Quick Facts
Also Known As: Jhonen C. Vasquez
Age: 51 Years, 51 Year Old Males
Cartoonists American Men
Height: 5'11" (180 cm), 5'11" Males
U.S. State: California
City: San Jose, California
More Facts
education: De Anza College Mt. Pleasant High School
awards: Emmy Award
Annie Award
2001 – World Animation Celebration awards
2000 – International Horror Guild Award for Best Illustrated Narrative
Childhood & Early Life
Jhonen was born and raised in East San Jose, California.
Jhonen spent his childhood in California where he attended Mt. Pleasant High School. He loved drawing from a young age and spent a lot of his time in school doodling on his sketchbooks.
He designed the preliminary sketch of what would become the character Johnny C while at school. He created a number of comic strips that were published in his high school’s newspaper.
His friends used to ask him to draw comic books for them and he created the Happy Noodle Boy on one such request from a friend. He was an avid reader of his older brother’s superhero comics and was particularly influenced by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
He graduated from high school in 1992 and went to study films at De Anza College. He dropped out before completing his degree.
Career
He started working as a professional cartoonist after leaving college. He became acquainted with Roman Dirge, Rosearik Rikki and Tavisha Simons at Alternative Press Expo in 1995. These people would work with Jhonen in some of his projects.
In August 1995, his first comic book series ‘Johnny the Homicidal Maniac’ (JTHM) began appearing. The protagonist was a young man named Johnny C who is possessed by supernatural forces which make him commit a string of murders.
The JTHM ran for seven issues which were collected in the trade paperback ‘Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director’s Cut’ in 1997. The cover of the book had the logo “Z?” which refers to Question Sleep, a reference to insomnia that many of his characters suffer from.
The comic was printed in black and white and had stylized and geometric cartoon characters. One special feature of the comic was that the speech balloons would change according to the tone of the speech. Most of the characters wore T-shirts with messages.
The success of JTHM spawned the spin-off series ‘Squee!’ in 1997 which was published by Slave Labor Graphics. It revolved around an introverted and bullied kid called Squee. Four issues were published which were collected as a trade paperback book called ‘Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors’.
He wrote a doubleshot, full-color comic book, “I Feel Sick’ which revolved around the character Devi D. The book was coloured by his friend Rosearik Rikki Simons. Devi is a tortured artist who tries to maintain her sanity in an insane society.
He worked on a 16-page one-shot comic called ‘The Bad Art Collection’. He used the drawing he had made during his high school years to complete this project.
The success of his comic books made him a celebrity cartoonist and the television network Nickelodeon approached him to create an animated series for them. He created the series ‘Invader Zim’ which premiered in 2001. It was targeted at children in their early teens.
He worked in collaboration with Crab Scrambly to produce the storybook ‘Everything Can Be Beaten’ which was published by Slave Labor in 2002. It is about a strange person who lives in a room and beats kittens all day long.
He designed many of the characters that appear in the animated television series, ‘Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja’ in 2012. It was created by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas for Disney XD.
Major Works
He is the creator, character designer and voice actor for the television animated series, ‘Invader Zim’. The protagonist is an extraterrestrial who comes from a planet called Irk. The series aimed at younger teenagers was a hit during its first season and won several awards.
Awards & Achievements
His creation ‘I Feel Sick’ won an International Horror Guild Award in 2000 for Best Illustrated Narrative.
The television series, ‘Invader Zim’ won an Emmy, an Annie and the Award for Best Title Sequence at the World Animation Celebration Awards in 2001.
Personal Life & legacy
He is a very private person and does not share details of his personal life with media. All that is known to the public about his personal life is that he has an older brother.
Facts About Jhonen Vasquez
Jhonen Vasquez is known for his dark and edgy art style, but he has a quirky sense of humor that comes through in his work, adding a unique charm to his creations.
Despite his reputation for creating macabre and unsettling content, Jhonen Vasquez has a soft spot for animals and is a devoted pet owner, often sharing photos of his furry friends on social media.
Jhonen Vasquez is a self-taught artist and writer who broke into the industry with his independent comic book series, showcasing his raw talent and determination to succeed in the competitive world of comics.
In addition to his work in comics, Jhonen Vasquez has also worked on animated television shows, bringing his distinct style and dark humor to a wider audience through projects like “Invader Zim.”
Jhonen Vasquez is known for his reclusive nature and aversion to public appearances, preferring to let his work speak for itself and maintain a sense of mystery around his personal life.
