Junji Ito's works have been pushed out into bookstores faster than a baby can be born as of late. I'm totally in favor of these releases though. You can never have too much manga from this guy. There's another collection coming at the end of this month and another collection on the way next year toward the summer. 2021 will defiantly be Ito's year but lets dive a little into Venus in the Blind Spot.
This collection is a couple of short stories much like Ito's other works. I tend to not read up on his manga before I buy them just so the surprise will be enjoyable for me. Soon you find that Venus stories mostly involve science fiction with horror mixed in. Not all the stories hit as hard as others in the creepy department, however you can understand the appreciation to why certain stories were included. A story about a boy living in the country who goes almost mad over his love for manga wasn't content I was too interested in. So after a few pages, I began to skim read just to get through the story. Also, there's a pick of various subjects between science, mystery, and horror. Some stories aren't nightmarish in my opinion, though the creepy mysterious vibe makes up for what I was missing in scares. The Green Chair story was weird as hell while the story about the tongue lady will make you throw up every time you think about making out with your lover. Venus in the Blind Spot has it's own story that's very good just because it's different from all the other stories, yet very Junji Ito. What story creeped me out the most you ask? I would have to say the one about the boy born of a corpse. That last page's panel of him looking through the door smiling, freaked me the hell out. We talking goosebumps people.... Those who are fans of Ito will find themselves satisfied if they decide to pick up this hardcover.
The color pages that open Venus in the Blind Spot was a very nice touch. I wasn't ready for all that color in front of me. I've said this before in my other posts about Junji Ito's works but he's the the master of visual horror. Readers don't flock to his stories because he's a master storyteller cause he's not. Readers keep coming back for more because they know that reading his manga will expose you to some of the most disturbing imagery one could see in manga.(I've only seen worse a couple times in my life when it comes to manga. The Grudge manga adaption was one of them ..) As I've become more of a fan, I find myself bracing myself right before a page turn. These scary imagery are always well drawn. From the stenciling to the sharpness in the fine lines of the drawings's details. He must do a hell of a lot of inking and it shows in the final results.
People who want to start reading Junji Ito's works from the beginning should check out either Umizaki or Tomie. Both are a good examples of Ito's works at his prime. Plus these two have solid stories that are a bit more consistent than his other works.
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