The Beauty Vol. 1
Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley: story; Jeremy Haun, art; John Rauch, color
Image Comics, 2016
I'm late to the party with this series (fortunately it's available for free download from the library Hoopla service, and is still ongoing). The Beauty is an STD with a difference: it makes the infected physically beautiful. Fat melts away, hair returns, blemishes fad, facial features slimmed--a disease that people actually want. For a long time the only downside appeared to be a constant slight fever, but all that changes when the infected's heads start exploding. We first see it on a subway train, but when it happens on camera to a "Wake Up America" co-host the issue becomes very public.
It is a striking original premise. The cast of characters starts growing quickly: two homicide detectives on a task force dedicated to the disease (one already infected, another who contracts the disease despite knowing better); an agent from the Center for Disease Control; a Senator trying to keep the crisis under wraps; and a drug company trying to milk the disease for all of the profit they can get. Add to that a flamboyant hit man and his crew and rogue scientists trying to sidestep the FDA to get a cure out to the public before a disaster.
The action is nearly nonstop in the six issues collected here. And far more violent than one might expect in a story about a sexually transmitted disease. An exciting start to a series I plan to read more of.
Replies
I thought this had a very interesting concept. I can't remember why, but when it was over, my thought was, "That was pretty good. I don't want to read the next volume."
I was intrigued enough to go on; seems like there are many directions it could go. Probably helps that I'm reading it in collected form, for free.