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Clerks: The Comic Books
96 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Smith
453 books962 followersKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, director, as well as a comic book writer, author, and actor. He is also the co-founder, with Scott Mosier, of View Askew Productions and owner of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic and novelty store in Red Bank, New Jersey. He also hosts a weekly podcast with Scott Mosier known as SModcast. He is also known for participating in long, humorous Q&A Sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 23, 2012
Guys arguing endlessly about mundane subjects CAN be funny...in films. Think the diner scene from "Reservoir Dogs" or even the movie this book is based on.
Guys arguing endlessly about the value of Star Wars collectibles...in comic book form? Eh, not so funny.
Though I have GOT to get my hands on a "Tickle-Me Ackbar".
Guys arguing endlessly about the value of Star Wars collectibles...in comic book form? Eh, not so funny.
Though I have GOT to get my hands on a "Tickle-Me Ackbar".
December 21, 2025
Chasing Amy, starring, written and directed by Kevin Smith
Nine out of 10
This is remarkable, amusing, provocative romantic comedy that has quite a few scenes, developments that could make for some uneasy moments for the audience and if a viewer were conservative, evangelical or fundamentalist in any other way, he or she would hate it.
Ben Affleck is mostly very good in the leading role of Holden McNeil, although there are points where he can seem wooden, artificial, and inappropriate perhaps, but overall, this is such an extraordinary production that we can pass by that.
The main character is a comic book author, rather successful together with his best friend, Banky Edwards aka the excellent Jason Lee, a personage that has some disputes, early and then later in the motion picture, with those who accuse him of just copying the material that his fiend had created.
These friends seem to have a great time together, albeit the subconscious of Banky might be entertaining a different version of reality, while he makes many “dick jokes” and manifests as a homophobe, there is another subtle, deeper version of him that is the opposite of what this young man projects.
They meet the stupendous, flamboyant, courageous, flaunting Alyssa Jones, portrayed with talent, aplomb, ardor by Joey Lauren Adams, winner of prizes for this role and nominated for a golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her outstanding work.
Alyssa is called to sing on stage and she does a tremendous job, with lyrics that speak of attraction and love, while looking towards the place where Holden, who had just met and talked to her, sits.
Alas, the shock is that when the performer calls for the person she had just sung about, the want she wants so much, she refers not our hero, who was so elated, enthused and proud of this conquest, but the woman who had been standing next to him all this time.
Next, four people sit at the same table, where the sensuous Alyssa is kissing her companion, talking about the coming night of pleasure, while Holden is sulking and his friend, intrigued, titillated, curious, keeps asking questions and provoking this lesbian woman.
He is puzzled, overwhelmed actually by the fact that she is so free, open about her sexuality and then they compare notes so to say, speaking about accidents that had happened and had left marks on their bodies – in one instance, the woman, who was just a teenager at the time, was drunk and having sex – eating the pussy – with a partner, when she fell asleep and the other girl kicked her so hard that the sign is still on her chest.
Another event, took place when she was doing the same thing, kneeling on the ground while the other was inside a car, where she kicked the park brake and the car started moving down the hill, cutting seriously into the leg of the hanging lover.
Banky has his own stories, mentioning just one, wherein he has changed his cunnilingus tactics and his girlfriend is so enthused that she grasps his ears and he cannot hear anymore, thus, when her father unexpectedly returns home, he is unaware and the man pulls him by the hair so hard that the poor character cannot move his head from one point on.
Holden and Alyssa become good friends, going out and talking about their past, experiences and debating on various issues, including the question of sex between women, how that means for the man that his interlocutor is still a virgin, since she says she does not use strap-ons…
There are some exchanges that, although they are colorful, interesting, enticing for some audiences, the aforementioned Taliban public would label as inspired by Satan, condemnable and so on, like the moment when the lesbian pulls out her tongue to prove that this is not a small organ, to be dismissed as an inappropriate instrument in penetration.
Alyssa claims she has had no coitus with a man, but she is no longer a virgin, for apart from the tongue, she explains with gestures, showing the orifice in question, then one and a few fingers entering it, to the dismay of the man, who has to be told: look, we are conceived to let a whole baby go through that.
One night, after they have become such excellent platonic friends, Holden stops the car, declares his absolute love for her, which she reciprocates after a few minutes of fight over it, with a spectacular period of enchanting paradise ensuing, until Banky hears some gossip about the teenage Alyssa having intercourse with two men at the same time.
In the first place, our modern Romeo dismisses the accusations, then becomes haunted by them and confronts his lover at a hockey match, where she unexpectedly confirms the gossip, stands up to the man who knew she had slept with “half the women of New York” and had no problem with that, but once he learns about one experiment is ready to deny her.
