The Beauty: Volume 1 by Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley, art by Jeremy Haun

Image Comics, 2016

ISBN: 9781632155504

Available: print, Kindle & comixology ebook

The Beauty proposes a few questions. With society’s obsession with external outward beauty, what if there was a way to guarantee someone could become more attractive? What if the way to accomplish such beauty was through a sexually transmitted disease? In the world of Beauty, most of the population has taken advantage of the STD. Why not? After all, the only known side effects are increased hunger, a low-grade fever, and the benefit of being drop dead gorgeous. Detectives Vaughn and Foster discover the less than appealing side effect: the “drop dead” part is literal.  As the detectives start getting closer to solving the mystery, the danger to their lives increases. Certain parties attempt to launch a cover-up, but newly-infected Detective Foster isn’t having any of it. After a heavily publicized press conference announcement goes wrong, he’s got a shiny new target on his back.

The Beauty reads like a typical noir crime novel at times, but the story is compelling and unique. I thought there would be more of a focus on the people who voluntarily contract the disease rather than on the law enforcement angle, but it still made for a decent exploration of what happens when a disease that has been around for a few years starts exhibiting deadly consequences. I think it helps that the artwork is fantastic. This is not a story for children; violence, sex, and death are shown in detail, thanks to the magnificent art. Recommended.

Volume 1 collections issues #1-6.

Contains: blood, exploding bodies, body horror, nudity, violent content

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker