Jhonen Vasquez

About Jhonen Vasquez

Jhonen Vasquez (born September 1, 1974), also known by his pseudonyms Mr. Scolex and Chancre Scolex, is a cartoonist living in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is the creator of a number of alternative comics published by Slave Labor Graphics including Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, I Feel Sick, Fillerbunny, Bad Art Collection, and Squee!, as well as the creator and writer of the short-lived animated television series Invader Zim. Many of his works have developed cult followings.[citation needed]

Jhonen Vasquez was born to Mexican parents and raised in East San Jose. He attended Mount Pleasant High School, where he often spent much of his class time drawing in sketchbooks. Taking part in a contest to design a new look for his school's mascot, the Cardinal, he submitted an entry that the judges rejected. On the back of a preliminary drawing for the contest, he drew his first sketch of the character who would later become Johnny C. His high school's newspaper published a number of his strips entitled Johnny the Little Homicidal Maniac.

Vasquez also created Happy Noodle Boy while attending Mount Pleasant. According to Vasquez, "So many years ago, [my little romantical friend in high school] was the unwitting reason Happy Noodle Boy was created. [She] always asked me for comics. But I couldn't draw as fast as she requested. Thus, I tried to create the worst abomination of a comic that I could, so as to make her not want comics anymore. That abomination, my friends, was Happy Noodle Boy".