Jhonen Vasquez - Style

Style

Many of the characters in Vasquez's cartoons are highly geometric and thin, nearly to the point of being stick figures. The protagonists in his comics are typically insane characters who live in dysfunctional societies, and whose manias are able to speak through other objects (as with Johnny and the Doughboys, or Devi and Sickness). His storylines tend to follow the basic black comedy formula. His art style is very edgy and eccentric and happy faces are often found in his artwork, trying to evoke an ironic sense of happiness in a world of chaos and darkness. Vasquez's writing often conveys misanthropic and pessimistic themes, often used for the purposes of parody and satire. Similar styles and mannerisms can be found in many of his characters as well as running gags and common themes, including repeated references to moose, meat, bees, chihuahuas, monkeys, tacos, pigs, cheese, morbid obesity and "dookie". Vasquez also frequently sneaks cameo appearances of characters such as Happy Noodle Boy and Johnny C., as well as himself, into unrelated works. His influences include David Cronenberg, Chester Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Franz Kafka, H. R. Giger, Terry Gilliam, and David Lynch. Several of Vasquez's works have featured gothic characters or depictions of the goth subculture for the purpose of satire. In an interview on the show The Screen Savers, Vasquez responded to host Kevin Pereira's comment that fans considered him "a goth king", saying disdainfully: "King, yeah, but goth... I mean, that's just arrogant."