The comic world of Kevin Smith

But today there are a number of people trying to lay that claim to rest, and among them are some of the most popular current film directors. Quentin Tarantino absolutely littered Reservoir Dogs with both overt and subtle comic book references, and Kevin Smith followed suit, even one-upping Tarantino by creating the "View Askew Universe," an alternate reality comparable to the worlds of Marvel and DC comics.

View Askew is the name of Kevin Smith's production company, and the "View Askew" universe is the world in which the characters of his films, "Clerks," "Mallrats," and now "Chasing Amy" live and play. Smith, a long-time comics collector, sums up the "comics angle" of these films in one word - "continuity."

"In comics, characters of respective companies cross over constantly. . ." says Smith. "This is an idea that always appealed to me, and it was something I wanted to establish with the movies I made." So, just as you might see Batman make an appearance in a Flash comic, characters from Smith's various films continually pop back up in his movies, and events just talked about in one film are played out in others. For example, the girl that dies in the pool in "Mallrats," causing T.S. and Brandi's break-up, is the same girl whose funeral Dante and Randal attend in "Clerks." Then there's Jay and Silent Bob, the almost cartoonish characters who make an appearance in every Smith film (Smith himself plays Silent Bob) and who even become characters in their own comic book, called "Bluntman and Chronic" in the film "Chasing Amy." Plus, each of the three films so far has featured one of the Jones sisters - Heather Jones, a minor character in "Clerks," Tricia Jones, the teenage sex-book author in "Mallrats," and Alyssa Jones as the main character in "Chasing Amy," who also happens to portray - wait for it - a comic book writer!

As one might expect, within the "View Askew" universe comic books are extremely important. In fact, they are becoming more important with each film. While "Clerks" didn't address the subject overtly, "Mallrats" was riddled with comics references, and even included an appearance by comics deity Stan Lee, as well as a scene where Smith (as Silent Bob) dresses up in an imitation Batman outfit and flies across the mall. "Mallrats" also featured an assortment of original comic book art designed especially for the film by well-known creators, including "Madman" team Mike and Laura Allred, who also returned to help with the most comics-saturated Kevin Smith film so far, "Chasing Amy." In that film every one of the main characters is either a professional comic book writer or artist, and a number of the scenes take place at various comic conventions. And Smith isn't afraid to poke fun at what he loves either - there are some hilarious looks at the prototypical comic book "fanboy," the racial politics of the industry and what it means to be an "inker" as well.

True, Kevin Smith may not come off as the most mature person in the world, but he's definitely no kid. And, although we might shout "Hey kids, Kevin Smith films!" these movies, like comics, still have a definite adult appeal. Besides, maturity is overrated.

To check out a very cool website, and learn more about the "View Askew Universe," surf on over to http://www.viewaskew.com, where you can see film clips, artwork, interviews and even a 6-page "Bluntman and Chronic" comic book by Mike and Laura Allred.