Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (often abbreviated JtHM) is the first comic book by Jhonen Vasquez. The series tells the story of a young man named Johnny "Nny" C. as he explores the psychological and possibly supernatural forces which compel him to commit a string of murders. JtHM began as a comic strip in the 1990s, then ran under alternative comics publisher Slave Labor Graphics as a limited series of seven issues, later collected in the trade paperback Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director's Cut. The series produced three spin-offs: Squee!, I Feel Sick, and Fillerbunny.
Creation
Vasquez started drawing in kindergarten. He attended Mount Pleasant High School, where he took a part in a contest to design the cardinal as a school's mascot. Vasquez submitted an entry, but the judges rejected it. On the back of a preliminary drawing for the contest, he drew his first sketch of the character he would later name Johnny C. Comic book artist and filmmaker Rob Schrab makes the same observation. Though he never planned to create comic books, Vasquez submitted samples of his artwork to alternative comics publisher Slave Labor Graphics. Between August 1995 and January 1997, the publisher released a series of seven full-length issues based on the character. Vasquez describes the production process for Johnny as a "mess" and a "spew". England also gave Vasquez the inspiration for a filler strip about a child who was dangerously afraid of losing sight of his mother, as well as the "Meanwhile..." strip in the second issue. He created Nailbunny as he was drawing the first page on which the character appears. Vasquez now uses Chancre Scolex as a pen name for Everything Can Be Beaten and his LiveJournal.
Like many alternative comics, and other Slave Labor Graphics titles, Johnny is creator-owned. By September 1996, Vasquez announced in his introduction to the sixth issue of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac that he had reached sufficient success in his artistic career to be able to quit his day-job and devote himself full-time to his art. Slave Labor also released a hardcover version of the collection. Rob Schrab provides a foreword. The trade paperback includes a "Gallery of Ancient Horrors" that features a few strips previously published in the Mount Pleasant High School newspaper and Carpe Noctem, as well as some strips previously unpublished, all with commentary by Vasquez. "Z?" is a reference to insomnia, a condition from which several of his characters suffer. and a double-shot titled I Feel Sick. The trade paperback release of Squee!, titled Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors, includes the filler strips left out of Director's Cut. though in a later issue, when two of his prisoners escape, it is revealed that the house is, in fact, a supernatural entity that does not obey the laws of physics. Johnny states that he found the house and moved in some time ago.
Merchandise
Over the years, Slave Labor Graphics has sold Johnny the Homicidal Maniac merchandise such as clothing, posters, and toys. Slave Labor released a Spooky squeeze toy, first shown in Johnny the Homicidal Maniac #4,