Originally published at: https://geektherapy.org/kevin-smiths-chroniccon-experiment/
Author: Jordan Brandes
This weekend saw Kevin Smith’s ChronicCon descend upon Chicago with caravans of ViewAskew fanatics in full force. What originally started out as a tongue-in-cheek joke in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot is now a fully fleshed-out reality. The result was a mixed bag, but that’s to be expected of any experiment on this scale.
For the uninitiated, Kevin Smith is a writer, director, and actor who has been creating indie comedies (mostly) since the mid-90s. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Gen-X indie film scene, along with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Where Smith differs, though, is his commitment to creating a shared universe. Almost all of his films are connected in one form or another, either through minor characters or the more obvious Jay & Silent Bob.
During his live Fatman Beyond podcast on Sunday morning at the convention, he dropped this experiment as his first of many, as he wants to make ChronicCon an ongoing tradition. “This as close as I’ll get to a soft announcement but we’re going to keep having ChronicCon in Chicago from now. We chose Chicago because it’s kind of the center of everything and really accessible for everyone,” he told the audience during this Fatman Beyond podcast/panel Sunday morning the joyous applause.
It was also during that panel that he was at least aware that the three-day event was essentially a celebration of himself. “We couldn’t call it KevinCon because that would be really obnoxious, but that’s kind of what this is,” he explained. But this is one of the few cases where what would normally be a vanity project doesn’t feel like it.
Regardless of where he is in his career, Smith has always put his friends and family first. He cast them in his films and made sure they were well off regardless of their involvement. This includes everything from working at his comic bookstore in New Jersey to doing regular podcasts with him at his home in Los Angeles. Well beyond movie-making, he’s found a way to make those close to him feel special. So this convention was just as much about them as it was about him.
Those who know Smith know that, on some level, that closeness is reserved for his diehard fans as well. Having met Smith on multiple occasions in the past, he’s always been approachable and down to earth, treating every fan as if they were an equal. That’s not true of all Hollywood, especially not for someone with such an iconic career.
If you closely, ChronicCon was a chance for all of his friends and family to really shine and give back to the fans. Jason Mewes, his longtime colleague and partner in crime, got to have the spotlight on Saturday during his A-Mewes-ing Stories panel, which ended up being one long standup comedy set with some Q&A mixed in for good fun. It was a chance for casual fans and diehards to get to know Mewes outside of his Jay persona, and you could tell the audience loved it.
Shannon Elizabeth, another frequent collaborator, got to have her time back in the spotlight, and it clearly brought a smile to her face to interact with fans on such a personal level. She got a chance to explain that since her days in American Pie and Jay & Silent Bob, she’s taken a step back from acting to pursue her dream of animal rescue in South Africa.
The Clerks panel was a lot of fun as well. Clerks was Smith’s first film and the one that skyrocketed him to success. It has also seen two sequels in the past 20 years, allowing fans to watch the characters evolve with the times. Naturally, it was one of the most highly anticipated panels of the show. With Brian O’Halloran (Dante) leading the charge, he was also joined by Marilyn Ghigotti (Veronica), Trevor Fehrman (Elias), and Austen Zajur (Blockchain), allowing the audience to interact with cast members from all three Clerks films.
The event was not without its hiccups, though, but that was sure to happen. The first night, there was only one working microphone for a Kevin Smith and family panel, which, while the result was entertaining, was clearly unintentional.
Another issue is the scale of the convention. Right now, it’s essentially two large conference halls. That means all the focus was on the panels, which, while they were entertaining, probably isn’t self-sustaining. If the convention is going to be here for the long haul, they need to increase the scale and the amount of entertainment on hand. There are only so many times they can run the same schedule of live podcasts and stand-up comedy before it gets repetitive. Diehard fans won’t care, but that can’t be their only audience.
It was clear there were some holes in the schedule, as well as some of the panels included live painting and costume contests. It was well-intentioned, but Kevin and company either need to add more entertainment or cut the number of days because three days for a convention of that type is stretching it. That being said, it was a fun experiment. Smith is never afraid to experiment and try new things, and it shows. With a full year until the next ChronicCon, he will have plenty of time to work out the kinks of the first year and give his fans a truly epic experience at the second annual ChronicCon.