There is more to say about this out of the box script, where some rather extreme situations are explored, with the main point made by the heroine that she has been in a family where she has not been given a map, she has been looking for love – perhaps in the sense explained by Plato, with the metaphor of the separated halves of the same sphere, which keep looking for each other.
She says that she has decided not to exclude one half of the population, meaning women, has been a lesbian for most of her life, but has met Holden, who is everything she has ever wanted, but she had not known it, so she has tried everything, including the ménage a trois that her lover is so horrified by.
The name and the significance of the film are given by Silent Bob played by the writer- director of the film, who tells his own tale of the perfect woman, called Amy that tells him her history and then he rejects her, even if he would realize that she was the girl for him, the other half of the perfect sphere.
Chasing Amy is a wonderful feature.
Nine out of 10
This is remarkable, amusing, provocative romantic comedy that has quite a few scenes, developments that could make for some uneasy moments for the audience and if a viewer were conservative, evangelical or fundamentalist in any other way, he or she would hate it.
Ben Affleck is mostly very good in the leading role of Holden McNeil, although there are points where he can seem wooden, artificial, and inappropriate perhaps, but overall, this is such an extraordinary production that we can pass by that.
The main character is a comic book author, rather successful together with his best friend, Banky Edwards aka the excellent Jason Lee, a personage that has some disputes, early and then later in the motion picture, with those who accuse him of just copying the material that his fiend had created.
These friends seem to have a great time together, albeit the subconscious of Banky might be entertaining a different version of reality, while he makes many “dick jokes” and manifests as a homophobe, there is another subtle, deeper version of him that is the opposite of what this young man projects.
They meet the stupendous, flamboyant, courageous, flaunting Alyssa Jones, portrayed with talent, aplomb, ardor by Joey Lauren Adams, winner of prizes for this role and nominated for a golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her outstanding work.
Alyssa is called to sing on stage and she does a tremendous job, with lyrics that speak of attraction and love, while looking towards the place where Holden, who had just met and talked to her, sits.
Alas, the shock is that when the performer calls for the person she had just sung about, the want she wants so much, she refers not our hero, who was so elated, enthused and proud of this conquest, but the woman who had been standing next to him all this time.
Next, four people sit at the same table, where the sensuous Alyssa is kissing her companion, talking about the coming night of pleasure, while Holden is sulking and his friend, intrigued, titillated, curious, keeps asking questions and provoking this lesbian woman.
He is puzzled, overwhelmed actually by the fact that she is so free, open about her sexuality and then they compare notes so to say, speaking about accidents that had happened and had left marks on their bodies – in one instance, the woman, who was just a teenager at the time, was drunk and having sex – eating the pussy – with a partner, when she fell asleep and the other girl kicked her so hard that the sign is still on her chest.
Another event, took place when she was doing the same thing, kneeling on the ground while the other was inside a car, where she kicked the park brake and the car started moving down the hill, cutting seriously into the leg of the hanging lover.
Banky has his own stories, mentioning just one, wherein he has changed his cunnilingus tactics and his girlfriend is so enthused that she grasps his ears and he cannot hear anymore, thus, when her father unexpectedly returns home, he is unaware and the man pulls him by the hair so hard that the poor character cannot move his head from one point on.
Holden and Alyssa become good friends, going out and talking about their past, experiences and debating on various issues, including the question of sex between women, how that means for the man that his interlocutor is still a virgin, since she says she does not use strap-ons…
There are some exchanges that, although they are colorful, interesting, enticing for some audiences, the aforementioned Taliban public would label as inspired by Satan, condemnable and so on, like the moment when the lesbian pulls out her tongue to prove that this is not a small organ, to be dismissed as an inappropriate instrument in penetration.
Alyssa claims she has had no coitus with a man, but she is no longer a virgin, for apart from the tongue, she explains with gestures, showing the orifice in question, then one and a few fingers entering it, to the dismay of the man, who has to be told: look, we are conceived to let a whole baby go through that.
One night, after they have become such excellent platonic friends, Holden stops the car, declares his absolute love for her, which she reciprocates after a few minutes of fight over it, with a spectacular period of enchanting paradise ensuing, until Banky hears some gossip about the teenage Alyssa having intercourse with two men at the same time.
In the first place, our modern Romeo dismisses the accusations, then becomes haunted by them and confronts his lover at a hockey match, where she unexpectedly confirms the gossip, stands up to the man who knew she had slept with “half the women of New York” and had no problem with that, but once he learns about one experiment is ready to deny her.
There is more to say about this out of the box script, where some rather extreme situations are explored, with the main point made by the heroine that she has been in a family where she has not been given a map, she has been looking for love – perhaps in the sense explained by Plato, with the metaphor of the separated halves of the same sphere, which keep looking for each other.
