SDCC 2023: JUNJI ITO RECAP

VIZ Media brought Master of Horror and four-time Eisner Award winner Junji Ito to San Diego Comic-Con International this weekend. With over 2.2 billion views on TikTok and over 10 million in global book sales, Junji Ito is one of the finest and most sought-after horror storytellers of our time. For more than 40 years, Ito’s delightfully grotesque and eccentric body of works are some of the most recognized for seamlessly weaving the unknowable into cosmic horrors that exceed the boundaries of manga.

As this year’s special guest at SDCC, VIZ Media hosted two dedicated Junji Ito panels as well as “Welcome to the Ito-verse”, the manga legend’s largest North American exhibit with over 100 pieces of art on view for fans to see up-close. Check out what happened this weekend in detail below!

PANEL: Horror at the Library: Junji Ito - Thursday, July 20th, 2023. Comic-Con Special Guest and legendary horror master Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Black Paradox) treated attendees at the San Diego Public Library with a Q&A that brought nightmares to life. 

PANEL: Welcome to the Ito-Verse: Junji Ito - Friday, July 21st, 2023. Horror manga master Junji Ito took fans into the Ito-verse as he discussed what inspires, drives, and horrifies him, all while drawing up something truly terrifying for his faithful, macabre-loving fans.

EXHIBIT: Welcome to the Ito-Verse: Junji Ito - Thursday, July 20th, 2023 - Sunday, July 23rd, 2023. VIZ Media celebrated the career of world-renowned creator Junji Ito with his largest North American exhibit to date, with over 100 works on display. Fans walked among the cosmic and the macabre and lost themselves in the Ito-verse.

Throughout these events, Junji Ito was awarded the 2023 Inkpot Award by Comic-Con International officials. Comic-Con International's Inkpot Awards are given to individuals for their contributions to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services. Fans also learned firsthand what scars the king of horror, including clowns, alleys, antique dolls, dentists, pigeons, spirals, and of course, the dark! An inside look at Ito’s artistic process then treated a faithful crowd to a LIVE drawing of Ito’s new main protagonist, Soichi.