Everything with the exception of a few intro pages in chapters is done in black and white ink. I’m not a huge fan of manga in general, but Uzumaki seems next level.

I recommend not reading it at night before bed. On top of the absolutely primo horror content, the artwork in this manga is absolutely stunning and disturbing. Stories surrounding Eld Fen, King Wurm, a cult called the Grackles all echo similar themes from the Uzumaki manga. It’s a docudrama akin to War of the Worlds. The podcast deals with the conspiracies surrounding the myth of Tanis and the host’s journey to find out what Tanis truly is and why it seems to have a mysterious connection to his northwest home. In addition to Fen, I would not be surprised if Uzumaki inspired portions of the podcast Tanis. The overall tone is damp, dark, and brooding. I wouldn’t call these horror stories, but they are set within a place bordering fantasy and reality in which characters transform into creatures, crones seduce young men, and people return from the dead to find their loved ones. Specifically, a book called Fen, which is a compilation short stories by Daisy Johnson came to mind. The tone and themes also reminded me of some other similar material I’ve been interested in as of late. The fear of not knowing where, when, and how the spiral will appear in your life and torment you next. Spiral clouds made from the cremated ashes of loved ones circling the sky seemingly calling your name. Slow and uncontrollable transformations into grotesque creatures. Irrational parents who lose their minds and their children’s lack of control over their parent’s own well being. However one of the elements that make this manga so terrifying is it how it crosses into territory which is rarely explored. Full disclosure: There are creepy kids and the walking (or bouncing?) dead. This isn’t your traditional horror story filled with the expected horror tropes and usual scares. The book tells the story of Kirie, a high school girl who’s town has become the center of the supernatural curse focused around spirals. I have to say, from the very first story entitled, “The Spiral Obsession”, I was hooked. My interest was already very much piqued. I finally shelled out the $32 to get the hardcover (go big or go home, right?) Out of all the items I picked up that day, this was one of the first that I dug into simply because I had heard about it for so long and seen some of the panels prior. You might have remembered part of my comics haul a while back that I picked up the hardcover omnibus of the horror manga Uzumaki by Junji Ito.

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