She says that she has decided not to exclude one half of the population, meaning women, has been a lesbian for most of her life, but has met Holden, who is everything she has ever wanted, but she had not known it, so she has tried everything, including the ménage a trois that her lover is so horrified by.
The name and the significance of the film are given by Silent Bob played by the writer- director of the film, who tells his own tale of the perfect woman, called Amy that tells him her history and then he rejects her, even if he would realize that she was the girl for him, the other half of the perfect sphere.
Chasing Amy is a wonderful feature.
May 31, 2021
Beautiful eye-tickling art, but everything else is completely unmoving - and I 1) love the film, 2) was once a cashier slacker, 3) really like obsessively scrupulous people.
January 30, 2015
All new story with our favorite Clerks from the first movie -- black and white, just like that same movie.
Our Clerks get sucking into the Stars Wars figurine world -- there are the over the counter toys, um, "action figures", and then there are the back room deals where the very special, very rare dolls, "action figures", are acquired.
There is plenty of sarcasm, customer degradation, and derision handed out for everyone.
The art is heavily stylized, very appropriate for the title. Two artists are in the book, different styles, but both keep it interesting.
The writing is ~exactly how it should be -- great and as if it came right from the movie.
Both work together seamlessly.
NOT FOR KIDS!
Contains: The Comic Book; Holiday Special The Lost Scene.
Nike reference, also one for Dynasty, X-Files,and Too Much Coffee Man; lots of those. Be sure to read the titles in the backgrounds, even names -- one of the publishers is an inmate with Caitlin Bree :D
________
Errors: In The Lost Scene - Parrish is a name; parish is for churches.
Our Clerks get sucking into the Stars Wars figurine world -- there are the over the counter toys, um, "action figures", and then there are the back room deals where the very special, very rare dolls, "action figures", are acquired.
There is plenty of sarcasm, customer degradation, and derision handed out for everyone.
The art is heavily stylized, very appropriate for the title. Two artists are in the book, different styles, but both keep it interesting.
The writing is ~exactly how it should be -- great and as if it came right from the movie.
Both work together seamlessly.
NOT FOR KIDS!
Contains: The Comic Book; Holiday Special The Lost Scene.
Nike reference, also one for Dynasty, X-Files,and Too Much Coffee Man; lots of those. Be sure to read the titles in the backgrounds, even names -- one of the publishers is an inmate with Caitlin Bree :D
________
Errors: In The Lost Scene - Parrish is a name; parish is for churches.
April 3, 2022
These stories did nothing for me. I have enjoyed a lot of Smith's work, including his Green Arrow run and the Clerks movie, but to me, it feels like the kind of juvenile humour that worked for the film doesn't work in a comic book.
November 28, 2023
💜nostalgia!💜
Also, I totally read this book with the actors voices. It was great. The only reason it wasn’t a straight 5 is for the outdated homophobia. Sorry! I know it was the norm but I just can’t!
Also, I totally read this book with the actors voices. It was great. The only reason it wasn’t a straight 5 is for the outdated homophobia. Sorry! I know it was the norm but I just can’t!
May 10, 2020
Meh. This didn't do much for me. But I would love to have a cantina bartender Bea Arthur figurine.
#quarantinecomics
#quarantinecomics
December 12, 2020
Doesn’t hold up. It’s kind of amazing that Kevin Smith is a successful comic book writer. He is too in love with his words to allow for brevity or the art (which is stunning) do the heavy lifting. I’m kind of embarrassed to have this on my bookshelf.
August 5, 2025
Kinda into it even tho usually bw books can bore me, has a long stretched out pace but the convos break the cycle so it works and did go all over the place but man is it silly
January 26, 2023
Yeah, didn't like it as much this time around.
---
There are two things in particular I like about the Clerks franchise:
1. Its authors make no pretense about its level of filth. Clerks is a scuzzy, scuzzy world with scummy, scummy people. And as the property's become more popular, Smith and his crew has maintained that level of scuzziness, instead of toning things down to appeal to a broader audience.
There are some sick, sick moments in this book: a lot of it misogynistic. And I can't say I "enjoyed" those moments in the conventional sense, but within context, reading about reprehensible people doing reprehensible things, it fits. For me it's like watching a film by John Waters or Harmony Korine or Todd Solondz. Relatability takes a back seat to the observation and study of deplorable characters. (Also, GoodReads? Relatability is a word. Check your spellcheck, please.)
2. Every incarnation of Clerks takes full advantage of its medium. The cartoon series draws attention to the fact that it's a cartoon, and does things that can only be done in a cartoon universe. Likewise, there's an extended bit in Clerks. (The Comic Books) where Jay and Silent Bob are hanging out in a comic book, talking about how they're hanging out in a comic book. For a meta-literary nut like me, moments like that are pretty delightful.
