BLOG TOUR: Strange Pictures

 

STRANGE PICTURES Vol. 1
by Uketsu, illustrated by Kikou Aiba
Available July 14

Not long ago, I got a big brown envelope from my friends at Titan Manga. The envelope contained the first volume of Strange Pictures, a manga adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, and five... well... strange pictures. The seemingly innocent artwork already had a somewhat uncanny feel to it, but that feeling just increased once I'd sat down to the manga volume itself.

I'll admit, I'm not familiar with Uketsu's original novel. This is my first exposure to it. I'm aware that Uketsu is a well-regarded YouTuber and writer, but that's about it. Having now read this first volume, I completely get why.

Strange Pictures starts with a psychological analysis of a child's drawing, but quickly moves on to a different set of pictures. These are discovered on a pseudonymous man's blog, apparently drawn by his pregnant wife and (by her reckoning) meant to be images of what the unborn child will look like at different ages. However, the blog has a gap of several years, followed by an unnaturally vehement declaration concerning the wife's crimes.

Some out-of-the-box thinking and careful analysis turns these images into a shocking prediction. But just as quickly as the case is solved, we're on to a new one: one that will have to be addressed further in Volume 2. But already there are similarities between these two stories: a deceased parent, an odd drawing, and a gap of three years.

This more visual form is an excellent way to discover Strange Pictures. The solution unfolds itself eventually, but clues are scattered in such a way that the reader has a little time to try and crack the case themselves. If you're a lover of horror, mysteries, and "puzzle box" books, Strange Pictures will draw you in.

Thanks to Titan Manga for sending along a copy of Strange Pictures Vol. 1 for my perusal!