Horror master Junji Ito will be releasing another newly translated manga through Viz Media, this time for Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. These stories will be translated from their original Japanese into English, very much like Viz's release this year with Junji Ito's Liminal Zone. This new translation promises to bring "Fresh nightmares" to readers and collects popular Ito stories featuring terrifying concepts like Gravestones, A Slug, and A Neighbor Next Door.
One of the most prolific faces in horror manga, Junji Ito is a three-time Eisner Award winner, recently winning twice in the Eisner Awards 2021 for Best Writer/Artist for Venus in the Blind Spot and Remina. The latter of which also specifically won for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. And these are just some of the latest titles released by this prolific mangaka, who is well-known for his Tomie series as well as his Uzumaki trilogy, to name just a few of his famous works. Many of his titles are also getting upcoming anime adaptations such as the Adult Swim anime adaptation of Ito's masterpiece, Uzumaki.
In an official announcement from Viz Media, Junji Ito welcomes readers to Tomb Town alongside other stories in the latest English translation from the horror master, Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. While listing the details of the variety of stories offered within this collection, Viz starts with the main Tombs-related story. This focuses on a brother and sister who stumble upon a town composed of seemingly endless tombstones after a traffic accident. The other two stories described to be in this volume appear to have previously been adapted into the Junji Ito Collection, one of the scariest body horror anime ever made.
One of these other stories includes a girl whose tongue transforms into a slug, which sounds like it is referring to the famous "Slug Girl" story that features a disturbing transformation that would feel right at home next to Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. There is also another story where a boy moves next door to a house with only one window and a neighbor calls out to him each night. This sounds like another short tale adapted into the Junji Ito Collection anime that goes by a few names, including Ito's nightmarish "The Window Next Door," in which Hiroshi and his parents move into a building and discover no one has ever met their one neighbor, who lives in a house with only one window.
However, nothing beats the anime adaptation better than the source material itself, which is filled with Junji Ito's famous imagery that takes typical body horror and amps it up to one thousand. His stories also often have little to no explanations behind the forces acting within them, which can add an extra layer of chill for the reader. Readers too anxious for the wait can also check out some of Viz Media's other English translations of Ito's works, including ten terrifying stories from Lovesickness.
Junji Ito's latest trip into the terrifying unknown, Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection, will be released by Viz Media on March 28, 2023.