Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in a fictional eponymous

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series seen in the movies ''

Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic a ...

,'' '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,'' and ''

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. A sequel to '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', it is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film ...

''. Actual ''Bluntman and Chronic'' comic books based on the fictional movie comic book series were published after the release of ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. Both the movies and the comic books were created by writer and actor

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

. Comics creator

Mike Allred Michael Dalton "Mike" Allred (born 1962) is an American Comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He is most well known for his Alternative comics, independent comics creation Madman (Mike Allred character), Madman and for co-creating and dra ...

designed the costumes for the characters.

Movies

In the film ''Chasing Amy'', Banky Edwards (played by Jason Lee) and Holden McNeil (played by

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

) create a comic book series based on their infamous stoner friends,

Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and ...

. The first three issues of the series sell out quickly. At one point,

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

offers Banky and Holden McNeil the option to make an

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

. Banky is willing to do it, but Holden declines for "artistic reasons". Soon after this, Holden passes the reins of power over the comic to Banky, and their partnership is disbanded. In the film ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Banky Edwards has sold the rights to ''Bluntman and Chronic'' to

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

, who begin production of a film adaptation of the comic due to the recent success of ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

''. Miramax's production is directed by Chaka Luther King (played by

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

) and stars

Jason Biggs Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, alongside nominations for a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award ...

as Bluntman (referred to as the pie fucker throughout the film),

James Van Der Beek James David Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom '' Don't Trus ...

as Chronic, and

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

as the villain Cock-Knocker. However, filming is interrupted by the comic's inspirations, Jay and Silent Bob, who arrive hoping to stop the film, as they worry that it will damage their reputation (after having been upset by comments made by

Internet trolls In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, an online video game) or who performs similar behaviors in real life. The methods and m ...

on a movie gossip website about the film and the characters). Mistaken as Biggs' and Van Der Beek's

stand-in A stand-in, sometimes a lighting double, for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and tele ...

s at one point, Jay and Silent Bob are filmed in some of the scenes. Months later, the movie is released. One character in the film, Hooper X, referred to the movie as "a ninety-minute long gay joke," and felt it was "just like watching '' Batman & Robin'' all over again." Jay and Silent Bob then use their royalties to track down and beat up everyone who bashed them on the internet. In an extended scene in ''

Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American black comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosa ...

'', Dante Hicks and

Randal Graves This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse. ''Clerks'' (1994) Dante Hicks Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in '' Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works a ...

were wondering where

got the money to loan them to reopen the Quick Stop, and Jay asks "Doesn't anybody remember they made a movie using our likeness?"—referencing the Bluntman and Chronic movie made in '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. Bluntman and Chronic also appear in the 2013 animated comedy '' Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!''.

Comics

Trade paperback

A comic book based on the fictional movie was published in trade paperback form by Oni Press in 2001. The book is portrayed as a collection of the three issues written by Banky Edwards and Holden McNeil in ''Chasing Amy''. It was written by Kevin Smith with art by Michael Avon Oeming and Neil Vokes. In the first issue, after encountering several comic book references, Jay and Silent Bob win the lottery and decide to become

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

es. After Bob handles most of the gadget work, the two don the names Bluntman and Chronic. In the second issue, some of the nemeses of Bluntman and Chronic, such as Cock-Knocker and Dickhead, reveal their origins to fellow

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

inmates A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

and a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

. The psychiatrist turns out to be the Lipstick Lesbian, a newer supervillain, who helps the criminals escape. The five villains, consisting of the aforementioned three along with the Diddler and Newsgroup, form The League of Shitters. In the third and final issue, Chronic nearly throws out his costume, feeling that he's become "the sidekick". He changes his mind, however, when he realizes Bluntman "has all the weed". Meanwhile, the League of Shitters discover that the Doobage Duo's Bluntcave lies beneath the RST Video/Quick Stop. The five arrive at the stores, only to have Cock-Knocker go into the Quick Stop and buy some snacks. The four others, however, are crushed to death after RST's front wall falls over, allowing Bluntman and Chronic to ride the Bluntmobile into the Bluntcave. Cock-Knocker then exits the Quick Stop, only to step in Dickhead's spleen. Cock-Knocker breaks into the Bluntcave, where he slices Chronic in half with a Bluntsaber. Bluntman slays Cock-Knocker and weeps over his dead friend. The cover of issue three features Bluntman holding Chronic's corpse the same way Batman held Jason Todd's in '' A Death in the Family''.

Other comics

Two other Bluntman and Chronic comics were published, both with art by comic book artist and Madman creator

. The first was seen in the opening titles of ''Chasing Amy'' and was published in the Clerks/Chasing Amy screenplay book. The second was published in Oni Double Feature #12. Both have a design style that is very different from that which is seen in the trade paperback. Their style echoes the comics of the 1940s and is visually more similar to the comics seen in ''Chasing Amy''.

References

External links