By Steve Rhodes
“The everyday, nerdy banter of comic book fanboys is glamorized and documented for the small screen thanks to AMC and the genius that is Kevin Smith,” Hailey Moran writes for The Daily Titan of Cal State-Fullerton.
“The same network that captivated audiences with hits like The Walking Dead and Mad Men is bringing a whole different vibe to its lineup with the unscripted reality series, Comic Book Men – a show that follows the negotiations and conversations taking place at a comic book store in Red Bank, New Jersey. With a cast that’s lovable, hilarious and most of the time, inappropriate, this show’s a must-see.”
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From AP:
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“As the owners of Chimera’s Comics in the southwest Chicago suburbs, we have experienced colorful characters, memorable customers, kind strangers, and bizarrely unnerving visitors,” Steven Brown and Carmelo Chimera write at Huffington Post. “Our hope for Comic Book Men was that it might present a novel look into the people that make up a comic book store community.
“But the show lacks any relatable cast members. In fact, the most entertaining character on the show was a man named Bryan Johnson, a customer who spends all of his free time at the Secret Stash, despite not actually being employed there. His antics, including smashing collectible plates at a flea market in order to win a contest, were the most entertaining part of the show.”
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From the Beachwood vault; Pundit Patrol, February 23, 2010:
Laura Washington: Cultural literacy is important in a journalist, but if you come across a celebrity whose work is unknown to you, do a little research instead of assuming everyone else is equally as ignorant. To wit:
“Who’s Kevin Smith?” Washington wrote on Monday. “I had never heard of the guy. I suspect I am not alone (his obscurity is probably one motive behind his headline-hungry rants.) Turns out Smith is an actor, director and comedian whose credits include Hollywood gems like Mallrats.”
If Kevin Smith was such an obscure figure, this never would have become news. Being obscure to you doesn’t mean being obscure to everyone.
See, it turns out Smith’s brilliant directorial debut, Clerks, merely won awards at Sundance and Cannes before being put in release by Miramax; also turns out that besides Mallrats, Smith’s films include Chasing Amy and Dogma; turns out Smith was a co-executive producer of Good Will Hunting; turns out he’s revered in the comic book world, has scores of media appearances in various roles including guest reviewer three times on Ebert & Roeper, he posts nearly daily to his blog, and on and on and on.
But yes, his obscurity is probably behind his headline-hungry rants.
I mean, he totally provoked Southwest Airlines into throwing him off that flight! He had it all planned! Sources say he ate at McDonald’s three times a week for a month just to make sure he’d get fat enough to cause a stir on that flight.
Where do they come from?
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Comments welcome.
Posted on February 15, 2012