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The Beauty (Issues) #1
The Beauty #1
THE PILOT SEASON WINNER RETURNS! Modern society is obsessed with outward beauty. What if there was a way to guarantee you could become more and more beautiful every day? What if it was a sexually transmitted disease? In the world of The Beauty, physical perfection is attainable. The vast majority of the population has taken advantage of it, but Detectives Foster and Vaughn will soon discover it comes at a terrible price. Writer/artist JEREMY HAUN (Constantine, Batwoman) and co-writer JASON A. HURLEY offer up a startling reflection on the cost of looking good in this procedural science fiction tale.
Unknown Binding
First published August 12, 2015
About the author
Jeremy Haun
306 books88 followersJeremy Haun is a freelance comic book artist. Beginning in 2002, Haun worked for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Oni Press, Devil's Due Publishing, Top Cow, and Marvel Comics. Since 2008, he has worked for DC Comics. He is best known for his work on Berserker and Battle Hymn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
December 27, 2016
The artwork was gorgeous. I mean, it’s about beautiful people, the artwork has to be gorgeous.
The horror was great, but it wasn’t enough to keep me there. Blood and pretty people don’t make a story if nothing really happens. This is something that a great deal of visual producers are having trouble grasping nowadays, and something we’re seeing more commonly in movies. Sure, there was a plot, but it was hard to catch because it went by so quickly. I’m sure that if it had been more prolonged, it would have been extremely intriguing. There would have been a chance for tension or to at least make us connect with the characters a little bit more.
From the get go, we just get thrust into the middle of it without a great deal of explanation. We get introduced to so many people’s lives that it’s hard to begin to feel ANYTHING for any of the characters. It was almost like competition. She has a wife and kids! He has a wife! Who will you choose?! Suffice to say, I chose neither.
There is the point that there is a lesbian couple within the story, which was quite inclusive. Although as I said earlier, we didn’t really get to feel for any of them. There was an attempt to discuss how this one character isn't really all that bad, and that they have some good sides to them, but that kind of fell flat as well. There simply wasn’t any reason for her to go good. Was it because her ego was scorned? Was it because she realised her family was more important? I have absolutely no idea, and if you read this book, there’s a 95% chance that you wont either.
The horror was great, but it wasn’t enough to keep me there. Blood and pretty people don’t make a story if nothing really happens. This is something that a great deal of visual producers are having trouble grasping nowadays, and something we’re seeing more commonly in movies. Sure, there was a plot, but it was hard to catch because it went by so quickly. I’m sure that if it had been more prolonged, it would have been extremely intriguing. There would have been a chance for tension or to at least make us connect with the characters a little bit more.
From the get go, we just get thrust into the middle of it without a great deal of explanation. We get introduced to so many people’s lives that it’s hard to begin to feel ANYTHING for any of the characters. It was almost like competition. She has a wife and kids! He has a wife! Who will you choose?! Suffice to say, I chose neither.
There is the point that there is a lesbian couple within the story, which was quite inclusive. Although as I said earlier, we didn’t really get to feel for any of them. There was an attempt to discuss how this one character isn't really all that bad, and that they have some good sides to them, but that kind of fell flat as well. There simply wasn’t any reason for her to go good. Was it because her ego was scorned? Was it because she realised her family was more important? I have absolutely no idea, and if you read this book, there’s a 95% chance that you wont either.
September 3, 2017
Rereading this 🔥
September 3, 2015
Whoa. So impressed right now.
If you're looking to spice up your comic book collection, buy The Beauty. It's worth every penny.
If you're looking to spice up your comic book collection, buy The Beauty. It's worth every penny.
March 5, 2016
Finally taking the plunge and giving some GA a try. Even got a Kindle Fire for just that reason. I found the art absolutely haunting and beautiful in this one. Story kept me interested enough to want to move right on to the next.
November 27, 2017
L'idea non è male, "la bellezza" è una malattia sessualmente trasmissibile. Il lato positivo della cosa è sufficiente farsi contagiare per diventare "bellissimi", quello negativo è sviluppare una febbre molto alta e in alcuni casi... morire per combustione interna. I protagonisti indagano sulle morti causate da tale malattia.
