• I actually had this sucker done and ready to go right before all the stuff went down last weekend…So while it seems like the disc’s been out forever, here’s some thoughts on the flick, the transfer, the extras, and lots more. This review comes as part of our new DVD Reviews section, which, in addition to our Criterion Armageddon review (due to Ben’s involvement) will be revamped sometime this week, and soon contain a Mallrats review, a Good Will Hunting Review, and someday, god willing, an Amy review. For now, though, surf on over and see what we thought of Clerks.

• Okay, answer us this: Why order your View Askew DVDs from anywhere else? The Stash is NOW offering both Clerks and Mallrats (preordered, of course), signed by Kevin himself! Don’t miss out on this chance to own these 2 films, not only in their highest available quality format, but signed by the guy who made it all possible:

• Been wondering what’s going with release dates on the latest Oni & DareDevil books? We took the time to check in on the latest status of View Askew comics with Joe at Oni Press, and Zee also elaborated with a post that Joe answered over at the WWWBoard. Here’s a rundown:

• The Mallrats comic is expected sometime early next year.
• The Bartleby/Loki One-shot: Hopefully in November.
• Bluntman & Chronic, Part II: Not scheduled, but it’ll definitely happen sometime.
• Jay & Silent Bob #4: This August.
• DareDevil #7: This week!

Also, we forgot to mention, in the latest previews: “Daredevil Visionaries: Kevin Smith” is listed. “Collecting “Guardian Devil,” the critically acclaimed eight issue saga by Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti.”. The Format: A 192 page trade paperback (with new cover by Joe Q. & Jimmy P.). The Cost: $19.95. For Kevin to be considered a “visionary” before his run is even complete is quite an honor. This puts him upside writers like Frank Miller and such. Very cool. Anyone would be crazy not to order the book at this price. It’s been an excellent series thus far, and to have it all in one nice package would be a real treat.

• Holiday weekends are always tough with family commitments and other things getting in the way of updates, but we did manage to get fairly caught up today with a few things, so read on for lots of coolness. ALSO, we WILL have a Clerks DVD review added as soon as possible, so look for that. We need the day to do a comparison against the laserdisc, so it will take some time to compile. So, dear readers, scroll on…We’ll talk to ya later.

• A bit of an explanation for those of you wondering where your Clerks DVDs might be — Seems that Buena Vista didn’t anticipate the high demand for the disc and, even though a TON of us pre-ordered, discs aren’t being supplied to the online outlets as fast as we’d like — Many folks have received their discs, many have not. We’re told they’re being shipped in turn and, unfortunately, didn’t pre-order as soon as many of you, so we’re without the disc as well.

From what we’ve heard the disc is the exact same as the laser in most respects, which we have, but are holding off on a review until we have the chance to sit down with it and analyze it closely. We promise that, as soon as that as well as our preview copy of Mallrats (yep, still in the mail as well) arrive, we’ll have some very nice, detailed reviews of the discs online for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned.

• Just to clear up the DareDevil info from yesterday, Kev’s return to the book will be after a total of TEN issues’ absence — six by David Mack, and then four by Bob Gale. This means that the Man’s second run will begin with #19, rather than #13, as the scoop may have implied. Hope we didn’t confuse ya! We say buy them all, it’s going to be an outstanding series.
• A very small Askew sighting from overseas: There’s an indie film from a hot first time writer/director over there about British club culture called “Human Traffic”. On the wall of the main character’s bedroom is a “Clerks” poster! We hear the film has a Clerks-like feel to it, so this must be an homage of sorts. Cool. We’ll keep our eyes open for this guy.
• We hear there’s a nice little article in an area Red Bank paper today that discusses Kevin’s parents and their home. By the way, we hear Mr. & Mrs. Smith happen to be News Askew readers as well — Hi folks!

• Okay, we know this is off topic, but dammit, it’s our site, and a slow news day, so we’re gonna talk about it anyway. The South Park movie. It wasn’t as good as we’d expected…IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER! Not only did Matt & Trey make a film that, on the surface, is one of the raunchiest flicks to ever come out of Hollywood, they also cleverly stuck some messages underneath it all. It really is amazing to see the South Park movie getting the same treatment as the Terrance & Philip movie-in-the-movie received. Like they had it planned all along. Oh, and the songs are, for the most part, very catchy tunes as well! We live in a fairly rural, out of the way town, and audiences were still howling with laugher, even APPLAUSE, on countless occasions.

While SP gets the some of the highest critical reviews of the year thus far, that OTHER film that opened yesterday is getting the WORST. Guess Jon Peters and his beloved giant spider weren’t a magic combination, after all.

Anyway, Get out and see South Park with a crowd, folks. You’ll miss half of the film as it gets drowned out by laughter, but you’ll have a fantastic time.

Oh, and speaking of the South Park film, Happy Canada Day to our viewers from the Great White North. What a wonderful gift us Americans have given them by releasing the film yesterday, huh?

We now return you to our regularly schedules News Askew programming.

• Graphitti Designs has revealed even MORE super cool Dogma swag, coming soon to a store near you…And wow, this stuff rocks:

1) Dogma Logo T-Shirt – “The stage has been set for the October movie release with the Dogma Logo T-Shirt. Screenprinted in white on a black 100% cotton shirt, this is your chance to spread the word about Jay & Silent Bob’s choice for the best movie of the year.” [Here’s the kicker: It’s a black shirt with a simple white “Dogma” logoon it, that looks EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE WE CREATED FOR DOGMA:RC! Have WE inadvertently designed what will soon be Dogma’sofficial logo?!?! Wow. We’ll expect royalties. Small, unmarked bills please.]

2) Catholicism Wow T-Shirt – “Jump start your congregation and hop on the hippest campaign ever with the new “Catholicism Wow” t-shirt. Features a multi-colored design sanctioned by Cardinal Glick, screenprinted on a white 100% cotton shirt. Catch the Jay & Silent Bob comic, issue #4, which will clue you in more about what this new religious phenomenon is about.”

By the way, if ANYONE involved with Graphitti reads us, please drop us a line! We’d love to get some preview copies of this stuff, even just some better scans, in order to help us better evaluate and promote the stuff for the masses.

• Just a few things to report on today…Then it’s off to see the South Park movie, which is being hailed by critics everywhere! It’s about time Matt & Trey got some acclaim…We think all their flicks are hilarious — Also, try and catch the promo special that Comedy Central is running for the movie. Trey goes off on a few rants, including one about how he’d threatened to kick anyone’s ass that snagged the top-secret script and threw it on the internet. Genius. But seriously, folks, skip “Wild Wild West” and go see a GOOD movie tonight. It’ll be a shame when WWW’s box office shatters SP’s, as we think it inevitably will due to starpower alone, but hopefully the grosses for it will drop next week enough to prove to Warner that they need more than snappy visuals to put together a good flick. South Park cost $2 million to make — And will most certainly spell major profits, even if it’s just a moderate success.

Anyway, sorry for the off-topic rant…But it was just something we felt was important enough to mention. On with the show…

• The new issue of Wizard is out, and it contains more stuff on Kevin than EVER before! Just a testament to how great the guy’s books are, and how much his popularity is spreading through this great land of ours. Here’s a summary of what you’ll find in the book (well worth a purchase, as always, and this time more than EVER, due to #1 below):

Wow! Now there’s a great issue! Major props for Kev, A plug for the Stash, and your chance to own a rare issue of DareDevil. Go out and get the latest Wizard…NOW!