The best part of the strangeness inside the town is the fact that no one knows why the events are happening. There are no explanations of why the spirals are causing such chaos, and the characters don’t even try to seek out why the events are happening in the first place.

By the end of the first volume, the spirals seem to be just a fact of life. With the repetition of spirals throughout the manga and the characters not making a break for another city as the volume closes, Uzumaki leaves the reader wondering just how much more damage can be inflicted by looping geometric imagery.

The art of Uzumaki is truly beautiful at its depicting gory scenes. There are certain scenes in the manga where that would be right at home framed in a horror exhibition. Ito does an excellent job in making the utterly impossible—like Shuichi’s father twisting his entire body into a spiral—believable in it’s own gruesome way. It helps the imaginative story become more realistic and more visceral.

Uzumaki showcases the talent of Junji Ito, one of Japan’s leading horror comics artist. Besides Uzumaki, Ito has released horror greats like Gyo and Tomie, the latter of which was turned into a live-action movie. Drawing from his inspirations, Kazuo Umezu (The Drifting Classroom), Hideshi Hino (The infamous live-action Ginuea Pig series), and H.P. Lovecraft, Ito has forged several unforgettable horror manga that garnered him the prestigious Umezu Prize for Horror. His background as a dental technician also becomes apparent in his work, especially in how he illustrates the various features of the human body.

With its chilling story and intricate artwork, it is easy to see why Uzumaki was nominated for “Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material” in the 2002 Eisner Awards. Uzumaki wraps up the whole package for a scary manga. This is one that will definitely wind up readers and send them for a loop.