Venus in the Blind Spot

I’ll confess that I haven’t got the special love for late-90s J-horror that many folks seem to have. The film adaptations of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki and Tomie are solidly… fine… but never inspired me to delve into his comics. Fortunately for cranky skeptics like me, Ito’s short story work has become more widely available in English translations and damn folks, this gnarly shit hits the spot (provided your idea of “the spot” includes obsession, disease, and necrophilia). Venus in the Blind Spot is another terrific entry in Viz Media’s ongoing series of Ito translations, lovingly presented in hardcover with color inserts. There’s something deeply effective about Ito’s deliberate-yet-delicate illustration style the brings an eeriness to his outrageous subject material. Even when things get graphic, there’s a measured elegance to the visual style that creates an emotional impact that would be lost with a more splattery approach (not that there’s anything wrong with a splattery approach, mind you). Themes of the uncanny tie Ito’s work together, but there are a number of different modes on display, from body horror to macabre romance and even cheeky autobiography. This anthology is a treat to delight and haunt the horror connoisseur.