Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

     Any of y'all seen the TV show Invader Zim? Y'know, the sort of freaky alien cartoon that was on Nickelodeon? 

Y'all this show is so awesome.

     Well the creator of the show, Jhonen Vasquez, has a graphic novel series called Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and though I've been wanting to read it for a while, I never really got the chance to... Until Chicago, that is (blog coming up on that real soon). Before we left, we visited some comic book stores and I was able to pick myself up a copy of the director's cut of the series, which is basically a few of the scenes that were selected from the books that highlight the general plot.

     I originally thought this was just going to be some cliche, gory, and obscene book about a guy that kills people (Johnny), but as I continued to read further I realized that the story goes much deeper than that. Obviously the book is going to be gory, but the way that Johnen portrays Nny (the nickname Johnny goes by; it's pronounced the same as the word "knee" and I'm choosing to use it because it's easier to type) is very complex. He has these two figures that are two separate voices in his head, both humanized and projected onto foam statues that sit around in the house, and they really bring out the conflicts that are going on internally. Yet at the same time, he has another voice that goes against the other two that is actually concerned for his well being, while the other two just want to make him suffer. 

     Yes, he is an insane killer, but his reasons for doing so can sometimes be justified (at least in the cartoon world, because killing people is seriously uncool), and as the story progresses you get to read more and more about the internal conflict he has. It's sort of hard to explain. 

     I definitely recommend the read if you can get past the violence, crass language, and controversial topics that will probably offend most people, because it definitely makes you think.

My version of Nny. He's not this happy, actually, but he's always in a constant state of mental and emotional torture. Deep stuff, man. The Z? is actually the logo for the series, although I still have yet to find out why and it frustrates the heck out of me.

     In addition to the story, the artwork is also fantastic. Jhonen writes and draws out the comic almost as if it's a story board for a film, so there are a ton of interesting angles and different panel shapes that he uses. It's also awesome because sometimes he'll put little commentaries in small text in different places on some panels, and he hides a ton of fun details in the backgrounds. It makes it fun, because it's one of those things where you notice more and more with every read! He also works mainly in black and white, and his use of negative space is really unique. It works to his advantage for the general mood of the book, as well, but sometimes having all that black ink on the paper makes it hard to tell just what's going on. You get adjusted to the style easily, though, and it makes for a very exciting ride.