto fill their ranks, which hasn’t been the case for years. But accuracy isn’t really the purpose of this issue. There are references to many of the movies within the universe, from Clerks to Mallrats to Chasing Amy and Dogma. You do get the general personalities emanating from all the characters, using their extravagance to drive the story even if it makes no sense.

A superstar artist is brought in to illustrate this crossover. Each page is a selection of references and adventures, with all the characters instantly recognizable. Almost all of the costumes are classic, from Magneto to Black Widow, whilst Iron Man has a larger, bulkier suit of armor. Then there are the debutants to the Marvel Universe, who also look superb. Camuncoli and the inkers, Smith and Poggi, make the protagonists expressive and fun to follow. They can’t do much against the villains and are often left just watching, mouths agape.

Silent Bob lives up to his name for the entirety of Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1, and so the book frequently utilizes visual comedy to involve him in the scenes. He is often in the background of panels, trying to interact with the heroes. The sequence of events is brilliantly laid out on the page.

There are multiple fight scenes, each taking place in a beautifully crafted, iconic location within the Marvel Universe. Latveria, the Baxter Building and more become playgrounds. The crossovers among the Marvel characters themselves are exciting, too, featuring unexpected and rarely seen battles. Toad tangling with Mister Fantastic, Emma Frost vs the Invisible Woman and more. There are also numerous homages to the most famous comic panels and covers in history, another sign of the love within this epic comic.

The colors celebrates the silver ages of heroes. There are so many vibrant colors worn by the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four and more, and Menyz and Arciniega excellently encapsulate that. Smith’s characters have more color than they exhibit in their movies to match the format. Jay wears a yellow and blue coat, whilst Bob’s jacket is a much lighter green. There are many word balloons in Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1, but the letterer ensures the text is large, bold and very easy to read.

Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1 is both a love letter and a passion project. Smith has often been allowed to play around in the world of Marvel, but this time he brings his own sandbox with him. But you can see how Stan Lee, Marvel and comics have always been a huge influence on the writer and director. This comic feels like him trying to give back and demonstrate how much the characters mean to him. All of them.

It’s a delightful and playful combination of two unlikely sets of characters. The Marvel heroes even start partaking in the humour, bringing out unlikely comments from them. Comics like this don’t have to fit any particular canon; it’s purely about letting a creator express themselves.

Jay and Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.