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Junji Ito: Lovesickness (2021, VIZ Media LLC) 3 stars

An innocent love becomes a bloody hell in another superb collection by master of horror …

Creepy

4 stars

The first sequence of stories is a wonderfully surreal (but still creepy) story about a town where when the fog comes in, you stand at an intersection and ask a stranger for your fortune. This being Juno Ito things take a creepy (and bloody) turn, though there's a surprisingly optimistic ending. One of his best. The artwork is particularly effective at evoking the fog, and creating a sense of dread that lingers long after finishing.

Sadly the rest of the collection is less good. While none of it is bad, none of it is essential.

The next series (of 2) is a comedy about a murderous family of siblings (the Addams family, minus the sophistication) and their misadventures. It's fun, though pretty lightweight.

'Mansion of Phantom Pain' is fine, but is fairly forgettable.

'Ribs' starts strong, but ends as a monster story that doesn't really connect with the beginning.

And then there's the story about shit. Which is... better than it should be.

As ever, the art is spectacular.