It took a couple of jump-starts for me to get into this, simply because I was out of the habit of reading comics with big honkin' text boxes. Given enough attempts, however, and Clerks proved an awesome read. There's a comfortable rhythm to the pop culture discussions. Even as it's breaking up action sequences, it feels organic, right at home.
Basically, if you like Clerks, you'll like this. I do, and I did.
---
There are two things in particular I like about the Clerks franchise:
1. Its authors make no pretense about its level of filth. Clerks is a scuzzy, scuzzy world with scummy, scummy people. And as the property's become more popular, Smith and his crew has maintained that level of scuzziness, instead of toning things down to appeal to a broader audience.
There are some sick, sick moments in this book: a lot of it misogynistic. And I can't say I "enjoyed" those moments in the conventional sense, but within context, reading about reprehensible people doing reprehensible things, it fits. For me it's like watching a film by John Waters or Harmony Korine or Todd Solondz. Relatability takes a back seat to the observation and study of deplorable characters. (Also, GoodReads? Relatability is a word. Check your spellcheck, please.)
2. Every incarnation of Clerks takes full advantage of its medium. The cartoon series draws attention to the fact that it's a cartoon, and does things that can only be done in a cartoon universe. Likewise, there's an extended bit in Clerks. (The Comic Books) where Jay and Silent Bob are hanging out in a comic book, talking about how they're hanging out in a comic book. For a meta-literary nut like me, moments like that are pretty delightful.
It took a couple of jump-starts for me to get into this, simply because I was out of the habit of reading comics with big honkin' text boxes. Given enough attempts, however, and Clerks proved an awesome read. There's a comfortable rhythm to the pop culture discussions. Even as it's breaking up action sequences, it feels organic, right at home.
Basically, if you like Clerks, you'll like this. I do, and I did.
November 5, 2022
3 stories from the clerks universe. One about collecting Star Wars toys, one about Christmas and a porn obsessed Santa, and one about ruining a funeral that connects clerks to mall rats and chasing Amy.
If, and only if, you enjoyed the movie Clerks when it came out and have stayed with Kevin Smith over the years (even though he’s sunk pretty low at times) then you’ll probably enjoy this collection of stories. They could have easily been episodes of the cartoon. Admittedly they haven’t aged super well but I did laugh and the art is interesting enough. Lots of language that wouldn’t be acceptable today but these are from the 90s so give it some slack.
This will at least remind you of a time Smith wasn’t a hack.
If, and only if, you enjoyed the movie Clerks when it came out and have stayed with Kevin Smith over the years (even though he’s sunk pretty low at times) then you’ll probably enjoy this collection of stories. They could have easily been episodes of the cartoon. Admittedly they haven’t aged super well but I did laugh and the art is interesting enough. Lots of language that wouldn’t be acceptable today but these are from the 90s so give it some slack.
This will at least remind you of a time Smith wasn’t a hack.
May 18, 2017
Finally managed to plow through this slim trade by treating it as my "bathroom book" for a couple of weeks. Yes, it required multiple bowel movements. I think Kevin Smith would appreciate that. Awesome art from Jim Mahfood for most of it, and then even better art from Ande Parks and ... oh, I forgot who penciled it? Not like it matters. This is a real niche appeal read, and I'm in that niche. Snootchie bootchies!
August 6, 2010
Took a little stroll down 90's slacker/dork/fanboy/juvenile hell today. Pretty bland, comfortably crappy stuff; shitty art. Laughed once or twice. All the characters are lazy, stupid jerks who lack even the psuedo-intellectualism of Kevin Smith's lesser, poop-joke inspired works (I write straight-faced as I stare at the cover of Jason Mewes mooning me).
June 17, 2015
Siguiendo los acontecimientos de la película, "Clerks: The Comic Books" retoma el humor directo y las referencias a la cultura Pop sin ir más lejos y evitando una profundidad innecesaria para el título. Algo extraña para quienes desconozcan el universo de Kevin Smith, será muy disfrutada por los fans de siempre.
October 29, 2016
The first one was alright, the second one was BEAUTIFUL, and the third one was pretty rad, too - and it made me want to rewatch Clerks, which is always a good thing, so I'd say this was pretty OK in my book.
July 18, 2008
I love Kevin Smith
December 13, 2008
I read these on the plane and totally offended the lady next to me.
I was especially excited about the "lost" funeral scene.
I was especially excited about the "lost" funeral scene.
December 16, 2008
Kevin Smith is at his best when he's writing comics.
Read
August 13, 2014Pretty awesome.
November 13, 2015
Fun read. Kind of weird ready such a wordy comic.
May 3, 2011
Much better than I expected. Ridiculous and very funny.
October 30, 2015
I'm not even supposed to be here today.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews