By JUNJI ITO (VIZ Media; 2011/16)

An oft-filmed landmark in the field of horror manga that offers an unflattering glimpse into some of the uglier corners of Japan’s national psyche.  TOMIE was the debut manga by horror legend Junji Ito, who’s better known for subsequent works like UZUMAKI and GYO.  TOMIE isn’t as strong, evincing a number of unmistakable first-timer snafus, but, in this “Complete Deluxe” English language compilation, proves that even sub-par Junji Ito is preferable to most other manga artists good or bad.

In a newly written afterword Ito claims he turned out the initial version of TOMIE, in the form of a thirty page mini-manga, while working as a dental technician in 1987.  Ito’s inexperience is showcased in the early chapters, which are clumsy and difficult to follow, but his confidence grows as the saga advances.

TOMIE is comprised of twenty chapters, the vast majority of which are standalone accounts, each with its own setting and characters.  The constant in all cases is Tomie, an alluring young woman dressed in schoolgirl attire who bears all sorts of unique biological properties, and invariably drives the men around her to madness.  That madness usually results in aggression and violence toward Tomie, who more often than not ends up dismembered, but can fully regenerate starfish-like from even the smallest appendage—and those appendages, furthermore, possess the same powers as the fully formed Tomie, as evinced by the chapter entitled “Hair,” in which a box of Tomie’s hair has a most disturbing effect on the skin of an unsuspecting young woman.

That these tales are misogynistic goes without saying.  TOMIE is by no means the most virulent example of the paralyzing fear of all things female that suffuses Japanese culture (for that you’d have to check out the adult oriented ero-guro category, whereas TOMIE, nasty though it is, is staunchly mainstream), but it is an especially telling one.  Its most noteworthy portion in this respect is likely the second-to-last chapter, about a male model attempting to win Tomie’s favor, and growing increasingly frustrated in his aims, shouting “My face, my figure…it’s all top of the line!”–to which she replies, “I do have the right to choose, you know.”  The fact that Tomie can and does multiply exponentially might perhaps be likened to the spread of feminism in Japan.

This manga, whatever shortcomings it might have, fully showcases the brilliance of its creator.  Images like the one depicting masses of Tomie heads sprouting pumpkin-like from a field, and another of a THING-like insectoid mass of stuck-together Tomie parts, and another presenting us with dismembered arms and legs sprouting Tomie heads at their extremities provide ample evidence of Junji Ito’s skill and imagination, even at such an early stage of his career.  He had yet to hit his peak, obviously, but was well on his way.

Also see RED HEDZ, SZMONHFU, and JANE’S GAME.