carpe noctem interview
Jhonen Vasquez by Carnell What can we say about the work of Jhonen Vasquez? After many years of quietly honing his craft, he burst onto the comic scene with his seminal work Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. His amazing new voice has been compared to every one from Tim Burton and Charles Addams to Edward Gorey and Berni Wrightson. JTHM is the humorous tale of young Johnny (Nny to his friends) and his travels through the irritating world we call Civilization. The thing about Johnny is that he is completely ill equipped to deal rationally with our oftentimes irrational society. So, between the the wall that consistently needs to be re-painted with blood because it seems to be drinking every drop that is put there and the talking severed bunny heads nailed to it, JTHM is a tale filled with dark humor and an even darker sensibility. Jhonen is a bright new talent in the comic medium and one who just might change your opinion of what has the potential to be funny. CN: You came pretty much out of nowhere with Johnny, is comics where you ultimately see yourself doing the majority of your work? JV: My main interest is in film, but film came out of this progressive interest, in me, to tell the stories I have in my head. I had always been drawing and writing, so earlier on I began doing comic strips, and illustrating these things, but only for myself and for a few friends. Being published just sort of "happened," though never as part of any plan of mine. I don't see myself ever abandoning this form of storytelling for the fact that you cannot take movies with you into the restroom. CN: Do you have any inclination to work in the super hero genre? JV: Yes....yes, I do. But I could never see myself treating the subject matter as anything other than something to mock. Not in a completely mean-spirited way, but just in a way that ridicules the abuse of cliches that run rampant in the testosterone driven, grotesque-breasted genre. I probably will do a HERO book. Can you not feel the anticipation? CN: How has the sudden popularity of Johnny affected your life on a day-to-day basis? JV: I've noticed a sharp increase in the amount of human flesh I ingest. No, I kid ( I don't like the taste.) Let me just put it this way: before I was published, I sat at my desk, in my room, drawing and writing with some music on. NOW, I sit at my desk, in my room, drawing and writing with some music on. I get more mail, though. I suppose that there is more satisfaction, now, knowing that what was once isolated within my brain is seen, and allegedly, enjoyed by more people than I have ever known. CN: Do you get a lot of mail concerning Johnny? JV: Yes, and it has increased, noticeably, since around the time issue #4 was released. People have been surprisingly pleasant on the subject of the book. I get drawings and books, and wonderfully mutilated dolls from various..eh...well-associated individuals. Of course, I also receive the occasional "DISTURBING LETTER" from someone who thinks that I am doing a completely autobiographical book. I do not look forward to the day someone sends murder-site photos with the caption, "I did this for you." CN: What draws you to the pen and ink as opposed to painting or sculpting? JV: I enjoy all of those things, but, for Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, the mood demands a certain stark and jagged look that pen and ink achieve so nicely. Doing the cover paintings gives me a chance to work with paints, and I do a bit of photography, and computer work, so I'm never too far away from the different artforms. CN: Can you explain a little of the thought processes you go through when you sit down to write? JV: By the time I've physically seated myself to write, I pretty much have the story in my head, so the rest is just improvisational nonsense. The real thinking takes place away from the desk, and usually happens while driving around, or while pretending to listen to someone. As far as inspiration goes, just dealing with the frequent absurdity of socializing with people, and with being this noisy little thing trapped in your head is enough. CN: Do you prefer writing or drawing, or are they hand in glove for you? JV: I feel most satisfied when I am illustrating my own written work, but I would like to try having some other artist do artwork for a story that I would write. I am sure that I would be insanely critical and unrelenting in my demands for changes, and that this artist would go mad and flee from me, resulting in various children being wounded as he pulls screeching out of the parking space, but it would be fun. Doing cover artwork for other books sounds interesting, as well. CN: How much of you is there in the characters you write about? JV: Well, most of the characters begin, basically, as hideously amplified versions of a specific aspect of my personality. After that point. . . --- The full interview with Jhonen Vasquez can be found in Volume III, Issue 2. This issue has sold out, however reprints of the interview are available for $2.00 ($3.00 overseas). To receive a reprint please send your request and payment to our new address: Carpe Noctem Magazine 1093 E. Main St. PMB 518 El Cajon, CA 92021 Return to Top Jhonen Vasquez by Carnell
