Multivers, that's a term that appears more and more daily. Both children and adults know more or less what it's about today, what one owes in part to the explosion of superheroes on the big screen which, in the course of their monopoly, logically ended up drawing more inspiration from comics until fully embrace the notion of parallel universes, called, multiverse, very present. Whether it is the MCU, the DCU, or more recently the Spiderverse, we have all heard about it from near or far. Less known in 2024 than ten or twenty years ago, comics filmmaker and screenwriter Kevin Smith remains an atypical character, with a recognizable style and followed by a faithful community of fans. Little man from New Jersey with a distributed virulent, father of a girl bearing the sweet name of Harley Quinn, he is also the creator of a fictional universe in which will meet various actors, playing their own role or interpreting a fictional character, all evolving within a funny universe. The latter is not so far from being a multiverse itself, and it bears the farfetched name of « View Askewniverse ».
Let's Get Dirty
The notion of multiverse is far from being new and appears only in the costumed characters, testifies to the animated series Rick and Morty or oscarized Everything Everything All At Once Daniels with Michelle Yeoh in the title role. In 2010, Jaco Van Dormael explored the issue of parallel universes in his film Mr. Nobody, when the animated series The Ninja Turtles (2012) She used the idea of a parallel universe to legitimize the creative freedoms undertaken. In addition, this allowed the series to justify the encounter between two generations of distinct turtles – it was also explored in the animated telefilm Turtles ForeverThe existence of an iteration does not render its predecessors obsolete.
However, the View Askewniverse, which will interest us, is not a multiverse as defined by the above-mentioned works. Indeed, Kevin Smith is closer to what can be found, more subtly, in Quentin Tarantino's filmography. The latter does not hesitate to weave links through the reuse of a surname, but also via the omnipresence of fictitious brands, the most famous being that of the Red Apple cigarettes that one will see from Pulp Fiction to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In the filmography of the filmmaker from New Jersey, canonical films will systematically dialogue with each other thanks to characters and recurring places that will subsequently become logically iconic for any spectator, assiduous spectator. Most often present in the filmmaker's feature films, metatextuality will also further consolidate these connections, and therefore, the existence of the View Askewniverse.
Before exploring the subject of the day further, here is an exhaustive and chronological list of canonical films claiming the View Askewniverse:
- Clerks (1994)
- The Gladers (1995)
- Multiple enterprise (1997)
- Dogma (1999)
- Jay & Silent Bob counter-attack (2001)
- Clerks II (2006)
- Zack and Miri do porn (2008)
- Jay & Silent Bob again counter-attack (2019)
- Clerks III (2022)
**Zack and Miri do a porn that wasn't hot until the release of Jay's reboot and Silent Bob where the character of Brandon St. Randy played by Justin Long.
Let us now return to the sources, thirty years earlier, when the internet and social networks had not yet completely transformed our daily lives, our ways of life, or reshape our conception of the real world around us. As with science fiction, today we are entitled to wonder whether reality has finally exceeded fiction on many points. As for who the real or the film fiction influenced the other first, we will let you judge... We leave you to your sheets or notebooks, because despite its strong metatextuality and the incessant going-and-coming between reality and fiction, Smith's work, Kevin the filmmaker and comic writer, not the famous multiform agent, will not bring any more answers.
All Eyez on Me
At the beginning, New Jersey in 1994, at a grocery store called the Quick Stop. Young Kevin Smith, passionate about comics, made a film there while he was still just an employee of the store, taking advantage of hours of night to shoot. A skewer of knowledge and improvised friends actor and twenty thousand dollars obtained through the resale of comics will suffice to realize what will become the cult Clerks. A first film in which all the gentleman's style already appears, in addition to starting without preventing the birth of the View Askewniverse. Even if it is the following films that will properly illustrate this fictional universe.
With revenues around two million dollars, Smith attracts the favors and support of Miramax. Quickly, the filmmaker wrote and directed The Gladers (Mallrats in original version) for an acted release since 1995, unfortunately the success will not be at the rendezvous; not even a French distribution will be considered. However, a certain audience will respond during the film's release in video format – which is far from being an isolated case – and a community of fans will form and follow the filmmaker's career assiduously. Thus echoing his work, albeit limited in distance travelled, but resonating sufficiently for the filmmaker to consider subsequent years, especially to send the ball back to the fans, one might say.
Because one thing works very well in the cinema of the man and, by extension, in the View Askewniverse, it is sincerity, humanity that emerges from the gallery of characters. All these connections, dialogues from one film to another, or with spectators and reality via a fourth wall constantly broken, help to immerse us. The world portrayed becomes more true than nature. Every face crossed ends up becoming an acquaintance, a friend, whom one has pleasure to see again over the years that pass, from one work to another, no matter if it is only for a fleeting moment. It is not uncommon to have the impression of being only in the face of moments of banal lives caught on the alive, when the craziest adventures clearly feel the heading made various.
