The Beauty Issue 3 (Review)

For the unfamiliar, The Beauty is a fairly new title from Image. It covers a series of mysterious deaths that occur in the wake of a new STI epidemic known colloquially as “The Beauty”, because it transforms all infected into paragons of physical perfection.

At the start of this issue, Detectives Foster and Vaughn are under fire from some shady group that wants them to stay quiet- they know the deaths are linked to The Beauty and they have a vested interest in figuring out what’s really going on, since they are also infected.

A senator, CDC agent, and one frightening individual known only as Mr. Calaveras are after the detectives, but another group that wants everyone to be “Beauty Free” seems to be on the detectives’ side. They want Foster and Vaughn to use their connections to spread the word about the danger of Beauty.

The entire idea of Beauty has captivated readers from Issue 1. Would you seek out an illness that ate away body fat, cleared up your skin, and made you closer to the classic idea of beauty? Many of Beauty’s readers have posted selfies with the tag #BEAUTYFREE. A collage of these posts were actually included at the end of this issue. It’s comforting to think that so many people would choose their natural selves in favor of an outdated ideal- even taking the method of transmission into consideration, it certainly is a temptation to think you could be your ideal self with no effort at all.

Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley developed the story together, and while Beauty has had some interesting twists in its first few issues, tension is beginning to build in this issue with the introduction of the underground activist group and the mysterious, dangerous Mr. Calaveras- not to mention the foreshadowing of an outspoken Beauty-positive TV personality to be introduced in upcoming issues.

One thing that you might not see is a lot of discussion of the actual titular disease; the conflict centers more on government cover ups and the ethics of decisions made by the pharmaceutical industry. However, these also become more intricate when the patient comes into consideration- if they want to be infected, what’s the point of creating a cure?

Haun also provides the art for this issue. He makes a subtle but definitely noticeable difference between characters infected with Beauty and the Beauty-free. Despite the modern setting, Haun manages to create a distinctly noir feel, especially with his villains.

Despite the slow build, the series definitely has its readers hooked. If you’re into mysteries, this one is well-built and has the hallmarks of a satisfying payoff waiting in the wings.