Bryan Johnson’s name may not be one of the most recognizable in the horror genre, but his work in the genre has been truly unforgettable.
Johnson’s solo directing effort, the Kevin Smith produced Vulgar, was a grindhouse gutpunch, which has only become more and more popular since its initial release in 2000. Starring Brian O’Halloran (“Clerks”), the film follows a struggling professional clown (O’Halloran) as he attempts to put his life back together after being…well, gang raped by a family of men out of some sort of David Lynch nightmare.
When our hero clown finally finds some semblance of success in his profession, his past comes back to haunt him in the form of a video tape. It’s a horror film that reaches such dark corners of the human psyche that even shock jock Howard Stern was reportedly taken aback by it. It’s also, however, a poignant movie about grief and post traumatic stress disorder. It’s truly one of a kind.
Johnson’s other work has mainly been in the field of comics where he’s told stories as twisted as Vulgar — some might even argue more so. There was 2005’s Karney, a book about a travelling circus that ends up taking a deadly interest in their latest destination.
Then there was 2007’s War of the Undead, a book that combined werewolves, vampires and Nazis — need more be said?
Finally, there was Cryptozoic Man, a 2013 comic about a disfigured man who becomes a hero of sorts in a world of monsters. The story was a loving throwback to the monster movies that once captured kids’ imaginations without the benefit of CGI.
The story behind Cryptozoic Man was actually told on AMC’s “Comic Book Men,” of which Johnson has been a cast member it premiered in 2012. The series, which follows the exploits of the men of the New Jersey comic shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, showed the beginning stages of the comic book, the pitch to publisher Dynamite and the ultimate publication and promotion.
Walter Flanagan, who operates The Stash, drew Cryptozoic Man, Karney and War of the Undead, and is generally Johnson’s partner in crime. Johnson told Bloody Disgusting in an exclusive interview regarding future projects and the upcoming return of “Comic Book Men” that he and Flanagan are far from done working together in the comic world.
“I have an idea I’ve been working on, but I’m able to take my time because he [Flanagan] has, like, three other projects going on right now,” said Johnson.
He and Flanagan also host a popular podcast together called “Tell ‘Em Steve Dave,” and their third mic on the long-running show is Brian Quinn, one of the stars of “Impractical Jokers” and a recent actor in Victory Crowley, directed by Adam Green.
Johnson revealed he and Quinn are also working on horror-themed projects together, both in comics and in film.
“We’re going to do an anthology comic,” said Johnson. “[It’s got] sort of a creepy kind of vibe to it, so as soon as Quinn gets a free minute to do anything other than ‘Impractical Jokers’ stuff, we’ll work on that.”
One difference with Johnson’s future comic work is that it will more than likely be independently produced, something that is becoming more and more common for artists in every field.
“There’s something to be said for being able to do what you want on your own,” said Johnson. “We’ve gotten to the point where we can self-publish our book and it’s not the scarlet letter that it once was.” He added, “Now it’s almost preferable sometimes to do things on your own…you sink or swim on your own merits.”
Though the independent route opens up bold new possibilities for future projects between Johnson and his various artistic partners, it also likely means no Cryptozoic Man 2, a sequel many have asked for, including publisher Dynamite. “Dynamite is great, we really liked those guys a lot,” Johnson told us, but it appears the independent route is just too appealing at this point.
Whatever he works on in the near future, Johnson is fairly certain it will be horror-related.
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about writing a superhero — or would want to,” he said.
Another upcoming horror project many fans are clamoring for from Johnson is a sequel to Vulgar, arguably his most well-known creation. Though it’s been nearly twenty years since the first film, the writer and director revealed he is indeed working on a sequel and he’s in the process of writing it now.
“I was thinking about it and I started to write it and there was just something that wasn’t clicking,” he said about the long-awaited sequel. “I stopped and it was months before just recently I was like, ‘oh shit, I know what I’ll do.’”
He added that he now has a “totally different storyline,” but it’s “more interesting than what I had originally.”
Though he was mum on details, the sequel could really go anywhere considering where the last film left off (no spoilers here). It was previously announced by Johnson that O’Halloran will return to his lead role, Jason Mewes will have a part and Kevin Smith will be the film’s executive producer.
Johnson did reveal that though he hasn’t stepped behind the camera since Vulgar, he would be happy to do so again. Despite feeling more comfortable as a writer, Vulgar 2 is personal enough that he wants to dust off his director’s hat and give it another go. Other scripts, however, will be happily handed off to other directors.
“There are so many great horror directors out there,” said Johnson. “I think I’m a much better writer than I am a director.”
For now, Johnson is keeping busy with “Comic Book Men,” AMC’s long-running show which follows their epic “Walking Dead” block of programming every Sunday night. The series is currently in its seventh season and the midseason premiere is this weekend.
“Comic Book Men” returns to AMC this Sunday, February 25.
