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Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

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Wackd Since: May, 2009
#26: Jun 5th 2011 at 6:54:42 AM

Nny's moral conduct is rather simple: "Kill bad people, except when the Wall desperately needs blood, in which case kill anyone. Protect Squee at all costs. No physical contact with anyone, ever, especially not like that."

This holds true where "bad" means "anyone who acts like an asshole or insults Nny."

His point when he killed Mmy, as far as I could make out, was that he (Nny) is not someone to be idolized or imitated and that being like him is nothing to be proud of. It's a shot at the Fan Dumb which went overboard with Nny's Draco in Leather Pants-ness.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Tyoria Since: Jul, 2009
#27: Jun 6th 2011 at 5:25:10 PM

This holds true where "bad" means "anyone who acts like an asshole or insults Nny."

He pretty loosely defines "asshole" even there. He killed a guy who denied him a slushie at 3 AM (and he didn't do it to be mean, he couldn't do it because they turn the machines off after a certain hour. Later he offered to turn it back on). A whole restaurant full of people after a woman offered the unsolicited opinion that he was "wacky" (and I think she thought she was being cute, even if it was annoying). People whose only crime was being in the same vicinity as someone who's an "asshole" have wound up collateral damage (Tess).

Still, I've never found it all that hard to feel pity for him. He's a wreck of a human being and he's not happy, he doesn't really MEAN to be an asshole and he doesn't really know how to fix anything. I don't exactly hate Zim either, and Zim at least is (deludedly) happy with himself.

edited 6th Jun '11 5:35:22 PM by Tyoria

Zeromaeus Since: May, 2010
#28: Jun 7th 2011 at 1:09:50 AM

Within the confines of the plot, Nny also had quite a few problems that were completely out of his control. That said, he was still a terrible person... sorta.

On an unrelated note, I would love to see Nny animated.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#29: Jun 7th 2011 at 12:16:51 PM

Me too. I've found some attempts on You Tube, but they all use a rather stereotypical "crazy" voice for Nny that I don't think works at all especially when he monologues.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Zeromaeus Since: May, 2010
#30: Jun 7th 2011 at 7:10:37 PM

"Crazy" voice? No no no. That's no good. He needs to sound unnaturally calm when he's monologing. Like an individual speaking with sudden and gripping clarity. Like a lecturer who knows everything about the topic he teaches.

I went a little far with that, but combine all those. That should be how Nny sounds. Some of the time at least.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#31: Jun 8th 2011 at 8:22:12 AM

Most of the videos I've seen animated are of the first few chapters, where the "crazy" voice kind of works. What I'm saying is that it won't work when he goes into teen-angst mode, so you can't have it there at the beginning because you get either a sudden, jarring shift with a new voice or the "crazy" voice trying to do "deep" monologues, neither of which work.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Schitzo HIGH IMPACT SEXUAL VIOLENCE from Akumajou Dracula Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: LA Woman, you're my woman
HIGH IMPACT SEXUAL VIOLENCE
#32: Jun 8th 2011 at 5:16:09 PM

I always hear Johnny as loud, clear and eloquent, even during his ranty moments. Not at all a Large Ham, but at times, it comes up. I always see Johnny as Wicked Cultured, and his voice reflects that.

edited 8th Jun '11 5:16:41 PM by Schitzo

ALL CREATURE WILL DIE AND ALL THE THINGS WILL BE BROKEN. THAT'S THE LAW OF SAMURAI.
maxwellelvis Mad Scientist Wannabe from undisclosed location Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: In my bunk
Mad Scientist Wannabe
#33: Jun 8th 2011 at 7:41:23 PM

I always heard Johnny with John C. Mc Ginley's voice for some reason.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
IAmJacksUsername Ace Attorney Since: May, 2010
Ace Attorney
#34: Jun 29th 2011 at 10:34:21 PM

Eh, I thought it was pretty decent overall. I more-or-less liked the characters and plot and Jhonen Vasquez-y-ness, but the obnoxious wangst and paper-thin obviousness of the revenge fantasy aspect got so grating at times that it made the series very hard to like at times. I think the only parts I truly, completely, 100% enjoyed without anything detracting from the joy were Johnny's interactions with Squee.

Also, I absolutely loved Squee. Invader Zim, too, but that goes without saying.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#35: Mar 10th 2012 at 10:50:14 AM

So, I mentioned the official Nny Twitter feed to a friend of mine and she said she's not sure if Nny would be particularly fond of the internet. She had to go before that conversation could go anywhere, but what do you guys think?

I personally am of the mind that the guy clearly loves the sound of his own voice, given how much time he spends speechifying to folks who aren't going to be able to remember his speeches for much longer. To him the Internet would probably just be another mode of expression, like a shorter-form and more public Die-ary.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
SuperHeroineAddict freakin' metal Since: Nov, 2011
freakin' metal
#36: May 10th 2012 at 12:12:53 AM

I like JTHM, but I prefer I Feel Sick, since Vasquez actually *finished* that one. Seriously, I've got to find the quote from his little editorial/commentary/thingy in the first issue of Squee; something to the order of "Just moved to LA, playing Final Fantasy VII nonstop, can't wait to continue Johnny". It's been 15 goddamn years, Jhonen. You can't resurrect Aerith without a gameshark. Put the controller down, and finish your freaking storyline.

Another TL:DR post.
Wackd Since: May, 2009
#37: May 10th 2012 at 5:09:36 AM

What do you mean? Johnny has a definitive, if fairly open-ended, ending. He decides to become emotionally sterile, and walk the Earth. That doesn't exactly lend itself to the sort of wackiness we've become accustomed to from the character, whose entire hook is that he's way too emotional to start with. So either he fails, and we get a bunch of short pieces that are the same thing from the first three books, or he succeeds and the end of the series is dull as dirt. Even if he gives up, what does he do then? The same thing he was doing before, naturally. Which we've seen. And could potentially still be funny, mind you, but from a plot perspective it's a dead end.

