John Dies at the End

Loving David Wong's other book Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits for over a year now raised my expectations of this book, one I have heard many good things about. Unfortunately, this book flopped for me. I could definitely see the appeal for some people, but the comedy portion was not funny to me.
First off, the main characters are distinct from one another, although the side characters can sometimes run together. This could be because there are so many characters, some are only mentioned in part one or are introduced 2/3s into the book. For me, it was difficult to keep track of.
The plot is done in an interesting way. There are two parts to this book and the first part truly feels separate from the rest of the book. The first part of the book is the introduction to the world and the characters to Soy Sauce and the mysteries of the world, while the second part is how they live their lives afterwards and more about the dangers of the world. The book could have been split into two different books and have still made sense. What ties them together is that David is telling this all to a reporter.
The humor of the novel should also be addressed. While there were times the book provoked a single chuckle, most of the time I stared at the pages in confusion wondering if a section was meant to be funny. I have also never read a book that mentioned penises so much, ever. So, although there are times where it feels reading this book requires a certain amount of intelligence or open mind, there are other moments which seem made with 7th grade boys in mind.
Another thing to note before recommending is the amount of gore and just plain disturbing moments in the book.