When you think of filmmaker Kevin Smith, you might picture Silent Bob, Clerks, a hockey jersey or even Degrassi: The Next Generation. What might not immediately spring to mind is his successful comic book shop, or the reality show that’s about to open its doors to international audiences.
That might change once Comic Book Men premieres on AMC Sunday night immediately following a new episode of zombie thriller The Walking Dead. It is AMC’s first docu-reality offering, and features content that network programming vice-president Joel Stillerman felt was ripe for the picking.
“It’s been a staple of tent pole feature films for a long time, and it’s the source material for our very own The Walking Dead,” he said last month at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “Yet, there’s no TV show dedicated exclusively to the world of comic books.”
The series is shot inside Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, N.J., and features Smith and his team, along with their wacky array of customers. The series aims to tell the stories that go along with buying, selling and trading comics, but Smith also cobbles together an exclusive version of his podcast that threads through each episode.
“What I’ve always liked about [comics] is [they are] one of the only pure American art forms,” Smith said. “So it’s one of the things like jazz that Americans can actually claim for their own, [that] didn’t come from some other place. I just dig it, though, because it’s escape.”
Joining Smith in the six-part series are store manager Walt Flanagan, 43-year-old cashier Mike Zapcic, buddy Bryan Johnson and minion Ming Chen. Smith serves as executive producer along with Charlie Corwin (LA Ink, Storm Chasers, Swamp People) and Elyse Seiden (Red State).
Comic Book Men marks Smith’s second foray into television, and one that he hopes is a more positive experience than his last. In 2000, ABC commissioned six animated episodes of Clerks, of which only two ever aired.
When Smith was approached about an idea for AMC to capitalize on the comic book fans who were drawn to the network through The Walking Dead, he found he had none.
“I said, ‘Dude, honestly, like no, because I didn’t have a good time in TV last time. But if you were going to do anything, you should do a reality short set in a comic book store because everybody knows comic book culture now.’”
Smith never thought the end result would be a reality series shot in his own shop (he offered The Stash as a place to film for a presentation reel AMC had requested), but Comic Book Men evolved into what Smith calls Pawn Stars in a comic book shop.
“If I had tried to get on AMC, if that was my plan, it never would have happened,” he said.
“Now not only do I have a show on TV where I can watch my friends for six weeks in a row, [but] it’s on the network that I love. And I’m just like, I must have sold my soul to the devil … because this is great fortune that I’m experiencing. And I didn’t really earn it. So I’m just very happy to be here.”
Comic Book Men debuts Sunday, Feb. 12, at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.
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