Sex Ed (For Alex Wilson)

WARNING: Do not read if squeamish. Really this is only for Alex.

The new Jhonen Vasquez book is out.

Yes, this is the same fellow who was the driving force behind Invader Zim. The same guy behind Johnny The Homicidal Maniac and (my favourite of his works) I Feel Sick, plus a bunch of other stuff.

The new book, which is Vasquez scripted, but actually drawn by Jenny Goldberg, and is entitled Jellyfist.

You can read the entertaining press release about it at the publisher’s LJ. This might be my favourite part of it:

These comics are, if you will allow another metaphor, the Wienermobile-like vehicle for an examination of the frustrating, ridiculous and sometimes fulfilling collaborative process.

or possibly this bit:

Added Vasquez, “RARRGH!”

Apparently it had to be printed again, which is why it is much later than the press release claimed.

Anyway, my take is that it’s mildly entertaining but not nearly as good as either of Vasquez’s longer form comics works. These are 2 and 3 page gags that are designed to display how “twisted” the sense of humour of the creators is, but without anything meaningful underlying it, so obviously it’s not going to have the weight of the longer works which did actually have a lot to say about modern life and the artist’s struggle, etc, insert more pretentious blather here. This is like Fillerbunny++, not like a new I Feel Sick.

Here’s the “sex ed” strip from the book, with creator commentary, just for Alex. (If you’re not Alex, you can look too, but the odds are won’t find it funny.)

P.S.J.F.A One of the three page gags features a combination of Cthuluesque eldritch evil and The Meme™