Well, it's got a page with a fair amount of substance last I checked, so I wouldn't say that. Besides, I've read it :) And thought it was shit, but still :P
I'll turn your neocortex into a flowerpot!I've read it. But I don't think I really 'got' it. I picked it up back in the 90s, knowing nothing about it beyond the title, because I like serial killers and Villain Protagonists. It was okay, but not something I've felt a desire to reread. I'm not a fan of the art style, or black and white comics in general. Or angsty, self-hating villains. Or the trope Even Evil Has Standards.
I've read it, but I'm not sure I have anything meaningful to say about it? Random observation: one of the rants Psycho-Doughboy gives Nny to induce him to suicide is familiar to me in a somewhat eerie way as a voice I've had in my own head when I've been at my lowest. Just not, you know, as a literal disembodied voice. For that matter, the whole scene where he holds off on killing himself because the funny commercial comes on and distracts him is kind of true to life too. You can be suicidally depressed and lurch from mindless pleasure to mindless pleasure like that. It's not a romantic or sympathetic look at it, but it's there.
I've noticed a lot of people claim all Nny's victims were assholes except for Edgar Vargas, which perplexes me. It's not borne out by the comic itself at all. He targets assholes specifically, but he doesn't care about collateral damage, and he'll kill anyone if he's in a mood.
I've read it twice - the first time when my friend lent me his copy, and again several years later when I got it for myself.
The first time I read it, I thought "This is awesome!" The second time, the biggest thing I noticed was that Vasquez is a lousy speller; he kept mixing up there and their, and misusing apostrophes.
Squee is better.
Ukrainian Red CrossYeah, I love this comic to death. Though Nny's wangst can and will get grating.
ALL CREATURE WILL DIE AND ALL THE THINGS WILL BE BROKEN. THAT'S THE LAW OF SAMURAI.Why are you pretending this is some obscure underground comic? Nobody reads it except for everybody who shops at Hot Topic and is as wangsty as the main character. In fact ask any of the Invader Zim tartlets about Vasquez and JTHM will be the first thing they mention.
I kinda liked it, but it never really completely clicked for me, I guess I'm not the right subculture and age group.
![]()
&
I always thought Nny's wangst was intentional, to show how shallow and self-absorbed he really is. He thinks he's this deep, suffering soul, but the reality is he's just too conceited to care about anyone else.
That's what I always got from Devi calling him out and the "Oh no! He's slipped into whiny teen mode!"
![]()
Actually, nowadays most people don't know about Invader Zim. And the ones that do Barely even know who Jhonen Vasquez is! And the ones that do know who he is only know him from Invader Zim. I only know one person who knows about JTHM besides me and some guy in the movies who said, "JTHM... great book." and thats it. Not to be mean but they also don't sell the comics at Hot Topic, well, at least not where I'm from, and some people wear Gir T-shirts and don't even know what Invader Zim is! So technically its not an "underground comic" its just that barely anyone knows what it is. Like I bet most people here don't know that Jhonen Vasquez directed the music video for Shut me up.
I think the comic is pretty mainstream. That was a whole sentence in you got.
I find the comic funny. I've never been (tempted to go near) to Hot Topic. Or a store that is remotely like Hot Topic. The comic pokes fun at this exact archetype.
I've seen some Invader Zim episodes recently, they're quite good kids' cartoons and kids' T.V. could do with more stuff like that.
-eyes move to Pokemon avatar- Yeah, I bet.
One of my favorite comics. I picked it up when I was 13, and I discovered a love for Gorn, Villian Protagonists and comic books in general. My favorite bits were the Noodleboy pages. Also Nailbunny and Squee, because I'm sick like that.
I like my coffee black just like my metal.I love this comic, partially because the character interplay is entertaining, partially because the philisophical concepts it explores mocks are done well, partially because it semi-deconstructs itself halfway through, but mostly because I've read it five times and I still find new Jhonen captions and hidden messages.
Squee is also great; a lot more lighthearted and straightforwardly entertaining while still disturbing and still playing Humans Are Bastards for every last drop of comedy. But I consider Jhonen's best comic to be I Feel Sick. There's just something about it...
Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.I read it quite a while back. And I mean to go back and read it again.
This comic is significant amounts of pure unarguable awesome.
Genkidama for Japan, even if you don't have money, you can help![1]...I found Squee pretty likable...
Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.With a twist? I don't think you have to be an eight-year-old to find some of what Johnny does pants-shittingly terrifying. (THERE ARE RATS IN MY ANUS!)
Unless the twist is that he is just as screwed up as Johnny due to Shmee, but that doesn't come up much in Johnny itself.
edited 4th Jun '11 8:54:55 PM by Wackd
Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.I couldn't make head to toe of Nny's moral conduct through various times in the series, So for the most part, I never sympathized with him, or saw that he had a point. I saw him as rather hypocritical, or at least he failed to make his point when he killed Jimmy.
But I still think that as far as Jhonen Vazquez characters go, Nny's up there with Zim.
edited 5th Jun '11 6:48:16 AM by Schitzo
ALL CREATURE WILL DIE AND ALL THE THINGS WILL BE BROKEN. THAT'S THE LAW OF SAMURAI.

Basically, I have come to beleive that nobody here reads JTHM and I am deeply offended by that!
I dream on derse, bitches.