Ranu's Reviews

Comic Book Men

AMC

10PM Sundays

AMC is surprisingly jumping into the world of reality television and the setting is a familiar one for fans of this genre—my home state of New Jersey. Don’t start fist pumping just yet—this is a Kevin Smith production that takes place in his comic book shop (Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash) in Red Bank, NJ and the show is about Kevin’s friends that run the shop (and one freeloader that doesn’t work there).

If that doesn’t excite you—proceed to the nearest salon, remove your Ed Hardy t-shirt and spray tan until your frigging veins turn orange. Kevin Smith is not just on TV, he is on AMC and The Comic Book Men are here to show the world that the Garden State is more than fake nails, teased up hair and guys that wear $300 jeans. (OK, everybody on the cast except Ming Chen who fancies the expensive denim.)

The 411

Comic Book Men focuses on the staff of Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash which consists of Smith’s longtime friends Walter Flanagan (Manager), Mike Zapcic (the human Wiki of comic books), Ming Chen (the master of everything Kevin Smith online) and Bryan Johnson (doesn’t actually work at The Stash, but is funny as hell).

The show is like Office Space meets Pawn Stars on the set of Clerks while listening to SModcast Internet Radio. One third of the show deals with the customers of The Stash looking to hock their coveted collectibles, another third is devoted to the cast and Kevin Smith talking about the show in the S.I.R. studio and the last third deals with the interactions of the staff.

The Good

The best thing about this show is that it is as real as a reality show is going to get. Now obviously there is some planning involved with the show when it comes to the people selling collectibles since rare items do not come in on a regular basis, but other than that—the customers and the staff are all real. Trust me, I had doubts about the authenticity of the show since I’ve been around some of the other “reality” shows in Jersey (which are about 90% contrived in my opinion), but after meeting the cast at a Q&A session in NYC—there is no doubt in my mind that this show is all real.

After watching the premiere episode, I thought that this show was all “BS.” There was no way that Walter could be that uncaring about the cameras or that Bryan is really that funny without being fed lines. I have to tell you—these down-to-earth guys are no different on camera than they are in person. Kevin Smith said Walter did not want to do the show at first and I believe it. I talked to Walter for a few minutes and he didn’t seem to be too impressed with all the hoopla, but when I started talking to him about hockey and video games—the guy’s eyes just lit up.

And Bryan? Kevin Smith introduced Bryan as being one of the most original and funniest people he knows. Again, Kevin Smith speaks the truth. I really didn’t appreciate Bryan’s humor until I watched Comic Book Men a second time. This Buddy Christ looking dude is hysterical. There should be a drinking game for every time Bryan quotes a movie or TV show during each episode. From Glengarry Glen Ross to frigging Mr. Magoo—Bryan Johnson delivers perfectly timed old school references that are sure to make you laugh. Johnson also serves as the catalyst and chief instigator. I’m not into comics, so I easily relate to his role on the show and love when he pokes fun at the rest of the guys.

Mike Zapcic’s brain hosts the most extensive database of comic book knowledge and he’s not the least bit shy to share that considerable amount of information with the customers. His witty banter with Walter and the rest of the staff is priceless.

Ming Chen is the resident whipping boy on the show, in the store and as he confessed in person—at home too. This guy just has such appeal that you want to hang out with him and if it wasn’t so damn funny—I’d probably feel bad for him when he gets picked on at The Stash. I don’t want to reveal anything, but the flea market segment with Ming, Bryan and Mike is an absolute must watch.

The Not-So-Good

The first time I watched the show, I thought it started out a little slow, but keep in mind that I saw a rough cut and not the final version.

Really, the only thing that bothered me was the fact that you never see any customers in the store when someone comes in to sell something. Just makes it look fake. However, when I asked Walter about my observation he explained to me that the video equipment took up a lot of room in the store and there really wasn’t any space for other people when they were shooting.

The End Result

I’m not into comic books. I like (not love) Kevin Smith’s movies. Bottom line—I enjoyed Comic Book Men. The production from the rough-cut was superb, so it didn’t feel the least bit like a reality show—it felt like reality. If you are truly infatuated with the fat man—you are going to love this show—ass-to-mouth.