San Diego Comic-Con is known for its spectacular guests. This year, global manga superstar, Japanese horror master, and New York Times bestseller Junji Ito makes a very rare appearance in the U.S. Ito seems to be everywhere on manga shelves, but for any comics fans not in the know, here’s a catch-up.
Guest of honor: Ito won the Eisner Award for best cartoonist in 2022 and is making his first appearance as a special guest at SDCC 2023. Ito will have a spotlight panel and is expected to make time for (limited) signings.
Essential reading: Viz Media is gradually releasing an entire library of Ito’s work, but these three titles are his best known:
Uzumaki: This sublimely creepy tale is set in a town obsessed with spirals.
Tomie: This longer work features a mysterious woman with persuasive powers
Gyo: A couple struggles against an army of undead fish with metal legs.
Brand name: It’s unusual for a manga creator to be a brand. Ito is a household name in Japan, and his fame has spread worldwide. From 2020 to 2022 he sold more than 1.5 million copies of his work in the U.S., with more than 500,000 copies sold in 2022, according to Circana BookScan. Uzumaki was his top book, with more than 106,000 copies sold in 2022.
Crossover hit: Ito’s rise was organic in the U.S., says Kevin Hamric, Viz’s v-p of publishing sales—especially after it started publishing his short stories. “He really took off,” Hamric adds. And not just among comics fans. As “the master of horror manga,” he’s gained a following among horror readers of all forms—Stephen King is a big fan, according to Hamric.
Mangaka of the people: Ito’s a unicorn—a rare mangaka (manga artist) who enjoys meeting fans. Manga is a reclusive profession, and its creators rarely come to the U.S., or even make public appearances in Japan. But Ito is “very appreciative of his fan base in the U.S. and the English-speaking world,” Hamric says. “He’s a humble person and he’s still amazed that he is so popular.” Even during the pandemic, Ito participated in virtual events with instructional videos and interviews.
Changing the game: For publishers in the U.S., promoting manga can be tough because of the unavailability of the creators, but Ito is “of the rare breed that wants to get out there and help promote,” per Hamric. Ito’s accessibility has definitely helped grow his fan base and may be inspiring other top mangaka to open up, he adds. “I think he could be one of the leaders in changing how mangaka act and interact.”
Ito rising: Looking ahead, Ito’s next books from Viz include two anthologies of short horror tales: Mimi’s Tales of Terror (Oct.) and Stitches, drawn by Ito and written by Hirokatsu Kihara (Spring 2024).
