Uncanny: The Origins of Fear

For the first time since his debut 35 years ago, horror master Junji Ito reveals exactly how he creates his unique worlds.

Why are we drawn to fear?

Horror manga legend Junji Ito has fascinated the world with his beautiful and strange tales, from his debut story “Tomie” to Uzumaki, Gyo, and many other famous works.

In this professional memoir and horror manga analysis, he tells all and digs into dark recesses—reflections on influences from his childhood, thoughts on manga, next-level idea-generation techniques, character design, craftmanship, and more. Full of never-before-told insider anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, this is a must-have book for fans who want to immerse themselves completely in the world of Junji Ito.

Junji Ito made his professional manga debut in 1987 and since then has gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest contemporary artists working in the horror genre. His titles include Tomie and Uzumaki, which have been adapted into live-action films; Gyo, which was adapted into an animated film; and his books Alley, Black Paradox, Deserter, Fragments of Horror, Frankenstein, Lovesickness, No Longer Human, Remina, Sensor, Shiver, Smashed, Soichi, The Liminal Zone, Tombs, and Venus in the Blind Spot, all of which are available from VIZ Media.

Ito’s influences include classic horror manga artists Kazuo Umezz and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft.

He is a four-time Eisner Award winner. In 2019 his collection Frankenstein won in the "Best Adaptation from Another Medium" category, and in 2021 he was awarded "Best Writer/Artist," while Remina received the award for "Best U.S. Edition of International Material (Asia)." He also won his second "Best U.S. Edition" for Lovesickness in 2022.