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Johnny C., nicknamed Nny (pronounced "knee") is the title character of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.

Profile[]

He is a deranged serial killer, mass murderer, and spree killer who interacts with various other characters, more often than not torturing and murdering them. He elaborately and sadistically kills anyone who even slightly irritates him, then drains their blood and paints one of the walls in his house with it (to keep the Thing from getting out). If the situation dictates, Johnny is also willing to murder "innocent" people, though in his twisted mind, even they deserve their fate for some reason or another. The number of Johnny’s victims is in the dozens, if not hundreds—or perhaps even thousands. Authorities are unable to capture Johnny and seem unaware of his existence, though his crimes are often witnessed in public and reported by the few who manage to survive. In the JTHM: Director's Cut, it is said that Johnny's parents were murdered by an "evil man" but this is an obvious joke; it goes on to say that he became a masked crime fighter. Nothing is known of Johnny's family or of his past—even Johnny is deprived of all but occasional flashes of memory. He is often devoid of a conscience, though this is arguable since he is also insane. This insanity manifests itself in three entities: Nailbunny, who is the closest thing to a conscience that Nny possesses; and Psycho Doughboy and Mr. Eff, two styrofoam Pillsbury doughboys that argue over whether Nny should kill himself.

Sometimes, Johnny shows feelings of self-hatred for the horrible things he does. This shows in his many monologues and suicide attempts. He even has what appears to be frightening moments of clarity, but those quickly turn into yet more crazed rants accompanied by bloodshed.

However, in spite of his killing sprees, Johnny had romantic feelings for a woman named Devi, who is the heroine of Vasquez's double-shot comic I Feel Sick. On their first date, they were just about to kiss on the couch when Johnny rushes to the bathroom in a panic. Mr Eff, one of Nny's Doughboys, tells him he should “immortalize the moment”, making him pull out his knives and attempt to kill Devi. As a result, Devi breaks up with him and runs away, leaving him very unhappy. He tries calling her to apologize and explain how he was unable to control his urge to kill her, but she yells at him and hangs up.

Facts and Theories[]

Capture

His exact age is 25. According to the Director's Cut, he is very underweight.

At the end of the comic, Johnny attempts to reform himself by abandoning his emotions in favor of cold intellect, going on what is referred to as a "vacation." This open-ended conclusion leaves room for a second series of comics, but Vasquez has expressed only slight hints on his Twitter to maybe continue Nny's story.

A running theory on Johnny's origin is that he was once a brilliant artist (based on one incident, a painter) who lost his talent and subsequently went insane. This makes him similar to Devi D.. This theory is further supported by Devi's recollection of a conversation that once occurred between her and Johnny in issue 2 of I Feel Sick, in which Johnny laments his loss of painting talent and implies that he began to kill as a way of filling that void. In issue 4 of JTHM, Nailbunny chastises Johnny for drawing his Happy Noodle Boy comic ("A god-damned stick figure!") instead of painting. However, Vasquez writes that the idea of giving Johnny an origin does not appeal to him at all. He feels that giving Johnny a back-story would dilute his mystery, stating, "[I] find the blurriness of it all much more appealing than making him go nuts over being pantsed in school once. 'YAAAARGH!! I have been pantsed!! I kill like the damned now!!' That's just not done." He seemed to have gotten crazier after the series ended. This is proven in his Twitter account, saying stuff that implies he sees and hears things such as a ghost goat, puppies, his knives begging for sunny d, hell's spice chamber, multiple demonic voices, (never given names) a creature with a cow-sized cockroach for a head, tentacles, and once had a nightmare lasting four unspeakable days and nights. He also sleeps more often saying, "I'm going to sleep on the lawn tonight." But his Twitter could take place before the series because he never mentions Todd or Devi.

Johnny made a guest appearance in Shi/Cyblade: The Battle for Independents.

Quotes[]

