Comics
The Masterful Terror of Junji Ito
When it comes to modern horror comics, there is perhaps no one more unsettling or terrifying than Japanese manga artist Junji Ito. Heavily influenced by Kazuo Umezu, whose own work is rather horrific, Ito’s works have haunted readers for nearly three decades now. His stories vicious, cruel, and strangely believable, which makes them all the more prone to inducing nightmares, the worlds he creates are never safe, dangers lurking in the most unusual and fascinating of places.
Born in 1963 in the Japanese prefecture of Gifu, Ito didn’t fall immediately into the path of a manga artist. Rather, he wrote stories and practiced his art while he was a dental technician, only submitting his first story, Tomie, in 1987 to the manga magazine “Gekkan Halloween”. This story went on to get the Kazuo Umezu Prize, no doubt a huge honor for Ito.
Since then, Ito has released a large amount of highly detailed and intricately designed works. He continued the Tomie series, which has since been turned into a long-running J-horror franchise. His series Gyo, which ran from 2001-02, was turned into an anime in 2012 (it’s mediocre), while the multi-chapter series Uzumaki was converted into two video games and one live-action film, which came out in 2000.
Related: [Visions Of Horror] Junji Ito’s ‘Tomie’
I became introduced to Ito’s works by renting the first few Tomie films, as well as Uzumaki. It was here that I got a taste of the master storyteller/artist and the horrors he creates. Later on, I would stumble across “The Enigma of Amigara Fault”, a one-off manga that is absolutely horrifying. Essentially the ultimate case of Freud’s “death drive”, the act of venturing into something with the knowledge that it might, and most likely will, result in a poor outcome. It’s like when people stand on the edge of a cliff and suddenly have the urge to jump, even though there is absolutely no reason to do so.
Later, I would buy Gyo and borrow copies of Uzumaki, inexorably drawn into those worlds, much the same as the characters within are powerless to resist the forces that beset them.
Then, the ultimate cocktease occurred: Guillermo del Toro announced that Ito would’ve been a part of Silent Hills, the cancelled Konami game that would’ve also featured Hideo Kojima and Norman Reedus. Suddenly, many of the visuals in P.T. and the official Silent Hills concept trailer made so much sense, their freakish appearances perfectly in line with the artist’s works. Alas, we’ll never know what was in store for us as the game is undeniably dead in the water.
Having recently reread Uzumaki, I found myself wanting to spread the gospel of Ito’s work. Much like how some of his characters are harbingers of impending doom, death, and destruction, I am here to hopefully usher forth a resurgence of interest in his work. Go to your local comic book store, Barnes & Noble, etc…, and see if they have any of his material. If so, just get it. Don’t think about it. You’ll thank me, even if your nightmares and restless sleeps won’t.
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
You must be logged in to post a comment.