Rating: 
Summary: Your face is scary
Review: This book was a mixture of horrid philosophy and just plain silliness. The plot is pretty easy to follow: Johnny (or Nny, if you're his friend) is, of course, a homicidal maniac. He kills people for no good reason, really. They trip him, call him names, laugh at him, hurt him, love him, they die. He keeps the real jerks in various torture chambers beneath his two-story shack. He kills, though, not only to fulfill some insane, horrible bloodlust, but to feed and maintain a possessed wall demon that lives in his house. If he doesn't do so...bad stuff happens. You can imagine how few friends Nny has. Among them are Todd AKA 'Squee', the traumatized boy nextdoor who later on gets his own series, Mr. Eff and Psycho Dough-boy, two repainted Pilsbury dough-boys with serious personality problems, Nailbunny, a severed rabbit's head who acts as Johnny's conscience, and a chubby Bob's Burger Boy named Reverend Meat (all but Todd are voices in Nny's head). Then there's a girl named Devi...the one who got away. Jhonen Vasquez did a wonderful job on this piece and you can really see how his art got better from issue to issue. His black and white drawings are really attention-grabbing work, and it's full of subliminal messages hidden in borders (especially Happy Noodle Boy), little comments randomly stuck in by Jhonen, and Johnny's infamous magically changing T-shirt. This book is great social commentary, comedy, and just plain weirdness. Buy it. Buy it now... Mmmyep. Have I talked enough? Please...I wanna go home. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, disturbing, and uniquely thought-provoking
Review: JtHM is completely unlike any other comic I have ever read (and I've read plenty). Jhonen Vasquez's excellent artwork is very conducive to his disturbing yet incredibly funny story. This is not another superhero-clone story. Instead, it is a unique story about Johnny C.(aka Johnny the Homicidal Maniac or 'Nny) and his quest for answers. Some of this quest involves the violent (but always funny) killing of people who he believes have done him wrong. True, they never really deserve it, but that is of little consequence to Johnny. I won't give away any story, but if you enjoy a little pondering with your low-brow black humor, you'll be pleased. Some other characters include poor Todd (Squee), a kid who is traumatized quite regularly. He also has a series, which I recommend if you like this. And you also get to see Devi, a young woman who works at a bookstore and is an amatuer artist. She has the very bad luck to go out with 'Nny and the subsequent mayhem is more than a little funny. Jhonen makes all the characters very human, and gives the book some good depth. So, if you have a taste for dark humor (don't take the book seriously, it's only a comic), give this a look. I'm sure you'll become a fan.
Rating:
Summary: even if you don't like comics....
Review: First of all, I hate comics. I've always found they don't seem like real stories, not to metion the usually immature story lines. So, when I heard about JTHM through the internet, I had to find out more. I ordered Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book and Director's Cut and I was extremley pleased with both. But, since I hadn't read the actual comics (and believe me, I tried finding them), I didn't miss out. I emailed some webmasters and found that Director's Cut had all the Nny comics and Happy Noodle Boy. If you're worried about missing out on the mean-whiles, then don't worry; Squee's has them all. The ONLY thing you'll miss out on is the great cover art (the covers are in small black and white pictures at the back). Plus, by ordering these, you get commentary by Jhonen and the history of the comics. Now, if you're worried about the graphicness of the books, do not fret. It's surprisingly funny. While Nny is obviously insane, you'll love him the moment he kills his first victim. Really. Plus, Jhonen has created a very smart character. This book really got me thinking. And the pictures are enough to make you laugh with Nny's expressions. If you still can't decide whether to order, just go ahead. I poured through these in 3 days and I still go back and find them great.
Rating:
Summary: Johnny and Jhonen Forever
Review: Jhonen is a genius when it comes to dark humor. Every part of this book, the art, the story, the words, the text... all of it gives off a creepy air that forces the monster inside everyone to laugh its head off. This book is compiled of the seven Johnny books minus the Meanwhiles and Wobbly Headed Bob stuff. This book is purely focused on Johnny and the demented comic he 'makes' which is none other than Happy Noodle Boy. Those not familiar with this character should know, he's loud, vulgar, annoying, and funny. He's a stick figure. Now onto Johnny. He kills. He tortures. He tries to understand himself knowing well how messed up he is in the head. It's funny, it's sad. Johnny's the villian and the victim. You decide. At the end of each issue, we get a peek into his soul through the Die-ary entries. His little friends are quite interesting too. Pilsbury Doughboys... *shudder* And of course a burger boy and a severed rabbit's head. The other HUMAN characters are Squee, a cute little boy who is frightened of everything; Devi, a possible love interest for Johnny...? And finally Tess, a victim who is a bit different from the rest. Read and find out. Jhonen also includes some yummy old comics from his ancient history. As much as he says he hates them, I think they're cute. Good thing they evolved into this work of pure and spiteful humor. If you like Jhonen's work, I suggest getting the Squee series, the I Feel Sick series, and the Filler Bunny series. Tread carefully when looking into the Bad Art Collection. It lives up to its name. Watch Invader Zim on Nick. It's good clean family fun. (Right...)
Rating:
Summary: Searching for Closure.
