Junji Ito is undisputedly the current king of the manga horror genre. While the bulk of manga sales in the States tend to be Shonen, he’s not only managed to carve out a sizeable piece of the pie over time, he’s pulled off the impressive feat of crossing boundaries and picking up non-manga readers along the way. And now, after decades of being published in the States, at long last comes a much overdo art book. It is called The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions and it is as beautiful as it is terrifying.

In the late '90s, Junji Ito originally got his start in the States in the experimental manga magazine Pulp. Since then, he’s been gathering fans, but has truly broken through to the masses in the last few years. With a number of his manga in print, his art can be seen on hats, T-shirts, bags, buttons all over the place. And not just worn by manga fans, his iconic imagery has found its way into the fashion world being worn by trendy folks, many of which probably don’t know his name.

Like all great mangaka, his art is instantly recognizable and his imagery utterly unforgettable. From his depictions of doll-like beautiful women with jet black hair, porcelain skin with lifeless eyes to his haunted protagonists with gaunt cheeks, dark circles under their eyes on the brink of insanity. And his monsters, oh, his monsters. A menagerie of madness, some with humanoid forms others devolved into shambling monstrosities barely recognizable as ever being human.

But there is beauty in the macabre and in his body of work. For he is truly a master and while he is making scary comics that any fan of horror can enjoy, he is also making art. Art that has, and will stand the test of time. Art that you can experience yourself in this magnificent hardcover book that includes over 130 images from his hits to rare works. Plus and interview and commentary on each piece of art.

Learn more about The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions by Junji Ito here.