Jhonen Vasquez was born and raised on San Jose's East Side. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High in 1992 and was a one-time film student at De Anza College. Even though he has little formal artistic training, he entered the world of alternative comics, as the writer/creator/artist of such titles as "SQUEE!" and "Johnny, The Homicidal Maniac", both published by Slave Labor Graphics. "SQUEE!" was nominated for several Eisner Awards, the comic industry's equivalent of the Oscars.