Review: I consider myself to be a moral person. I despise causing others pain. It makes me sick to watch cruelty. Human suffering makes me ache. As a matter of fact, I generally dislike comic books. So, what, you may ask, am I doing giving this particularly violent comic book five stars? Read the book and you will understand. It is at times quite hilarious, at others quite depressing. It has complexities of character and meaning that are rarely (if ever) seen anywhere else in today's pop culture. Johnny is insane. He knows it, the author knows it, and don't worry, the reader knows it too (if not, the author has recommended to such readers that they spend the rest of eternity pondering their own stupidity). He kills out of pure malice for the human race. He kills to savor moments of levity. He kills for reasons that are beyond his understanding. One would think he'd make a nice villain. Yet it is difficult not to pity him. He is the anti-hero of the story. This sad character has been tortured by the demons of society and by the demons of his mind. He is the grimy buildup of society's ills. He is the creation of cruelty. Perhaps in a better world, he could very well have been a bright, intelligent young man, as the author once said. Unfortunately, Johnny lacks the coping skills to have made this possible. Perhaps one of the most disturbing things is that the reader finds his or herself so able to relate to this psychotic killer. I found this book extremely provacative and incredibly enjoyable. Chicken Soup for the Soul, it ain't. One could relate it more easily to The Jungle. I would recommend this to any mature person with an open mind, a sense of humor, and a strong stomach.
Rating:
Summary: Hee Hee Hee....Twisted
Review: This is one of the most twisted comics I've ever read. These storylines are hilarious, well-written, and have some really great art. I have to say that the issue where Nny goes to Heaven and Hell is my favorite, just because it is so freakin funny. Jhonen Vasquez is a demented genius. I highly recommended this to those who are looking for good, disgusting fun.
Rating:
Summary: Sick, Twisted, Morbid, Funny, and Wonderful
Review: This book is amazing. It shows Johnny C (or Nny) living his everyday life. But somehting is different about Nny. He's a homicidal maniac who kills people just for insulting him, trying to harm him (I.e. trip him), or just looking at him funny. He often goes on killing rampages to collect blood to paint a wall in his many level basement, if he doesn't something bad will happen. Nny also hear voices, Mr. Eff and D-boy (two doughboys with sierous problems), nail bunny (a rabbit nailed to his wall), and later on, MEAT (a bub's burger boy). His only real friend is a traumatized little boy who lives next door named Squee. Nny also tries to commit sucicide on several accounts, but it seems like something is stopping him... Happy Noodle Boy also appears in the book. HNB is a comic drawn by Nny (a comic within a comic!) Sadly, the meanwhiles are not included in this book. To get them you have to buy Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors. I reccomend you buy it in addition to this book. Overall, the book is well writen and well drawn. Jhonen Vasquez is a Genius.
Rating: 
Summary: Christ, what a waste of time!
Review: This is a sick, unfunny, poorly-drawn collection of gruesome murders, scenes of torture, and so on. It offers no insight into why someone would kill, and it's just completely NOT FUNNY. No way is this worth reading; go read Ghost World instead. I'm a BIG fan of Vasquez's Invader Zim, so this loser was a BIG disappointment. At least I got it from the library rather than shelling out the bucks. The people giving this five stars need to read a real book occasionally. I suppose if you're under 25 you might find this appealing in a psychotic, anti-social sort of way; if you're not, definitely skip it.
Rating:
Summary: A neccessary look into alternate pyschology
Review: JTHM, in a nutshell, is the chronicalling of the adventures, internal and external, of a homicidal manic named Johnny C, or Nny at some times. The rusty blade of impression crafted by society and its disturbing simplicity and simultaneous complexness has whittled Johnny's mind down to a single calling and duty: to thin out the unneccessary people from society, not exactly to highten morality or epidemic intelligence [although it is a good point Nny touches on], but because of the outright worthlessness of it that Nny sees. As he explains, "I'm quite horrendously insane; that's the **** of it." He cannot assess the wiles and effects of society on itself through any viewpoints rather than his own, which is a frigid and unforgiving one. Okay, to the physical aspects of the comic. Johnny himself lives alone in a [seemingly] run-down house in the middle of a lowbrow neighborhood which is never touched upon in the stories. A house which ahs many underground levels, which Johnny has set up with artwork and torture devices of his own creativity that he likes to see degenerates strung up on and fall victim to. And in one of the upper levels of the basement, a wall has be "fed" blood in order to keep the gruesome thing inside it at bay. You'll see. This is where Nny spends most of his time--that and in netherworlds where jarred and irrelevent explanations are given to him by its rulers [except Señor Satan--he's a smart guy]. Nny also lives with three other characters, ultimately voices in his head but characters nonetheless--Nailbunny, the onve living bunny that Nny starved and nailed to his wall; Mr. Eff, a styrofoam doughboy that tries to persuade Nny to kill himself by explaining that it's the only way; and Psycho Doughboy, another styrofoam doughboy that tries to persuade Nny to kill himself by harassing and taunting him. Indeed the thought of suicide is very prevalent in Johnny's mind, but the excution never works out too well. Instead, Johnny ruthlessly murders dozens [that we see] of deserving degenrates, from doing anything from making eat a scythe to inventing a machine that cuts them into strips, to doing a full lobotomy on them and decorating a wall with their removed brain. Overall, Johnny The Homicidal Maniac is a very worthwhile read and could open the eyes of many, with its sociological and philosophical findings, and the self-exploration by a maniacal murderer. Vasquez is no doubt brilliantly creative, working the kind of analyzations that more writers should have and with the artistic talent more artists should have.
Rating:
Summary: I want to lick Jhonen's toes.
Review: I really love this. I usually don't read comic books or animé or whatever, but this is really one of a kind. I was expecting a bunch of silly splashgore just for the amusement of immature people... but Nny is such a complex character. There are some good statements about society that need to be heard. It is very interesting, but it doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, even when it is (to me) dealing with thought provoking and serious content. Other reviews on here would tell you what it's about, so I don't need to say that. And now it is popular with the mainstream Goth group, a group is a bit poked fun of in these books... heh. Irony.
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