Bryan Johnson (comic book writer)
Bryan Lee Johnson is an American podcaster, actor, television personality, screenwriter and comic book writer associated with filmmaker Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse. He is best known by his local fame in New Jersey and appearances in Smith's New Jersey films as comic book store owner Steve-Dave Pulasti. He was also the basis for the Clerks character Randal Graves.[1]
Bryan Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Bryan Lee Johnson Highlands, New Jersey, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Podcaster • Writer • Filmmaker |
Years active | 1994–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse | Maribeth Johnson |
Through his friendship with Smith, he was often involved in his productions until Smith moved to Los Angeles. He wrote and directed one film, Vulgar (2000), for View Askew. He worked briefly at the Los Angeles branch of Smith's comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash.[2] Since 2010, he has been a co-host of Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!, a podcast created with fellow View Askewniverse staple Walt Flanagan and Brian Quinn of The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe and Impractical Jokers. From 2012-2018, Johnson also co-starred on the AMC reality series Comic Book Men. Johnson has also collaborated with Flanagan in creating comics adapted from their screenplays, including the 2004 miniseries Karney[3] and the 2007 miniseries War of the Undead.[4]
Early life
Bryan Lee Johnson was born in Highlands, New Jersey. Johnson attended Highlands Elementary School there (part of the Highlands School District) and Henry Hudson Regional High School, graduating in the mid 1980s.[5]
Career
In late 2009 Johnson began the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! with his friends Walt Flanagan and Brian "Q" Quinn.
Johnson has discussed his life and work with Kevin Smith in detail in various SmodCo podcasts, including 'Highlands, a Peephole History,' 'Why Bry?' with Kevin Smith, and 'Tell 'Em Steve-Dave,' the podcast he has hosted since Johnson created it in 2009.
On February 12, 2012, the reality television series Comic Book Men premiered, which stars both Johnson and Flanagan.
Filmography
Film
- Mallrats (1995) as Steve-Dave Pulasti
- Big Helium Dog (1999) as Undercover Jesus
- Dogma (1999) as Protestor #1 (Steve-Dave Pulasti)
- Vulgar (2000) (Actor, Writer, Editor, Director)[6] as Syd Gilbert
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) as Steve-Dave Pulasti
- Tell'em Steve-Dave Puppet Theater (2013) as himself
- Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie (2013) (Voice) Shower Bully 2, Travis the Comic-Hating Bully
- Shooting Clerks (2016) as Comic Book Horndog
- Tell 'em Steve Dave: Makin' Clay (2017) (Writer, Voice) as Bryan Johnson
- Making Fun: The Story of Funko (2018) as himself
- Cool As Hell 2 (2019) as Bryan
- Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) as himself, Steve-Dave Pulasti
- Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020) (Scene Cut) Biker
Television
- Clerks: The Animated Series (2000) (Voice) as Steve-Dave Pulasti
- Comic Book Men (2012-2018) as himself
- Talking Bad (2013) as himself
- Bonus Content (2014) as himself
- Creative Continuity (2014) as himself
- Impractical Jokers (2017, 2018) as himself
- Impractical Jokers: After Party (2017) as himself
- Tell 'em Steve Dave Presents: TESD TV (2017) as himself
- Tell 'em Steve-Dave Presents: ElephANTS in the Room (2017) as himself
- 2 Drink Minimum (2018) as himself
Comics
- Karney (2005)[3]
- War of the Undead (2007)[4]
- Cryptozoic Man (2013)
Music video
- Soul Asylum - "Cant Even Tell" (1994)
References
- "Ming in Charge". Comic Book Men. Season 2. Episode 4. November 4, 2012. AMC.
- Lin, Jennifer. " Smith relocates his Secret Stash". The View Askewnierse. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
- Weiland, Jonah (October 19, 2004). "Sideshow Freak: Bryan Johnson Explores the World of 'Karney'". Comic Book Resources.
- Ullrich, Chris (January 10, 2007). "War is Hell: Johnson and Flannigan Talk 'War of the Undead'". Comic Book Resources.
- Muir, John Kenneth. An Askew View 2: The Films of Kevin Smith, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2012. ISBN 1557837945. Accessed February 6, 2013. "Bryan Johnson, the director of Vulgar (2000) and the actor who portrays comic book snob Steve-Dave in the View Askew universe was born in Highlands and later attended Highlands Elementary and Henry Hudson regional High School (the latter named after the sea captain who first explored the area in 1609)."
- Kehr, Dave (April 26, 2002). "FILM IN REVIEW; 'Vulgar'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
External links
- Bryan Johnson at IMDb
- Bryan Johnson at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Bryan Johnson on the View Askew site
- "An Interview with Bryan Johnson" by Toby Carroll