Junji Ito is a name synonymous with horror manga. Much like Stephen King is with horror novels, it is virtually impossible to separate 
Junji Ito from the genre he helped revolutionize. When a creator becomes synonymous with a genre, they are bound to attract their fair share of imitators, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What separates an homage to the original from merely a ride on the creator’s coattails is how the artist/writer creates their own unique spin on what came before. Luckily, Antoine Revoy avoids falling into the trap of being merely an Ito imitator with The Harrowing Game, a book Revoy has both illustrated and written.
This game has gone on for thousands of years. Three ghosts gather together in a room to tell scary stories. The one with the scariest story wins and gets the chance to move on, possibly letting their soul transcend. Tonight’s contestants are a girl with no memory of who she is, an old lady trapped in a mirror, and a small boy in a bathtub. The stories they tell will take the reader from the lands of ancient Egypt to an art school in New England, and these stories are designed to terrify beings that are already dead. However, there is also a ravenous entity who delights in corrupting the innocent, whose presence can be felt throughout these stories, and who may have its own plans for the storytellers.
Ito’s influence might be all over this book, but Revoy does manage to tell an intriguing story without being derivative. The ghosts themselves, who are revealed by Revoy as the book progresses, have backstories beyond just being ghosts trapped in a bathroom. Also, the book’s anthology format exposes readers to a variety of stories, giving them the opportunity to find a story that will satisfy, while allowing Revoy a chance to experiment with different kinds of stories. However, the stories are not only united by one narrative thread; they are all united by themes like hunger, desire, and being very careful what you wish for.
Where Ito’s influence is most keenly felt within this book is in the art style. Utilizing a black and white manga artstyle similar to Ito’s, the book’s panels are relatively large and full of action, making the overall narrative move at a surprisingly fast clip. While Revoy doesn’t create the mindbending images that Ito is most known for, he does create his share of eye-catching images that will at least unsettle the reader. Ultimately, Revoy may fail to perfectly capture Ito’s beautifully horrifying imagery and style, but the interconnected story/narrative helps the book become something more than merely Ito Lite.
The book is just enough Ito to earn its stop in a library’s adult graphic novel collection. For librarians responsible for these collections, and those still wondering whether Revoy’s The Harrowing Game is imitation or imagination, adult patrons who are fans of Ito, horror manga, or simply horror graphic novels might be the best judges. This book also happens to be ideal for those who love short story collections like Tales from the Crypt and Jay Stephens’ Dwellings.
The Harrowing Game
By Antoine Revoy
23rd Street, 2025
ISBN: 9781250248329
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Creator Representation:Â French,