  • "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BACTINE!!"
    • Volume 1, his first line in the comic
  • "Nothing quite brings out the zest for life in a person like the thought of their impending death. I see by the looks of you that you understand."
    • said to Squee when they first meet
  • "Mmm-hmm. Hm. Yeah? Mm-hmm. WELL FUCK YOU, MR BEAR!!! YOU SPEAK LIES!!! LIIIIES!!! Stuffed with pure venom, you vile, lint-infested bastard!! How many more, like you, are there!! How many more?!!! You can't even imagine the things I've endured!! And always at the hands of shit like you!!! YOU DON'T KNOW THE TRUTH!!! (stabs Shmee repeatedly)"
    • to Squee's teddy bear, Shmee
  • "Hey, sorry about the window, but I noticed it was locked. I don't suggest you ever lock it again."
    • to Squee
  • "Two nights ago, I was taking a walk at night, and this little chihuahua started following me!!! GODDAMMIT!! IT KNEW!! I ran, and finally lost it, and made it home!!! BUT IT KNEW!! IT KNEWWWW!! Did the DOG SEND YOU?!"
    • Too many passing around surveys about recent murders
  • "I was just drawing a comic, Happy Noodle Boy. It's really popular with the homeless insane."
  • "Whether in a suit, or in a loincloth, people are ignorant little thorns cutting into one another."
  • "Any pile of stunted growth unaware that entertainment is just that and nothing more, deserves to doom themselves to some dank cell, somewhere, for having been so stupid!! Movies, books, T.V., music - They're all just entertainment, not guidebooks for damning yourself!"
    • in answer to one of the surveyor's questions
  • "I never drank her blood! Never! But I needed it! You see!! It changes color when it dries! It NEVER stays! I HAVE to keep the wall wet!"
    • in answer to one of the surveyor's questions
  • "Wacky!? What the hell kind of word is that? WACKY!? I HATE that word!! Fewer words are as excruciatingly stupid!!! And used in description of me!! FOOK!"
  • "Without fail!! EVERY time I leave my house, it's as if I've given up my every right to be left alone, or treated with respect!!! You flies with your unyielding little minds!!! You think my difference from you is an excuse to 'comment' on me, as if I were on DISPLAY for you!!!"
  • "Dear Die-ary, today I stuffed some dolls full of dead rats I put in the blender. I'm wondering if, maybe, there really is something wrong with me."
  • "Think of that sensation as reassurance that you are not dead yet."
    • to a victim (Edgar Vargas) before his death
  • "Trust me, I know what self-loathing is, but to kill myself? That would put a damper on my search for answers. Not at all productive."
  • "I can't let you go. We've begun something lovely, and, as with all things that start, it, inevitably, ends! The beginning is always so fine!! But decay soon follows. A degeneration into the tired old situation. The rot sets in. This way, there is only the beauty of the start!"
    • trying to convince Devi to let him murder her
  • "The world would be so much nicer if people only used guns on themselves."
  • "Todd? I like Squee better."
    • To Squee, after smacking a molester over the head with a broken pipe
  • "Well, I just don't want you to think that this piece of shit is anything other than a pathetic, human defect. Nothing more. Not a monster, not a bogeyman. Nothing but another reason to feel better about yourself. Understand that it's just a person - not worth devoting any nightmares to."
    • to Squee, after saving him from a pedophile
  • "You flaw. At least I'm under the delusion of doing something productive."
    • to the pedophile, before killing him
  • "Um, well, you better get going, it's Tuesday, and you know what that means - U.F.O.'s!! (runs)"
  • "I've relinquished control of my insanity."
  • "We think we are so great in our protests...but we just become the bitter offspring of what we oppose. We become prisoners in our own cages. We begin to speak in badly constructed melodramatic prose! OH, RAGING HORROR!! Make this stop!!"
  • "I wish... I wish someone would just switch me off and... fix me."
  • "Yes, yes, yes. I'm the one that's been killing all those people. But I'm also the creative force behind Happy Noodle Boy, so forgive me and shut up."
  • "Killing someone who's bleeding to death. Fff...fuck, you people...you...how stupid you are. Resorting to the same old, monkey brutality, afraid to look up from your bloody dicks. Afraid of transcendence. Hey...your head looks like a potato. And how stupid was I? I, actually paid attention to you! Devoted precious thought to it. God...I used to love the noises I heard in my head. Hhh...I never should've left my room...my room, out there, I almost remember it. It's gone now...along with everything else...vanishing. Heh...potato."
    • to Krik, while bleeding to death
  • "This isn't pleasant... I'd rather not be dead... Don't want to die... Don't... Geez... This is worse than goth poetry... Agg..."
  • "No more stars... no... clouds... nothing... hsssss... It's such an easy thing to say you hate something... so easy to hate... what a piece of shit I am... I ca...can't believe I went the easy way... I thought I knew... I wish I knew something... anything. Ehhh... Actually... your head looks more like a reject jellybean."
    • to Krik, while dying
  • "Dear Die-ary, I seem to be dead."
  • "I've been talking to dead rabbits and feeding bloody walls. I've done horrifying things with salad tongs. It's really eaten into my social life."
    • to God
  • "Do you have ANY idea what's going on down there?!! Hideous things! People are suffering, and people like...well...ME, heh, are running around!! Suicide, genocide!! People are killing MOOSE!! You buy a video game system, and a better one comes out in a month!!! Powdered eggs?!!! Self esteem is so low, girls are buyin wonder bras!!! Do you see!? DO YOU?"
    • to God
  • "You know, that fat little lawn gnome of a God wouldn't answer some easy questions!!! I'm criminally insane - I don't know what HIS reason is for being SO FUCKED UP!!"
  • "I wonder if you can kill the Devil."
  • "It's okay! I'm alright! I think my spine has exploded, but I'm fine."
  • "Shit! This is awful. At least alive there were nice people mixed in with the social maggots."
    • on Hell
