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I’ve been reading webcomics onWebtoonand other sources for years now, and while I’ve gotten my fair share of Tower, Cultivation, and Isekai genre series, one that is sometimes tricky to execute is the Horror genre. That’s not to say horror webtoons don’t exist. On Tapas, especially Line Webtoon, there’s a reliable thriller and horror section for readers to discover their new digital favorites. But I’ve been enjoying one series,the horror anthologyNocturne, that should please the Junji Ito fansthanks to a black-and-white presentation and short-format storytelling.
Nocturneis written and illustrated by Fyyaa123 to conveyhorrific stories inspired by mundane occurrencesinstead of the fantastical, cosmic, or cheesy slasher horror found in many other popular stories. What setsNocturneapart is that, even though it’s a more grounded and limited approach, nearly every short story reaches shocking conclusions with frightening implications for its main characters.
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Nocturne Is the Perfect Webtoon for Junji Ito Fans
From Nightmares to the Page
I’ll always happily mention that I had the privilege of visiting a special gallery event where I met Junji Ito himself. Seeing his original art on display was fascinating. It was exciting to see just how sweet and goofy his real personality is, and it makes sense given the lighter tones for his original characters like Soichi inTeacher of Cloth. Finding Fyyaa123, or simplyFyyaa on X, I’m reminded that much like the creator,Nocturneas a series doesn’t take itself too seriously, appreciating the horrific imagery while still finding time to poke fun at it.
Such is the case forNocturne, not just in the creator’s presentation but in how readers react.Webtoon brilliantly markets itselfandsucceeds because its community is vibrant and eager to contribute their opinions about the stories they love. InNocturne’ssecond story,Samuel, which arguably is one of the most recognizable images conjured by the series, its titular character is an uncanny terror with the same facial expression in practically every panel, yet people poke fun at it, experiencing and making similar remarks on even the darkest stories.
Horror Webtoons Like Nocturne Can Be Therapeutic
Coming to Terms With Our Fears
While it’s a popular sentiment, it bears reiterating that horror is a great medium for coming to terms with and even overcoming what scares us as readers.Nocturnedoes this every Friday on Webtoon as it has entered its second season. It’s not even the typical classic sources of fear like the darkness, the unknown, or other predictable topics, but things like the fear of missing out like inThe Itch, or the fear of losing one’s identity and memories like inTarget Audience.Not everyone experiences these fears, but every story is for someone inNocturne.
The result is a tailored horror webtoon experience where different readers can name their favorite stories. I feel this to a certain extent with the especially short stories inNocturne,likePull,conveying an abstract, irrational fear that if we spot an imperfection and attempt to remove it, we suddenly unravel as if we’re tugging at a sweater’s loose thread. This is the kind of troublesome imagery that I’ve always internalized concerning simple things like pulling at a hangnail. However, to see it articulated inNocturneas a short-format horror webtoon is something only artists like Junji Ito would have previously captured.
Nocturne Is a Great Example of Webtoon’s Vibrant Community
Never Skip the Comment Section
Even the most squeamish reader will benefit from a comment section breaking the tension.
Everybody’s a comedian, cooking up one-liners below even thebest horror manhwaon Webtoon. But the way it integrates comments into something I can scroll past while you transition directly to the next chapter is perfect, as even if I’m crept out by the latest chapter, I see others' experiences and even pick up points I have otherwise missed.It makes it easier for me to recommend webtoons likeNocturneto my friends, whether they’ve read work by Junji Ito or other horror creators. Even the most squeamish reader will benefit from a comment section breaking the tension.
Webtoon’s comment section is a strong example of how active and passionate the reader base is.Other fantastic comic reader apps, such as VIZ Manga or Shonen Jump, don’t have the same level of integration, with comments being entirely missable in many cases unless read on a browser. The comments for even a horror webtoon likeNocturnecan often be mocking chapters like saying, “me chilling with my sleep paralysis demon”, whileother users relish explaining what just happened for more abstract moments.
There’s a Flavor of Horror for Everyone in Nocturne
Everybody Can Have a Different Favorite Story
I’m a big fan of body horror, a subgenre of horror that explores grotesque transformations of flesh, predominantly human, for viewer discomfort, symbolic imagery, or evenunintentional social commentary like in David Cronenberg’sThe Fly.Body horror is present inNocturneandoccasionally pops up through other Webtoon series,but it’s also not the main medium through which Fyyaa tells stories.There is body horror inWorm!,uncanny horror like inBreak Room,or even Lovecraftian horror like inSennight, all short stories inNocturne, all excellent.
Commentary can also be found inNocturne, such as withThe Itch,which mocks harmful social media challenges in real life, such as the #A4Waist or the Blackout challenge.
This is especially nice because I enjoy these different experiences, although other readers may only enjoy certain ones, resulting in different favorite horror stories for this webtoon. Whereas one might have to check in weekly for new psychological horror inDon’t Read Thisor be crept out by the uncanny valley effect inThere Are No Demons,Nocturnemakes it so readers from practically any horror fandom will find something to read.It can potentially introduce readers to different subgenres they’d previously not experienced.
