Rating: 
Summary: Feed your demon. That's what he's there for.
Review: Okay, yeah. It's violent. Like, really, truly, American-Psycho-Looks-Like-the-Smurfs violent. The body count is higher than a Scottish soccer (er, football) match. But let's get past that for a moment. Comics have a reputation for puerility, due to their tendency to get crazy with the killin' and the swearin'. But the comic format also has the potential to take you deeper inside a character than most cinema, or even some regular fiction. Johnny does this wonderfully. He's a sick little puppy, but after getting deep enough into the storyline that unfolds, the violence becomes less important than the poor boy's mental (and, eventually, physical) deterioration. Johnny is,in some ways, the person we wish we could get away with being. (we being the ones who find ourselves to be wired a little differently from the rest of the world). Someone hassles him at the mall, he eviscerates them. He has hundreds of bodies buried in and around his house. He is this way because he's, well, broken. And that's why it's so much more than just a bloodbook. It's actually a pretty tragic story, as we see that there is a part of this guy that is sweet and caring, a part that is horrified at what he's been doing. And it's this that is most affecting, not the killing, done so ridiculously over-the-top as to be funny (like Oliver Stone tried, and for the most part failed to do in Natural Born Killers). And this is, after all, a very funny series, if it fits your sense of humor. It's sick, that goes without saying, but it's very clever, too. Jhonen Vasquez knows his stuff; he knows exactly how much comic relief to add to the mix, and when to do it, in order to keep the story from getting bogged down. You'll remember it more as funny than vicious. (Jhonen's spinoffs "I Feel Sick" and "Filler Bunny" are funnier, if you're put off by all the blood.)The extras like Wobbly Headed Bob are missing, which is a shame, but the inclusion of Happy Noodle Boy (the single weirdest product of genius i've ever read) gives you your daily fix of incomprehensible hilarity. Definitely not for everyone, but if you like it, you'll think it's the greatest thing since the cat-o'-nine.
Rating: 
Summary: Why did Johnny have to die? WHy? WHy?
Review: Johnny is our little disturbed lead character. He has a normal life, great taste in clothing and good taste in weapons. The moral of the story is it's alright to maim those who disturb you. This is a message that not many things in media put out anymore. Most comics have these horrible morality based story lines about how the good most overcome the bad or how drugs and killing are wrong. Totally a bad influence on children of all ages. But Johnny, sweet lil Johnny, he puts the good moral lessons back. He is a town hero. He takes care of the villians in society. IF it's the evil solicitor or the woman who uses the word wacky a lil to loosely. No one escapes Johnny's rightful justice. Johnny is a wonderful comic, I recommend it to kids of all ages. Yes, even mom, mom should love the positivity that Johnny lets out in each and every issue. But this wonderful book gives us the whole story of this wonderful hero of a boy. Buy it, read the stories to your children. Teach them the good moralistic lessons Johnny teaches us You won't be sorry ANd your kids will love you for it
Rating:
Summary: Johnny! It's Johnny! Bow down!
Review: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is by far the best comic book ever to grace the earth. Some of the best drawn artwork I have ever seen is in this book. And so is some of the most gruesome deaths I have ever seen too. YAY! This book is the first seven or so episodes of the JTHM series. Johnny (or NNY) is introduced in the first one, duh, as he really wastes Squee's (his next door neighbor) teddy bear. Johnny lives in a small house that goes hundreds of feet under the ground, where he takes some of his victims to torture and kill them. He usually only kills the people that piss him off. Usually jocks. Once again...YAY! But, I think that in some cases, the killings are justified. Johnny has to paint a wall in blood so that a giant creature on the other side doesn't bust through and destroy the earth. Giant creatures...YAY! I recommend Johnny to anyone that enjoys nice, violent artwork and a laugh a second.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing... Yet Deep
Review: Despite the random killings and obscene rantings of Johnny, those who can see past the gore and violence see the deep philosophical meaning to this comic book turned paperback see a slightly twisted view of the world as it is, filled with jerks who dump on innocent people like Johnny who just want to be left alone. He spends pages quietly musing over the evil he sees in this world and the degredation of who he once was into the apparantly moral-less monster who drains the blood of street vendors and tortures jocks in his basement. If you can see past the violence and political uncorrectness, I think you will see a deeply philosophical, meaningful work that will make you ask yourself "Is what he says really as close to the truth as my gut tells me?" I think the answer would scare you...
Rating:
Summary: What comics should be like
Review: What can be said about this great comic, it's dark, violent, and well written; his unique style of drawing and humor makes this comic a must have (haha). The comic never gets old either, for everytime you read it you find new little details in the background. if you like edward gorey or roman dirge be sure to check this book out.
Rating:
Summary: Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!
Review: Has that dank, dark hidden place deep in the bowels of your vilest nature ever longed to reach out and strangle that bully from school who pushes you around for no reason? What about the random disgruntled sales clerk who shatters your otherwise perfect day and brings it all crumbling down? Or what about the jerks behind you in the movie theatre that just won't...quit...talking. Aside from the occasional flippant remark, we as "civilized" people keep our calm and brush these incidents aside. Yet deep down, in the darkest parts of your mind, though you won't to admit it, don't you visualize slapping that sales clerk? Or disemboweling that bully? Or ripping the tongues out of those jerks in the movie theatre? Either you think I'm crazy or you know what I'm talking about, and if you know what I'm talking about then you have the capacity to appreciate Johnny and the crazy things he does. Though we'd never actually DO those things, either out of civility or fear of getting caught, a certain pleasure can be derived in seeing someone else do the things we could only dream of doing. Seemingly incapable of dying himself, and never getting caught for his heinous acts, Johnny lives in a tortured world where inanimate objects and dead animals speak to him in familiar voices, walls demand sacrifices, and methods of torture are limited only by his imagination. And yet though he's obviously lost it (or never had "it" to begin with), you connect with Johnny, you feel for him, you root for him, you cheer when he rips off a limb or slices a new orifice - but you do this BECAUSE it is happening on paper. It is a safe medium in which to enact you darkest fantasies. And yet Johnny is much more than killing and violence (though those parts can be quite fun). These comics are highly verbal mind trips, full of various philosophical bantering that ranges the entire gamut of Johnny's raging emotions and confused thoughts. The comics are chock full of intriguing art work, moments of sublime clarity, silly humor for the sake of silly humor, and disturbing ideas that only someone as creative as Jhonen Vasquez could bring this brilliantly into fruition.
Rating:
Summary: YOU BUY NOW.
Review: Sweriously, you have no choice in life other than to get this book. It's sickening, disturbing, frightening, and one of the funniest books I've ever had the pleasure to purchase twice. There's a lot of books worth buying once, but this is one of the few that I've read to tatters and bought a new copy. It is good. Very good. The end.
Rating:
Summary: The "comic" for people who generally don't like comics...
Review: Generally when one thinks of comics, X-Men or Spawn might spring to mind. Or perhaps one might think of the warped lives of superhuman heroes, alien beings, exploration through space or science fiction fantasies. Or maybe one might think like I once did, and thought that comic books were a waste of time and that these silly stories couldn't even compare to the literature classics... Well, I used to think that way until I discovered Johnny The Homicial Maniac. The thing with JTHM, (not to sound cliche!), but it truly isn't like any other comic out there. While the characters and situations are fictional, creator Jhonen Vasquez expresses reality in such a blunt, dark, sarcastically humourous way that it just oozes from the comic... and you can't help but to laugh out loud, nod your head and relate to what you're reading. Ironically, if it were to be put to film, it might resemble "American Psycho". For those who enjoyed American Psycho, I would highly recommend checking JTHM out right away. If you're a Henry Rollins (spoken word) fan, or a fan of the underground (industrial/goth) music scene... you'd enjoy this much the same. Saying that, this is not the kind of comic that you can just flip through and expect to understand. In fact, by flipping through the comic, it looks like every other comic out there. With JTHM, you have to sit down and take it in like you would read a piece of classical literature. The stories are amazingly in depth, and Vasquez has this unreal ability to present real life world issues into the comic in a way that we can see it as metaphor to our own life. Issues such as religion, the afterlife, God, social groups, stereotypes, hypocrites, personal morals, respect and love are present throughout the entire comic. It seems like to me that a good majority of the inspiration for JTHM came from Vasquez's personal observations while in art school and in life... for example, in one part of the book, a group of goth-like characters are complaining about being judged for their differences, yet while sitting in a nightclub, they make fun of others for not being "goth enough"... A side note: If you're into the industrial or goth music scene, you'd probably get some of Vasquez's low-key side jokes, where he self-mocks the goth scene in general... without giving anything away, I'll just say it's quite subtle... and hilarious! Jhonen does a beautiful job of tying together the story with deeply sarcastic humour, but it's his artwork that truly brings to life the characters and their emotions... and the elements of reality in the fiction is what makes Johnny The Homicidal Maniac a success. So from one girl who's not too crazy about comics, by all means pick this one up. It's a definite keeper that will surpass the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this now
Review: JTHM is the most completely random, hilarious thing you will ever read. From Johnny's magical changing shirt (my favorite is "This is my back") to his various hostages (one of which he forced to taste test the contents of his fridge for freshness and then released) to such odd supporting characters as Happy Noodle Boy (Johnny's comic character brainchild) and NailBunny (The floating, talking head of a rabbit Johnny got from a petshop, fed once, then nailed to the wall and left it for 3 years, JTHM has a great comical side. But, we also get to peer into the mind of a phsychotic mass murderer who kills people to paint his wall with blood to prevent the demon within from escaping!!! :) Read, have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Nny for short.
Review: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is the third of my obsessions that involved having to explain to my mother that there's more to it than meets the eye. The first was/is Animorphs, a book series directed (judging by the slew of merchandising) towards little kids, but more mature and in-depth than most teens my age can even grasp. The second was/is Ranma 1/2, which is a hilarious comic book series about growing up, NOT just an endless barrage of karate moves and nudity. And now, as I see JtHM join the ranks of those other two misunderstood obsessions of mine, I can only feel a mix of pride and pity. Pride because Johnny - "Nny, for short" - is more intelligent and deeper than any comic on the market and I was one of the people lucky enough to discover it. Pity because so few people today understand how great a series it is. Johnny's conversations with Nail-Bunny and the Doughboys add a horrifying yet much-needed look into the mind of a psycho-killer, and lets us see how alike all of us are; how close we all are to just jumping off the cliff and giving up on sanity like Nny did. The more humorous but just as twisted humor in the one-pagers ("Meanwhile...") are fabulous, Happy Noodle Boy will make you laugh hysterically until you cry, and I'm sure all of us have felt a little like Wobbly Headed Bob once in a while, particularly at around 2 or 3 AM. I urge everyone reading this review to purchase this book, purchase all of the comic books in the series, and purchase the "Squee" book too! Even if material is repeated, you just have to support Jhonen. He's a genious, saying things about ourselves as humanity that no one else has been bold enough to actually say. His work will never be appreciated in his own time, but I have a feeling that he'll be remembered as the true artist he was. And his little Nny, too.
|