  • "Damn! Hell makes a yummy bagel."
  • "You people!! Shit!! You're all idiots!! I admit to being weak and catering to some minor transgression or two, but this place is sick. But I won't let myself give the issue respect by addressing it any furth... YOU STINK!!!! Focusing on the mundane! Money!! Fashion!! Cream cheese!! You're in Hell and you're too stupid to know it!"
    • to the denizens of Hell
  • "A cheerleader! PURE EVIL!!"
    • on Señor Satan's second form
  • "I wonder if I'm still crazy. Go find a cheerleader and saw her legs off. OKAY, that answers that."
  • "I detest sleep. I've got better things to do. Besides, I find it frightening - to awaken and be unsure of everything you remember about life not being just part of a dream. Waking means I've slept, and sleep dissolves what certainty I have left."
  • "Funny thing is, Pinocchio's a real boy now but his wiring's all fucked up."
  • "Either my hair burned off in hell, or I sleep-shaved it during a really stupid dream."
  • "Does light even EXIST when the refrigerator door is shut!?"
  • "You know that feeling you get? The one where you just know you're going to projectile vomit out of every orifice? I feel that right now. I want you away. Leave me to my vomit."
    • to Jimmy
  • "Imagine a sculptor being confronted by a stranger, who, as it turns out, confesses to revere our sculptor. Imagine the flattery known to anybody who is told they've inspired some noble aspiration in somebody. The student then presents our sculptor with a work fashioned after the sculptor's own style - a likeness of the student himself. It is a monstrosity! A fucking mess. Even worse, is that our artist sees that this piece of shit before him is a more reasonable facsimile of his own work than he'd like to think. You fucking idiot!! Admire me?!! You shit!!! I'm the villain in this fucking story!"
    • to Jimmy
  • "Just because we've similar interests does not guarantee you're going to like me! My foot in your ass is a good example of that. My delusionary hell does not agree with yours!!"
    • to Jimmy
  • "And though this gets me no absolution, I WOULD NEVER DO WHAT YOU DID TO THAT GIRL!! YOU ABOMINATION OF MENTAL SUBVERSION!! OH, LOOK!! AN ORIFICE. HOW DO YOU LIKE BEING FUCKED WITH STEEL?!!"
    • to Jimmy
  • "I've excluded happiness as one of those possibilities we seek for ourselves. Oh, I still want it, but that's beside the point. Contentment - they say it's the ultimate, but I can't even wish for that. I don't even want the desire to be content. I can only hope for silence."
    • recording, played to Devi over the phone
  • "I like you immensely, Devi. And to prove it, I shall obliterate all of my affection and interest for you. Just like before, but different. I cannot hurt what I do not acknowledge. I don't know of anyone that I love, or of anyone that loves me, but I give you what I can. I give my nothing."
    • recording, played to Devi over the phone
  • "I know forgiveness is out of the question. I just ask for what we all ask of the people we respect - that the thought of me does not compel you to violent spasms of projectile vomiting."
    • recording, played to Devi over the phone
  • "Kill my stomach if I'm hungry! Shut off my want if I'm lonely! Tear off my genitals if I'm aroused!! Excess!!! So much excess!! It's so much superfluous nonsense, and I want nothing to do with it if I can help it!!!"
  • "It's a frightening world to be alone in."
    • to Squee
  • "It must be nice to still have the opportunity to save the cohesion of your pretty mind. The best some people can hope for is to better manage their damage."
    • to Squee
  • "Dear Die-ary, the passions that drive us should be the ones we respect and admire. To feel contempt for one's own motivations is a vulgar thing. Too often, it seems, I've succumbed to less-than admirable compulsions, driven by this furiously reprehensible machine of mine. So many things inside that I can do without - desires and urges and what not. So extraneous. By the time I write in this book again, I hope to be as cold as the moon that lights this page."
  • "Such amusing fiction, these stories they tell. It always comes to this. If they really had a desire to live, they would've been more aware of how easy it is to die, would've chosen their actions more wisely. In these moments, you can tell they're not regretting having hurt you. They regret doing it to your face. They get so loud. They make so much noise. I try to wait until I'm off of the room before I start laughing... A blur... of... sweating... screaming... human... drama... but, every once in a while, they say things that sound like words. They make me think about what I'm doing. The noises make me uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that... sometimes... I wonder... why I don't just get myself a pair of earplugs."
  • "Dear Die-ary, there's nothing terribly wrong with feeling lost, so long as that feeling precedes some plan on your part to actually do something about it. Too often a person grows complacent with their disillusionment, perpetually wearing their "discomfort" like a favorite shirt. I can't say I'm very pleased with where my life is just now... but I can't help but look forward to where it's going."
    • volume 7, his final line in the comic
  • "Don't disturb me at home...I'm very busy!"
  • "Try the stew...it's delicious" (from Squee = Dreamtime)
    • (from Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors, his final line in the comic)
  • "I love children, they're so sweet and stay crunchy in milk."
  • “Sometimes...

 You can cry until there's nothing wet in you. 
 You can scream and curse to where your throat rebels and ruptures. 
 You can pray, all you want, to whatever god you think will listen. 
 And, still, it makes NO difference.
 It goes on, with no sign as to when it might release you.
 And you know that if it ever did relent...
 It would not be because it cared.”



Abilities: Johnny is very quite skilled with knives.

He is also quite fast, killing entire room of people in a taco restaurant and a café store

Though he lacks hand to hand combat

Johnny also apparently never sleeps, and it’s implied to have some degree of supernatural abilities

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