Fragments of Horror

I love me some Junji Ito, so of course I want to get his latest compilation.

And this is a compilation, there are eight stories, each with a different take on some horror moment. I can't say that I was shocked by any of them, because I am jaded, but I did often pause at the moment of the great revelation to really take in each picture. Ito often has one particular image per story that is the full display of the impact of the horror, either showing the demon or unveiling the wrongness, and that's all here with these stories. And they are really well done.

The opening story, Futon, is a good strong one, and Ito actually sort of gives a reason for the supernatural element. Wooden Spirit gets nice and creepy (I like mysterious houses), and Gentle Goodbye is rather sweet, especially odd coming from him.

And now I need to make sure I've read all his work. There's a cat manga of his? And other artists have inspired him? I should check those out.

Lastly the cover is a wraparound dust cover with images from the stories... and another later of oddness over the top of that. How apt.

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