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Comic Book Holocaust #1-2
Comic Book Holocaust
Comic Book Holocaust includes comics from Ryan's limited edition mini-comics, Funny Pages, Marvel Super Pages, and the previous editions of Comic Book Holocaust, all of which are long sold-out. The compendium includes many of Ryan's previously unpublished parodies.
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2006
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About the author
Johnny Ryan
96 books82 followersJohn F. Ryan IV (born November 30, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American comics creator, writer, and animator. In a throwback to the days of underground comix, Ryan's oeuvre is generally an attempt to be as shocking and politically incorrect as possible.
Ryan started his career self-publishing Angry Youth Comix, a series of eleven mini-comic issues from 1994 to 1998. In 1998, he began showing his work to Peter Bagge, creator of Hate comics, who introduced the material to Eric Reynolds of Fantagraphics. In 2001, Fantagraphics began publishing volume 2 of the series.
Among Ryan's creations there are the comic strip Blecky Yuckerella and the comic book series Prison Pit.
In animation, Ryan has worked as story editor for the Looney Tuness and co-created the Nickelodeon show Pig Goat Banana Cricket with Dave Cooper. Ryan and Cooper have collaborated on a number of comics as well, usually under the pen name 'Hector Mumbly'.
Ryan's illustrations have appeared in MAD, LA Weekly, National Geographic Kids, Hustler Magazine, The Stranger, and elsewhere. Ryan has also done work for clients such as Nobleworks greetings cards, Rhino Records, and Fox TV. His comics have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Ryan started his career self-publishing Angry Youth Comix, a series of eleven mini-comic issues from 1994 to 1998. In 1998, he began showing his work to Peter Bagge, creator of Hate comics, who introduced the material to Eric Reynolds of Fantagraphics. In 2001, Fantagraphics began publishing volume 2 of the series.
Among Ryan's creations there are the comic strip Blecky Yuckerella and the comic book series Prison Pit.
In animation, Ryan has worked as story editor for the Looney Tuness and co-created the Nickelodeon show Pig Goat Banana Cricket with Dave Cooper. Ryan and Cooper have collaborated on a number of comics as well, usually under the pen name 'Hector Mumbly'.
Ryan's illustrations have appeared in MAD, LA Weekly, National Geographic Kids, Hustler Magazine, The Stranger, and elsewhere. Ryan has also done work for clients such as Nobleworks greetings cards, Rhino Records, and Fox TV. His comics have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and French.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 21, 2009
More consistently funny than Klassic Komix Klub, probably because Johnny Ryan is more familiar with all of the material he is attacking here, and he has opinions that he is expressing through an endless variety of shit-jokes.
I was happy to see that the word blumpkin was used in one of the cartoons. I only learned what this word meant last week when I read I Love You, Beth Cooper!. I'm always happy to learn a new dirty word, especially for an act I never even thought about before.
I was surprised to see Seth not get attacked in this book. He pops up in a Joe Matt parody, but only as a cameo.
Funny and immature.
I was happy to see that the word blumpkin was used in one of the cartoons. I only learned what this word meant last week when I read I Love You, Beth Cooper!. I'm always happy to learn a new dirty word, especially for an act I never even thought about before.
I was surprised to see Seth not get attacked in this book. He pops up in a Joe Matt parody, but only as a cameo.
Funny and immature.
March 21, 2009
I’m adding this book to my Afro-disiac shelf cuz somebody gets fuck in the afro in this one…
January 15, 2024
More so for fans of Johnny Ryan who want to see him lampoon their favorite comic creators.
Divided into four parts, Comic Book Holocaust riffs on classic daily comic strips, Marvel superheroes, independent comics and miscellaneous (the fourth category was completely random stuff). Ryan varies up his cartooning to play off the styles of cartoonists like George Herriman, Frank King, Charles Schulz, Hergé, Joe Sacco, Joe Matt, and many, many others. Your favorite comic is probably in here since Ryan goes for it all here. The gags are pretty repetitive since Ryan's go to style of jokes primarily revolve around scat, flatulence and sex, but there are some funny puns here and there. There's some nice variety in the cartooning here, though Ryan doesn't deviate too far from his crude doodling style. As a whole, this wasn't really something I enjoyed though some of the gags were good enough for a laugh or two.
Divided into four parts, Comic Book Holocaust riffs on classic daily comic strips, Marvel superheroes, independent comics and miscellaneous (the fourth category was completely random stuff). Ryan varies up his cartooning to play off the styles of cartoonists like George Herriman, Frank King, Charles Schulz, Hergé, Joe Sacco, Joe Matt, and many, many others. Your favorite comic is probably in here since Ryan goes for it all here. The gags are pretty repetitive since Ryan's go to style of jokes primarily revolve around scat, flatulence and sex, but there are some funny puns here and there. There's some nice variety in the cartooning here, though Ryan doesn't deviate too far from his crude doodling style. As a whole, this wasn't really something I enjoyed though some of the gags were good enough for a laugh or two.
February 6, 2008
My friend Alex let me borrow this and its pretty good as far as juvenile humor goes. At the heart of the fart, poop and thinly veiled misogyny is an esoteric critique of the comic book industry. Art Spiegelman gets an appropriate ribbing both at the hero-worship that surrounds him and at his rambling and unfocused "In the Shadow of No Towers". Other targets are artists who are forcing a highbrow-ness upon comics through their emphasis on design over story. Autobiographical comics, particularly those of David Heatley and Ivan Brunetti, are lambasted for their formulaic self-involved approach to writing.
It helps that the book is divided into parts featuring lampoons of mainstream comic heroes and then the "comix". Ultimately though, the book wears on the reader because of its gnawing hopeless cynicism.
It helps that the book is divided into parts featuring lampoons of mainstream comic heroes and then the "comix". Ultimately though, the book wears on the reader because of its gnawing hopeless cynicism.
August 22, 2015
Offensive. Juvenile. But funny, despite whether or not you want to laugh...or think you should laugh. This is Johnny Ryan, after all.
September 10, 2021
Very purposefully crude, rude, gross, graphic, and offensive. Funny in the way that little boys who say naughty things are funny. Makes lots of comics look stupid (and that’s a good thing). If you don’t know who Johnny is and don’t like him, don’t buy the book. You’ll hate it. Read it during a really shitty week and it really made me laugh a few times. I would have gone 5 stars but some of the offensive language/slurs didn’t age all that well—yes, I understand that shock value is a part of it but a couple of the panels land poorly. Stupid and gross and good. Not for everyone.
April 2, 2022
Wow… this is quite an experience. Raw, vulgar, obscene, offensive, but I found myself chuckling like an idiot. I appreciated the satire Johnny went for in this. Some stories were a chore to get through, but overall it was pretty funny.
January 23, 2023
funny but also smelly
May 21, 2024
Somewhat amusing, thoroughly disgusting.
July 17, 2025
Johnny Ryan takes some of your favorite comic book characters and kicks them in nuts
August 20, 2008
Never have I laughed so hard in my life. People were coming over to see what the hell was so funny. Only read this book in public if you want people to come over and see what you're reading and you're not scared of offending or impressing them. This guy is my hero. The most intelligent potty humor I have ever read. I don't know of anyone else that can devote an entire comic to "New Yorker" writers wherein there is shit and sex and everything else great and offensive. That's not in this book, but a later issue of his "Angry Youth Comix." Which is definitely not for everyone, but should be.
This book is divided into 4 parts. The first are popular comic strips (Beetle Bailey, Hagar, etc.), the second are superheroes (Batman, Spiderman, you know) the third well respected widely recognized comic book cannon type stuff (From Hell, Ghost World) and the fourth old school Sunday morning comic strip type stuff (Richie Rich, little Lulu, even some Batman)and in all of these he just captures the spoofs so perfect and right on and unstereotypical of how most spoofs usually are. Batman making a cup-of-soup while he blogs and then finding out all the shitty comments he's getting aren't from The Joker like he thought but from Superman. Okay that doesn't translate so funny. How about Beetle Bailey and Sarge throwing raisins at a flying pussy and date-raping an afro. How's that translate?
This book is divided into 4 parts. The first are popular comic strips (Beetle Bailey, Hagar, etc.), the second are superheroes (Batman, Spiderman, you know) the third well respected widely recognized comic book cannon type stuff (From Hell, Ghost World) and the fourth old school Sunday morning comic strip type stuff (Richie Rich, little Lulu, even some Batman)and in all of these he just captures the spoofs so perfect and right on and unstereotypical of how most spoofs usually are. Batman making a cup-of-soup while he blogs and then finding out all the shitty comments he's getting aren't from The Joker like he thought but from Superman. Okay that doesn't translate so funny. How about Beetle Bailey and Sarge throwing raisins at a flying pussy and date-raping an afro. How's that translate?
July 29, 2007
Ooof. Wow. Yay!
January 13, 2008
Totally inappropriate and offensive in everyway. It's also, at times, fucking hilarious. The poop jokes can get a little old.
September 30, 2008
Disgusting, crude and wonderful!!
December 17, 2009
Offensive as hell, but whatever. Sometimes funny, but not often. The only memorable line was, "Hulk not reveal sources."
November 13, 2007
Profoundly disgusting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews