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Graphic Novel Review: When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Cover art for When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Silver Sprocket, 2024 (previously published by Koyama Press in 2019)

ISBN-13: 9798886200409

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:    Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

On a dark and stormy night, a cat woman arrives at the mysterious Countess’ castle on an unspoken mission. The Countess mentions that this attractive visitor is not the first to come on this mighty errand. She is offered a warm bath after being out in the rain for so long, for which she accepts, and this is interrupted by loud knocks on the door. The cat woman ventures out to search out her prey, peeking through a keyhole, where she sees the Countess shedding her skin. When the Countess catches her at the door, a violent and erotically driven confrontation happens between the noblewoman and the cat.

 

I appreciate Carroll’s attention to Gothic literature tropes in her sequential art. The structure of the story flows in such a way that the eyes do not have time to rest most of the time. The frenetic pace blends with the reader’s sense of unease as the cat woman explores the castle and is dragged along the halls by the Countess, and when the final battle ensues.

 

Something else I enjoy about Carroll’s work is her use of color, as she uses the most bold selection almost as another character itself. In the case of When I Arrived at the Castle, she uses black, white, and red. The red acts as solid backgrounds, text bubbles, the text itself, outlines of various figures, doors, flooring, skin, blood, and more. Spending a few minutes exploring the red in the pages was an interesting exercise in reading images without words.

 

If you are looking for a standalone Gothic horror graphic novel for your collection, you can’t go wrong with When I Arrived at the Castle. If you have not picked up Carroll’s Through the Woods, I encourage you to do that, as well. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 1, 2024 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

Fragments of Horror - Ito, Junji

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

Viz Media, 2015

ISBN: 9781540050465

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com

 

 

Junji Ito’s Fragments of Horror, consists of eight original manga horror stories published in Nemuki+ in 2014, created after a hiatus from horror. Tales have a wide range in terms of content and atmosphere.

 

In “Futon,” new wife Madoka is lamenting her husband Tomio’s strange affliction. He refuses to come out from under his futon because of strange visions. Soon, Madoka experiences her own visions. Is there something supernatural going on, or is there a more mundane explanation for the strange occurrences the couple is witnessing?

 

Megumi and her father are quite proud of their old house and accept a new boarder in “Wooden Spirit.” The young woman eventually charms her way into the family, but it isn’t Megumi’s father that is attracting her affection.

 

“Tomio: Red Turtleneck” is one of the strangest stories in this anthology. Tomio returns to his ex-girlfriend Madoka, desperate for help. He has his hands covering his ears when he arrives at her house. At first, she tells him to return to “that woman” when the story turns to three days earlier. We see Madoka breaking up with Tomio for being unfaithful with a fortune teller they consulted. He goes back to the fortuneteller who turns out to have a unique collection, and she wants to add Tomio. If he removes his hands from his head, she will surely get her new addition.

 

“Gentle Goodbye” is a touching story, a departure from Ito’s usual horror fare. Riko, who is afflicted with nightmares of her deceased father, marries Makoto Tokura, although the family disapproves of their marriage. When she sees ghosts in the familial home, Makoto explains that his family has the ability to create afterimages of family members who have passed on. Through this ability, Riko discovers the shocking secret about her own nightmares.

 

In “Dissection-chan,” a class in the dissection lab at Chuo Medical University is preparing to dissect a cadaver. When they open the body bag, however, the body within is not dead. One of the students recognizes her as a childhood friend, and when the young woman realizes who he is, she won’t leave him alone, begging him to cut her open.

 

Rescued and injured hiker Kume is taken to the hospital in “Black Bird.” When he reveals how long he was lost- for a month– nobody can believe it. Then, there is the strange woman who visits him and feeds him every night..

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“Magami Nanakuse” is a somewhat problematic story in this anthology. Kaoru Koketsu finally meets her favorite author, the titular Magami. The author is strangely obsessed with people’s nervous tics and uses them as a sort of muse for their work. They’ve gotten bored with the current run of tics their associates have and needs to find new ones. Hence the reason for Kaoru’s presence. Can Kaoru provide the ultimate tic the author is searching for? The problematic part of the story is that it is revealed the villain is a transgender woman, where the main character exclaims, “She’s a man…?” with a disgusted facial expression. It could also be a look of surprise–it really can be viewed both ways. The character is written as a fairly distasteful person. Regardless, this could have been written without the “man in a dress” stereotype.

 

In “Whispering Woman,” Mayumi cannot make decisions on her own. She requires someone to tell her what to do constantly. Mitsu Uchida has been hired as the girl’s latest attendant. Mitsu has an uncanny ability to be at Mayumi’s side at all times, despite the fact that her health is clearly being effected. Mitsu becomes frail and emaciated, but she is faithful to her charge. What would happen if Mayumi’s external voice fails?

 

Fragments of Horror isn’t my favorite Ito collection. It feels like more of an exercise or warm-up to get back into his rhythm of horror. However, I would recommend this for the Ito completist. There are a few strong chapters, such as “Tomio: Red Turtleneck”, “Gentle Goodbye”, and “Dissection-chan”, so it is worth reading. Just do not expect Ito’s best work in this volume. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on February 9, 2024 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition by Junji Ito

cover art for Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition by Junji Ito

 

Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition by Junji Ito

Viz Media, 2016

ISBN: 9781421590561

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

Femme fatale Tomie Kawakami, with long dark hair, hypnotic eyes, and a signature mole under her left eye, makes men love her, regardless of their age. She drives them to madness and sometimes murder, whether the target is a rival or herself. Dismemberment is the common treatment of her corpse, which comes with unexpected results. Her body has the ability to regenerate, multiply, and animate.

 

Chapter 1 opens with Reiko, Tomie’s classmate and best friend, discussing the titular character’s death. However, Tomie returns during the middle of a classroom lecture, much to the shock of everyone. Tomie’s death is told in a flashback. When the class heads out for a field trip, Tomie and the teacher are having a conversation where it is revealed they are involved in an affair. This turns into an argument and Tomie falls off the cliffside. The teacher and students agree to dispose of the body by dismembering and passing all 42 pieces out to everyone with instructions to dump the pieces in different places. Tomie’s heart is given to Reiko for disposal. Upon Tomie’s return, Reiko and another classmate want to turn themselves in for what happened, but the rest of the class gives chase, only to be rescued, in a way, by Tomie. At the end of the chapter, Reiko has moved and wonders about her mysterious friend. The last panel reveals a heart regenerating limbs and a face that has the same mole and telltale beauty in a cave near the beach.

 

This first chapter sets the tone for the entire manga. Ultimately, the reader is left with more questions than answers, but Ito still manages to tell a compelling story. Is Tomie a monster, or is it possible that depending on the chapter she is the reflection of humanity’s fears and obsessions? She can dig into the minds of the men she attracts, often by a mere glance. She’s often sweet to her victims (or targets} one minute, and insufferably cruel the next. Tomie is adept at gaslighting anyone she interacts with. In one chapter, a piece of her is kept in a vat in the basement of Morita Hospital. When Tomie fully regenerates, the doctor responsible for the experiment attempts to take ownership of her, which goes badly for him and those involved. In another chapter, two men are obsessed with Tomie, both convinced that their rival’s’ version is the false Tomie and needs to be murdered.

 

That is not to say that everyone that comes into Tomie’s crosshairs is an appropriate target. A young woman babysits for a deranged couple who found a swaddled baby Tomie on their property one night. The infant is obsessed with anything red, and the parents are driven to do everything they can to accommodate their new child. Another chapter, which is rather disturbing, reveals that Tomie affects the mind of a child so much that he becomes obsessed with her to the point of denying his real mother and starts calling Tomie by that title. Her tendencies to seduce men are leveled at this young boy and can be considered grooming behavior.

 

This volume is more than the story of Tomie. It is the evolution of Ito in his storytelling and his artwork. With over 700 pages, the omnibus is massive. The first installment of the Tomie series was published in 1987 and the last in 2000. Ito’s artwork and storytelling becomes more detailed over time, so the volume not only provides a great story but also a kind of archive of Ito’s work. This was not the last appearance of Tomie, as there was a series of films produced between 1998 and 2011. This was my first exposure to Tomie, which ultimately led me to the manga. These are worth a look if you are so inclined. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on February 5, 2024 by , Reply
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