Snootch to the mother****ing NOOTCH!
Holy Buddy Christ! I am sitting here looking at Jay and Silent Bob action figures, listening to Weezer’s Suzanne and thinking about how Askew-niverse figures have been my own personal Amy that I have been chasing for over a decade. Is that enough references in an opening salvo for you? But in all seriousness, I am still at a point of minor disbelief over the fact that there are now action figures, actual ACTION figures of two characters that, for better or for worse, played a large part in my adolescent development. Back in the 1990s, Kevin Smith could do no wrong in my book, and while I don’t live there quite as much as I once did, Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy remain three of my favorite comedies of all time.
Now, while Big Blast gave us some figures a LONG time ago, and the Smith world has been poured into “Inaction” figures in the past, to me, this is the first real foray into action figures for Jay & Bob and crew, and it has me feeling all nostalgic. However, don’t mistake the enthusiasm for memory or novelty alone, I think these might actually be some of the best Select has given us, and that in the face of a LOT of Marvel characters. There is nothing that I don’t absolutely adore about these releases (save for not having a voice chip for Jay!) and from figure to accessories, these two releases cover just about everything.
Now, technically, these figures are based off of Jay & Bob’s appearance in their starring turn, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, but as far as I am concerned, they do a good job in covering the gamut of every appearance from Clerks to, well, Clerks II, and while their looks changed, their spirit remained the same throughout, and that is captured pretty terrifically with these figures. I mean, I could fill up the rest of this review with nothing but quotes and quoted quotes from these guys, but I will spare you and get right into the figures themselves.
As I said, these are based off of J&SB SB so you get Bob in his green trench coat and Jay in his yellow jacket. Now, technically, these two actually had a different costume for each of the movies, but Bob’s stayed fairly consistent, even in the no-budget Clerks. Jay’s yellow jacket certainly places him squarely in SB, however, so even with a first offering I see the potential for variants down the road if DST expands to other movies, and we all hope they will. The duo’s look in Mallrats is the most iconic for me, so I hope we might catch those at some point, but these two figures can stand in for any situation and look really great.
My favorite thing about these figures is the facial likeness – DST and sculptor Patrick Piggott really nailed Smith and Mewes and I think they are some of their best likenesses to date. Both of these characters present an endless pool to draw hilarious and expressive looks, so it would be easy to fall into a very pointed and specific expression for them, but DST did a great job in giving them character-fitting expressions that can be appropriate for most of the situations this dynamic duo finds themselves in. Now, you do get two heads with each figure and for Jay and Bob, one head is more comical while the other is more placid. Jay’s expressive head is his more “angry” face while Bob has his patented “surprised” look. So, as you can imagine, you will have the chance to get Jay into all kinds of inappropriate action figure situations while Bob looks on silently shocked.
The overall sculpts on both of these figures are also really nice and certainly on-par with what you have come to expect from Diamond Select releases. Bob is your appropriately a self-applied “fat ass” and Jay is lanky and tall, so while they both cut two very different silhouettes, their articulation scheme is actually pretty consistent between the two. Now, Select has never really had a Legends-level of articulation (there are a few exceptions) but these two make off with plenty of range of movement, especially for two guys who apparently hang out in front of a Quick Stop all day. The one spot that I really wish was present was the biceps swivels. You really do miss out on a lot range without that, so I am curious as to why it was left out.
Speaking of which, you also get a full background facade of the (in)famous RST Video when you buy these figures. Now, the figures are really nice on their own, but this really MAKES the set and I absolutely love that Diamond was able to get this priced in. Both figures comes with the RST sign and interior shelf sticker that you apply to the background yourself. They help hold the back drop together and work fine, but I know I missed the facade being announced as cardboard instead of plastic, so that might be news to you as well. Now, I know these two have been all over the map, but they really feel at home just hanging out in front of the “stores.” The backdrop is big so it looks great with them and let’s face it, Diamond has just set our expectations for figures of Randall and Dante with the Quick Stop, so by Alanis Morissette, they better happen! To have the QS and RST on the shelf is almost as cool and important as the characters themselves.
Even in the face of a giant backdrop and alternate heads, DST still got us more by including swappable hands and accessories. Jay and Bob both get a cigarette hand and a “Dealer” Card (their union) that is very detailed. Jay also comes with a pack of Nails and, ahem, some “cigarettes”. The left-handed kind. I am really glad DST kept the cigarettes and other smokables since they are essential to the characters. I was afraid they might lose them prior to release, but I am happy to see them.
I am really over the moon about these figures and having only just gotten them, I know they are going to bring a smile to my face every time I see them. I am not being hyperbolic when I say these are some of the nicest Select figures thus far, which is great news considering Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters are in the pipeline. I miss the biceps swivels and the plastic backdrop, but other than that, these are complete wins. Now, I would not be a fan boy collector if I was not already looking to the future for this property so I am happy to report that series two is already in works and will feature Bluntman, Chronic and the villainous Cock-Knocker. This is cool, but I REALLY want to get to other characters because there are so many out there. Randall and Dante are must haves, but could you imagine a Willem, Holden, Banky, Hooper, Loki, Bartleby and, be still my heart, BRODIE? I would buy all of them. All of them. So, this is a fantastic start, DST, but expect me to #begforbrodie until he gets made. Snoogans!
*Thanks to Zach and the DST crew for sending along Fat Ass and his friend, we really appreciate it!
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