I Feel Sick Volumes 1 & 2- Jhonen Vasquez

Reader's Annotation: Devi battles the Sickness and tries not to let it overcome her.


Plot Summary: After Devi leaves her job at the bookstore she begins working for NERVE. She paints cover art for their science fiction stories. Yet NERVE is a horrible company, forcing her to revise her work on a constant basis. This leaves Devi with no time to paint for herself. Before starting work with NERVE she had begun a painting of a doll named Sickness. As Devi's stress builds Sickness begins speaking to her. She is preventing her from working, from doing much of anything. Devi stays locked in her house, loathing any and all interruptions. Her friend and neighbor Teena tries to cheer her up taking her out for Chinese food, but nothing seems to break Devi's hard exterior. Sickness begins talking to her more. She begins telling Devi that she will control her mind soon enough, to just let go, to give into the craziness. Devi is a fighter though and continues to struggle against the evil forces trying to break down her mind.


Critical Evaluation: I Feel Sick is Jhonen Vasquez's first full color comic series. He takes the character of Devi from his famed Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comics and gives her her own two issue series in I Feel Sick. Little did Devi know that the evil which haunts Johnny's mind is trying to take over her now as well. Vasquez's work with JTHM is well known in the comic and goth communities. During the 90s any goth teen you talked to owned at least one of the comics and more likely than not at least one shirt. The comics influenced the way we spoke, including diction and rhythm. I Feel Sick is wonderfully drawn with Vasquez's sharp angular style. The writing is quick witted, full of inside jokes and hilarious off kilter humor. Vasquez always tends towards the obscure adding seemingly random elements into his comics. You never know what to expect next. Fans of the JTHM, Invader Zim, and Squee series will also love these classic comics. Both books are well done with the story lines flowing seamlessly from one book to the next. Vasquez's unique brand of humor is apparent throughout even going so far as crafting his own copyright and author bios. The books are filled with delightful satire, poking fun at the establishment and even goth culture itself. They also give across a powerful message in that you should do what you love and never bow down to the "man".

Author: Jhonen Vasquez (born September 1, 1974), also known as Chancre Scolex or simply Mr. Scolex, is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and music video director. He is famous for creating the comic book series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and its spin-offs Squee! and I Feel Sick, all published under Slave Labor Graphics label. He also created the short-lived animated series Invader Zim, that aired on Nickelodeon.

Jhonen Vasquez was 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 student newspaper published a number of his comic strips titled Johnny the Little Homicidal Maniac. Vasquez created Happy Noodle Boy while attending Mount Pleasant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhonen_Vasquez


Genre: Black Comedy


Curriculum Ties: n/a


Booktalking Ideas: Devi's boss sends her constant revision requests, do you think artwork can be perfected? When Sickness starts talking to Devi she must find the strength within herself to not let evil win. How do you conquer negative influences in your life?


Age: 16+


Challenge Issues:

• Language
• Violence

Vasquez's work edges towards the violent side with some more extreme imagery. I Feel Sick doesn't contain nearly as much violence as his Johnny comics, but it is still a little brutal in parts. The I Feel Sick comic series does however send a good message about inner strength and how to overcome the negative influences in one's life.


Why I Included These Comics: I was a huge fan of JTHM and Vasquez's work in high school. For those teens into the goth culture reading his comics is nearly a mandatory requirement. So many reference are made to them in outside work that is great for teens who are goth or into comics to have an understanding of the original works. Also, with the huge success Invader Zim has had in the offbeat culture, teens are sure to love Vasquez's earlier work.

I Feel Sick #1 (A Book About A Girl) SLG Publishing, 1999, ASIN: B001VD1FZY

I Feel Sick #2 SLG Publishing, 2002, ISBN: 1593621574