Jhonen Vasquez
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Jhonen Vasquez (born September 1, 1974) is a comic book artist and writer from San Jose, California. He is the creator of several cult classic comic-book series, including Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee!, I Feel Sick, The Bad Art Collection (BAC), Filler Bunny, and Happy Noodle Boy, all published by Slave Labor Graphics. He was also the creator of the popular animated series Invader Zim. To clear any confusion, his name is pronounced "Jo-Nen". Jhonen Vasquez cartoon artwork often portrays misanthropic and pessimistic philosophies as well as gothic and even satanic undertones, although the latter are usually parodies and satires rather than advections of. Similar styles and mannerism can be found in many of his characters as well as running gags and common themes, including constant reference to "Mooses", "Meats", "Monkeys" and "Piggys".
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Books by Vasquez
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, popularly referred to as JtHM, ran for seven issues. Early one-page strips featuring Johnny were published in Carpe Noctem magazine. Published as a trade paperback under the name Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director's Cut, a hardcover edition is also available. Both paperback and hardcover editions have "Z?" on the cover. This logo, which stands for "question sleep", appears frequently throughout Vasquez's work, and relates to insomnia which both Johnny and Vasquez have suffered from. The issues follow Johnny, sometimes called Nny (pronounced "knee"), as he searches for meaning in his life, a quest that rather frequently leads to the violent deaths of those around him. He believes that there is a demon being held behind a wall in his home, and that the wall constantly requires a coat of fresh blood in order to maintain its protective ward. This may be true. One human adult provides sufficient blood for a single fresh coat, but this is only one of his motives for mass murder. The issues tend to focus a lot on Nny's inability to fit in with society, and how stupid the general population really is, something that often catalyzes a violent rampage.
Squee!
Squee! ran for four issues. This JtHM spinoff series follows the hilarious adventures of fearful, unwanted child Todd, more popularly known as "Squee" (a sound that he makes while frightened). Published as a trade paperback under the name SQUEE'S Wonderful Big Giant Book Of Unspeakable Horrors. It should be noted that all the filler comics developed by Jhonen, regardless of series, including all of the Meanwhile... strips from JtHM, and excluding special Filler Bunny spots, are collected in this paperback.
I Feel Sick
I Feel Sick ran for two issues. It was originally intended to be a single issue, but was later broken in half due to it being longer than anticipated. I Feel Sick follows a tortured artist named Devi (another character introduced in JtHM) as she tries to maintain her sanity in Vasquez's typical insane societies, despite conversing with Sickness, one of her own paintings. The collection won an International Horror Guild Award in 2000 for Best Illustrated Narrative. I Feel Sick features colors by Rikki Simons, who was later the lead color artist on Invader Zim.
Filler Bunny
Filler Bunny ran for three issues, the third having been released in March 2005. A spin-off of a filler comic designed to replace a vacant page usually reserved for advertising space in the Squee comics.
The Bad Art Collection
The Bad Art Collection was a 16-page one-shot issue of intentionally terrible drawings supposedly created so that Vasquez's high school classmates would stop pestering him to draw for them.
Everything Can Be Beaten
Everything Can Be Beaten is an illustrated storybook that tells the story of a strange person who lives in a room in which he can do nothing but beat kittens. However, an adventure into the outside world changes his perspective, and he discovers "everything can be beaten." Written under the pseudonym of "Chancre Scolex" and illustrated by Crab Scrambly.
Happy Noodle Boy
Happy Noodle Boy is a short, recurring comic in JtHM of a stick figure doing random, disturbing, and/or obnoxious things. Supposedly "created" by Johnny and very popular with the homeless insane.
Invader Zim
Invader Zim was an animated series produced for the children's cable network Nickelodeon. The show was cancelled after little more than a year; only 27 episodes were made. On May 11, 2004, Volume 1 of an official Invader Zim DVD collection was released, featuring the first nine episodes plus audio commentary by Vasquez and various cast and crew. Volume 2 was released on August 31, 2004, the third volume was released October 12, 2004, and a fourth volume was released on April 12, 2005.
Trivia
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He is good friends with Roman Dirge, whom he met at Slave Labor Graphics. Dirge became a writer on Jhonen's Invader Zim.
Another of his friends, Miss Leah England, has her face in the middle of a portrait collection that served as the cover to Johnny the Homicidal Maniac issue 2. She also gave him the inspiration for a filler comic about a child who was dangerously afraid of losing sight of his mother and the infamous "Shit in Pants" Meanwhile in JTHM issue #2.
Vasquez makes a habit of changing his hair color frequently.
Jhonen is taller than 5'3", contrary to popular belief.
Jhonen heavily dislikes the Goth subculture, and most of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac's victims happen to be pretentious Goths.
External links
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- http://www.questionsleep.com Official Vasquez websitede:Jhonen Vasquez