Jhonen Vasquez, the cartoonist and comic book writer who created the mega-successful animated series ‘Invader Zim,’ occupies a very unique place in the hearts of his millions of young followers who relive their lives through the adventures of their comic book heroes. He feels fortunate to be able to work doing what he enjoys. His first love is undoubtedly drawing. He used to spend a lot of his class time drawing and sketching even when he was in school. During this time, he routinely drew for his high school’s student newspaper and invented the comic character Johnny C. He created comic characters and stories for his buddies and submitted them to the school newspaper for publication. He was a big fan of superhero comics and was particularly influenced by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. He attended De Anza College to study film but quickly dropped out to pursue a career as a professional cartoonist. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, his debut comic book, was about the experiences of a young man named Johnny C. Jhonen went on to write and produce several comic books before creating the Nicktoons animated television series “Invader Zim.”
Childhood and Adolescence
Jhonen is a California native who grew up in East San Jose.
Jhonen grew up in California, where he graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School. He has always enjoyed drawing and spent much of his time at school doodling in his sketchbooks.
While at school, he drew a rough picture of what would become the character Johnny C. He created a number of comic strips that were published in the newspaper of his high school.
His buddies used to urge him to draw comic books for them, and it was on one of these requests that he invented the Happy Noodle Boy. His older brother’s superhero comics were a big impact on him, especially the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
In 1992, he graduated from high school and enrolled at De Anza College to study film. He dropped out of school before finishing his degree.
Jhonen Vasquez’s Career
After graduating from college, he began working as a professional cartoonist. In 1995, he met Roman Dirge, Rosearik Rikki, and Tavisha Simons at the Alternative Press Expo. These individuals would collaborate with Jhonen on a few of his projects.
His first comic book series, ‘Johnny the Homicidal Maniac’ (JTHM), debuted in August 1995. The protagonist was Johnny C, a young man who was possessed by otherworldly powers and was forced to perform a series of crimes.
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac was published for seven issues, which were collected in the trade paperback ‘Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director’s Cut’ in 1997. The logo “Z?” on the book’s cover refers to Question Sleep, an allusion to insomnia that many of his characters suffer from.
The comic was produced in black and white and featured cartoon characters that were stylized and geometric. The speech balloons changed color depending on the tone of the conversation, which was a unique aspect of the comic. T-shirts with messages were worn by the majority of the characters.
Because of the success of JTHM, Slave Labor Graphics released the spin-off series ‘Squee!’ in 1997. It centered around Squee, a shy and tormented child. Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors was released in four issues and gathered in a trade paperback book.
He created the Devi D. character in a double-shot, full-color comic book titled “I Feel Sick.” Rosearik Rikki Simons, a friend, colored the book. Devi is a tormented artist trying to keep her sanity in a crazy world.
He worked on ‘The Bad Art Collection,’ a 16-page one-shot comic. To execute this assignment, he used a drawing he had created in high school.
Because of the success of his comic books, he became a celebrity cartoonist, and Nickelodeon approached him about creating an animated series for them. He created the 2001 television series ‘Invader Zim.’ It was aimed at kids in their early adolescent years.
In 2002, he collaborated with Crab Scramble on the storybook “Everything Can Be Beaten,” which was published by Slave Labor. It’s about a crazy dude who lives in a room and spends his days beating up on kittens.
In 2012, he created several of the characters in the animated television series “Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja.” Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas created it for Disney XD.
Jhonen’s Major Projects
For the television animation series ‘Invader Zim,’ he is the creator, character designer, and voice performer. The central character is an extraterrestrial from the planet Irk. During its initial season, the sitcom aimed at younger teenagers was a smash and received several accolades.
Achievements and Awards
In 2000, his work ‘I Feel Sick’ was nominated for an International Horror Guild Award for Best Illustrated Narrative.
The television series ‘Invader Zim’ earned an Emmy, an Annie, and the World Animation Celebration Award for Best Title Sequence in 2001.
Personal history and legacy
He is a very private individual who does not discuss his personal life with the media. He has an older brother, which is all that is known about his personal life.
Estimated Net worth
Jhonen Vasquez is one of the wealthiest cartoonists and one of the most popular. Jhonen Vasquez net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.