Odds are if Vasquez felt he had anything else for the character to do the books would've been released by now. He's been working fairly steadily (if less high-profile) for the past few years, filling deadlines for much bigger companies, partnering up with other artists, and so forth. Getting back to Johnny is not beyond his reach.

edited 10th May '12 5:11:20 AM by Wackd

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
SuperHeroineAddict freakin' metal Since: Nov, 2011
freakin' metal
#38: May 10th 2012 at 11:31:35 AM

I disagree. The ending seemed more like a cliffhanger to me than a "the adventure continues". A new man vs self conflict had just been introduced in the form of Johnny's quest to rid himself of his emotions, with Reverend Meat representing the opposition. If the story of how he tries to do it doesn't set the stage for exactly the same action as the first seven issues, well, the story moves in a new direction and character development ensues. Not necessarily a dead end from a plot perspective; Vasquez has a talent for surprising you with his story decisions.

I mean, if the ending had enough closure for you, more power to you; I feel it did not, and back in September 1997, Jhonen felt the same. Squee, issue 2, the "trauma" editorial, and I quote: "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac WILL return as a series." Emphasis his. The guy intended to come back to it at one time, and specifically says he'll do so after four issues of Squee and a Devi one-shot. If he's changed his mind since then, well that sucks. But a one page epilogue in the JTHM trade paperback showing Nny wearing his hobo pack and buying popsicles, implying he's Walking the Earth, is not what I call a definitive ending.

I'm well aware of where Jhonen's career has been for the past few years, and if he's decided not to go back to the character, I'd kind of appreciate him just saying so. I just don't want this to become another John Steakley situation, where the author promises a sequel and then dies thirty years later without delivering on it.

edited 10th May '12 11:46:53 AM by SuperHeroineAddict

Another TL:DR post.
Wackd Since: May, 2009
#39: May 10th 2012 at 11:44:23 AM

If the story of how he tries to do it doesn't set the stage for exactly the same action as the first seven issues, well, the story moves in a new direction and character development ensues.
Ah, well, I hadn't considered exactly how he intended to do this. I honestly don't think Nny planned anything, though, he was planning on just ignoring all of his urges until the temptation became to great or he died from depriving himself of food and so forth. That could be interesting, and a nice deviation.

Now, I don't have individual Squee issues. I have the Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors. By the time I got into JTHM the third Fillerbunny had just been released and individual issues of the old stuff weren't being sold anymore. So if he was intending to continue the series, and he knew what he was doing, then I'd be interested if he returns to it—but given the massive amounts of (admittedly really funny) filler he had to stick in to keep himself interested, I can see why Nny hasn't come back.

He probably has said something definitive about it somewhere. As it stands Nny's in his new posters and has his own Twitter. I suspect either Vasquez is easing himself back in or is trying to sustain the character without having to revisit the plot.

edited 10th May '12 11:45:59 AM by Wackd

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
SuperHeroineAddict freakin' metal Since: Nov, 2011
freakin' metal
#40: May 10th 2012 at 11:49:35 AM

By the time I got into JTHM the third Fillerbunny had just been released and individual issues of the old stuff weren't being sold anymore.

Yeah, same here. I kind of had a leg up on you in that I inherited the individual issues with my older brother's comic book collection. No worries.

Another TL:DR post.
Wackd Since: May, 2009
#41: Mar 4th 2013 at 10:51:14 PM

Sooooooooo...Titmouse is doing a Squee animated short and if it goes over well there'll be a JTHM feature. Announced this weekend at Titmouse's panel at Emerald City Comic Con.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Twentington Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Desperate
#42: Mar 10th 2013 at 10:56:45 AM

I remember when I was in high school, a classmate had a JTHM page taped to her binder. I don't remember anything from the page itself, except finding it so weird that I distanced myself from her for the rest of the class.

What I do remember is that this was months before I first watched Invader Zim. I got 30 seconds into the show, screamed whatever the 2001 equivalent of "WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN", and turned the TV off. Later on, said student did a report on Jhonen, mentioning both JTHM and Zim, and making me literally scared of Jhonen's work for years.

I've finally come around to "getting" Zim and finding it funny. Strange thing is, my sister said that she actually liked it when it was first-run. That surprised me to no end, since it really doesn't seem like her type of show.

As for JTHM? Still not sure if I wanna try it.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#43: Mar 10th 2013 at 11:06:21 AM

[up]JTHM does kind of require a strong stomach and the ability to find people getting brutally maimed in odd ways funny, so if you've got a weak stomach it might not be your thing. I'd argue that Vasquez's style makes it hard to be truly horrified by any of it, though. His style is far too simple for the murders to really look gruesome.

I'd also argue that the story, at least once it kicks in Issue 4, is well worth getting past the gorn.

But if that sounds like too much for you, I'd probably read Squee! instead. Ghastly things do happen in it but they're far less graphic.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#44: May 15th 2013 at 11:24:18 PM

I enjoyed the chapter with Edgar. I've been meaning to find and read the entire story for a while.

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nomuru2d Gamer-turning-maker from Port Saint Lucie, FL Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Longing for Dulcinea
Gamer-turning-maker
#45: Jun 4th 2013 at 7:33:41 PM

Something about Johnny's cameo in Squee! amused me. I find it kinda interesting that he would agree to a sleep deprivation study without killing anybody.

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VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#47: Jun 4th 2013 at 11:38:43 PM

Look in the background. Nny appears several times throughout Squee!, always trying to kill people.

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