The iconic smokers of herbs as vulgar as attaching, Jay and Silent Bob, are the most beautiful example, Smith incarnating the mutic bearded capped mutic, while Jay, sublimated by the performance of Jason Mewes, fills the silence of his coloyte by speaking for two. The latter is moreover most often in total improvised. It is a real running gag appearing in almost all the films of the View Askewniverse, but also where we do not expect them. This is evidenced by their brief presence in Scream 3, in video games with their effigy, in the animation series Clerks The Animated Series, or in the music clip « Highlife » by rapper Logic, paying open tribute to Clerks, while contributing to the permanent porosity between reality and fiction of this funny universe.
The Real Frontiers
More surprising, Jay and Silent Bob appear in season 4 of the series Degrassi : The New Generation, as in season 4 of The Flash, exclusively in episode 17 directed by Kevin Smith himself. There is nothing in these examples, but an interesting sample to see the popularity of the two comparisons. Extras yes, but they will have the right to their own adventures, and this, twice, will soon be three. As much as events in the vein of a Comic-Con can do them honor, not to mention the own vents that the filmmaker himself had in his hometown, creating ever more proximity to the fans without whom the gentleman might already be forgotten and riddled, not to mention the porosity in real and fiction, always. Here's some evidence to add to the file « metatextuality » from the View Askewniverse.
Moreover, as mentioned above, if actors can embody a character created by Smith, like Ben Affleck interpreting Bartleby in Dogma, they can also be themselves, the civilian person, simply. Maintaining the constant blurring between reality and fiction. The reboot of Jay and Silent Bob released in 2019 takes a clever pleasure to blur borders, turning the fourth wall in every direction and showing us a scene in which Ben Affleck openly refers to his interpretation of the black knight, while he is in partnership with Amy of Multiple enterprise. As for Kevin Smith, in addition to his role as Bob and his position as director/writer, the gentleman intervenes in his own role as filmmaker, even though his daughter plays in the film. Something to have a knot in your brain.
It's hard not to feel like a member of this faithful group for thirty years now after seeing and enjoying this filmography. A cinema hermetic to the general public and which requires to be fully followed, including failures like Yoga Hosers or dubious Tusk, although more dispensable because not officially belonging to the View Askewniverse. It will be mainly about winks of eye and self-deteriation. And if not all the actors in front of the filmmaker's camera are always the best known, Rosario Dawson and the inseparable Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will be present several times. Especially this latter, faithful friend of Smith and also great comic amateur.
The fact that Affleck wears the devil's suitHells Kitchen in the film directed by Mark Steven Johnson in 2003 is due to Kevin Smith, very present on the project and himself adheres to Daredevil since he has staged several comics at Marvel, including the very good one Under Devil's Wing, main inspiration for the first incursion of the lawyer to the cinema. Moreover, you should know that a long version of the film exists with an extra 20 minutes, which gives a little color to the feature film and its hero. Indeed, the added minutes refine the characterization of Matt Murdock, in addition to densifying the narrative with a useful secondary intrigue.
New Jersey City
There is something to expand so much the fictional universe imagined by Kevin Smith is rich, but what we must remember is that to appreciate and be able to fully invest in it, we must give ourselves time to follow the films of the View Askewniverse chronologically, as far as it is a cinema that speaks to you. This is not guaranteed, due to its particular style, especially through its propensity to dialogues on referenced, often incisive as well. We follow mostly characters, quasi-real individuals, in their daily galleys, however banal they may be, and with the improvisation touch that one is entitled to expect. After all, Clerks, this is a little bit of the observation that, although Smith considered his awful and boring job, it finally fed his imagination, the real being a wonderful and inexhaustible source of history and adventures.
But for those who manage to integrate this world, it's a rather striking, nostalgic experience too, there's only one thing to see. Clerks III, true love letter to this first film so important for the filmmaker and his colleagues, but also for the public and fans who are definitely part of this microcosm. We talked about Jay and Silent Bob, but it would be to forget Randall Graves and his endless referred monologues, Dante Hicks the sentimental and good friend almost normal, to name but a few. Other atypical profiles are unforgettable and leave a smile on our face at each appearance. And what about places, especially the Quick Stop and the Moobys, real landmarks.
A little thought to the band formed by Seth Rogen, James Franco, Evan Goldberg et al., accustomed to making films without any other pretension than to be happy. Somehow, there's a similar vibe out there. A tiny vibe certainly, but still well present. And even if, in this particular case, it is not a kind of multiverse, from metatextuality to overtness, the alchemy of the members appears systematically from one film to another and regardless of the distribution of the roles, which may recall the View Askewniverse.
In conclusion, it should be recalled that according to the latest information from New Jersey, specifically Kevin Smith's Twitter (X) account, a follow-up to the Mallrats would still be planned despite the death of Shannen Doherty who played an important role in the first film and, therefore, was part of the View Askewniverse. It will be an opportunity to pay a fine tribute to him despite the fiery failure of the first film at the time, long before posterity did its work.
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