Johnny The Homicidal Maniac: Director’s Cut by Jhonen Vasquez
5 Stars

You may know Jhonen Vasquez as the creator of Invader Zim. You may not. But from this author comes a graphic novel that is, for lack of a better word, ‘different.’

As the title suggests, this book is violent. Very violent. The book circles around a homicidal maniac named Johnny, or ‘Nny,’ as he prefers to be called. Following him is Nailbunny, a sort of representation of his better side, and the Doughboys, a ‘fractured’ version of the shadow that haunts him. The book also features Squee, the adorable and tormented little kid that lives next door, and a monster hidden behind a plaster wall that’s just aching to burst through. Some may find interesting insights about our society in ‘Nny’s monologues (when talking to the floating head of Nailbunny). Others may find it a bit sad how Johnny seems to have had, at one point, a fine, intelligent mind, until he somehow lost himself in all the chaos. His whole journey seems to focus on a search for cold, not wanting to feel the need to do anything. And, of course, the search for a store that doesn’t turn off their Slurpy machines at 2:00 am. And, of course, for lovers of blood, there is plenty of killing. All in all, JTHM possesses the funny and darkly violent humor we all love in Invader Zim, even though this was written before the popular show hit Nick Toons. Go ahead. Jump in with all the fans. Read this book, it’s well worth browsing through the Young Adult section. A warning for the kiddies, though–there is relentless, if hilarious, gore, violence, and swearing throughout this book.