Il primo spillato però non da grandi elementi per dire di più nè mi ha convinto a continuare con la lettura della serie.
[2.5 Arrotondato per eccesso].
Il primo spillato però non da grandi elementi per dire di più nè mi ha convinto a continuare con la lettura della serie.
[2.5 Arrotondato per eccesso].
July 7, 2017
i liked the art in this but i found the concept to be really weird??
July 26, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this; it was a weird concept, an STD that suddenly makes you beautiful, but it was pretty well done. There probably could have been a little more "horror" in here, but all in all a fun read with a weird and interesting concept.
September 13, 2015
This is a very interesting new book where we are dealing with a new world. A few years before, a new STD was discovered called The Beauty. However, unlike other STD's, this was one that people wanted to get as those who got it found themselves quickly looking their best, great skin, slim, full hair, the works. The only known draw back is that you constantly ran a low fever.
Many people contracted the disease on accident, but as the numbers grew, more and more contracted it on purpose so they could be useful. At this point nearly 50% of society has it. However, not everyone thinks it is great. There is a small, but passionate group of people who are fighting back against its spread, even going so far as kill those with it on occassion.
However, as the story starts, a woman on the train erupts flames from her mouth and eyes. She had The Beauty. While The Beauty task force investigates, they are interrupted by the CDC, who takes over the scene. This leads them into believing that the federal government knows more about what is going on with the disease than they are letting on.
The main question here of whether you would purposefully contract the disease without knowing much about it apart from it making you beautiful is an interesting one. Some of the main characters are ones who contracted it naturally, so it will be interesting to see how their views on its expansion and those who are actively seeking it out are formed and change through the book.
The art here is really nice and reminds me a bit of another book I am really enjoying, Revival.
I think this is supposed to be a mini-series, so we should see the story unfolding quickly. I have no idea where they will be going from here, but I like where their head is and I am very optimistic that they are onto something really good here.
Many people contracted the disease on accident, but as the numbers grew, more and more contracted it on purpose so they could be useful. At this point nearly 50% of society has it. However, not everyone thinks it is great. There is a small, but passionate group of people who are fighting back against its spread, even going so far as kill those with it on occassion.
However, as the story starts, a woman on the train erupts flames from her mouth and eyes. She had The Beauty. While The Beauty task force investigates, they are interrupted by the CDC, who takes over the scene. This leads them into believing that the federal government knows more about what is going on with the disease than they are letting on.
The main question here of whether you would purposefully contract the disease without knowing much about it apart from it making you beautiful is an interesting one. Some of the main characters are ones who contracted it naturally, so it will be interesting to see how their views on its expansion and those who are actively seeking it out are formed and change through the book.
The art here is really nice and reminds me a bit of another book I am really enjoying, Revival.
I think this is supposed to be a mini-series, so we should see the story unfolding quickly. I have no idea where they will be going from here, but I like where their head is and I am very optimistic that they are onto something really good here.
August 25, 2015
Basically, there's a new STD that makes people look "beautiful", and now half the world wants it. Evidence is coming up that there's at least one really negative side-effect and the government wants to cover it up.
Awesome. Just awesome. Such an interesting premise, and it's executed excellently. The art is good, and the writing is fantastic. Just read it.
Awesome. Just awesome. Such an interesting premise, and it's executed excellently. The art is good, and the writing is fantastic. Just read it.
May 20, 2018
I don’t even know how to describe this. This is horrifying, and terrible, and amazing. The art is very good, the writing is superb.
I am not into horror, but this blend of sci-fi, dystopia, horror and mystery is too good and I want to read it all!!!
I am not into horror, but this blend of sci-fi, dystopia, horror and mystery is too good and I want to read it all!!!
August 18, 2015
I predicted the ending of this first comic, however it didn't take away from the appeal of the story, and it's nice to read something a little original once in awhile.
September 8, 2015
Me parece muy interesante el concepto que tienen de la enfermedad. Espero seguirlo pronto.
December 20, 2015
Beautiful artwork and intriguing story. I'm going to continue reading for sure.
December 30, 2015
I LOVE THIS SERIES!
Please see my review for #1 - 4 here:
https://bookswithb.wordpress.com/2015...
Please see my review for #1 - 4 here:
https://bookswithb.wordpress.com/2015...
June 30, 2016
Review crossposted from my book review blog.
The concept of this story is immediately intriguing. As soon as I started reading and saw the setup of the world, questions and possibilities and theories started running through my head. In this world, there’s an STD called the Beauty because when people catch it, it makes them beautiful. At the time this story starts, half of the U.S. population has it. Already, there has been a lot of division. Most of the people who have the Beauty went out and caught it intentionally. Other people strongly reject it and all those who endorse it (to the point that there are anti-Beauty terrorists). But what they don’t know (until the story starts) is that eventually, the Beauty causes those it infects to spontaneously combust.
So one interesting thing to me is, right there, that could dramatically alter what beauty means. Generally speaking, humans consider a lot of things beautiful because it indicates health, fertility, the ability to provide, care for, and protect, etc. But if those same things suddenly became marks of sickness and imminent death, suddenly everything would change. (That line of thought isn’t something that was explored in this story, at least not in the first volume.) In this story, you can already see the social awkwardness that can come from catching this disease. It starts taking effect pretty much immediately, so one day you’re normal looking, the next day you walk into work beautiful, and everyone knows that you’ve caught an STD, and depending on who you are and what your lifestyle is like, they’re just bursting with unasked questions that you can see in their eyes. Unless you’re one of those who went out to get it intentionally, it’s embarrassing, and it’s not something you can hide. It’s right there, plain to everyone.
It’s a fascinating concept, for sure. But that’s not all that the characters in this story face. They’ve obviously got the whole exploding people thing to deal with, as well as trying to find a cure (and all the political machinations that there are around that), and to top it off there’s a psycho killer on the loose (even though he’s not really on any law enforcement radar, so no one’s actively trying to stop him).
The story was interesting, though this volume was only the first part. I’m definitely curious to see how it goes. The main characters were engaging enough, considering this is a horror story and not a character-centric story. A lot of people died, which started making me a little hesitant to let myself get too drawn into any of the characters’ personal stories, if they’re just going to die. (I’ve found this to be true of other similar Image Comics titles as well.) They definitely put the graphic in graphic novel here. There’s a good amount of blood and gore—though not so much that I found it off-putting. There’s explicit nudity, but so far it always serves the story and isn’t what I’d call gratuitous. It’s definitely a story meant for adults, but I didn’t think it went overboard with any of the “adult” elements.
One thing I did find weird was the disproportionate number of homosexuals. Of the romantic/sexual relationships or encounters in this book, one was straight while three were gay. (I’m not counting the psycho and his prostitutes, since I don’t think he actually had sex with them—and anyway, he didn’t seem to have a preference for one gender over the other; I am counting an implied relationship mentioned by another character, which may have been intended as friendship but in context I don’t think it was). That’s an extremely disproportionate number of gays for a story not set in a specific culture/world where that’s the norm. It felt like the story was reaching so far for “representation” that they overcorrected into some weird supergay fantasy realm.
The art in this book is very good. Clean lines, realistic style. The art style is definitely to my taste. One thing that’s really cool is that people are given distinct and realistic looks. Given the story, it wouldn’t have been okay for everyone to look generically beautiful (as you get with most comics). There needed to be a clear, instantly-seen visual difference between the Beautys (those infected with the disease) and the rest of people. There are several people in the story who are just perfectly normal looking, which is great. In comics, usually everyone is either generically beautiful or exaggeratedly unattractive. But in this one, there’s a whole range. The beautiful people are all slim and fit their gender’s supposed ideal body type, but others are fat, thin, or somewhere in the middle like the way people in real life actually are. And the art is consistent enough that a character looks like that character in every panel they appear in. Perhaps most important, the art is realistic and nuanced enough that when a normal-looking (even attractive) character suddenly becomes a Beauty, the art portrays this change well enough that you instantly see it and grasp the significance of the change.
I got this book initially through NetGalley, but then I ran out of time to read it but it still looked interesting, so I got the paperback from Amazon for less than $7, which is a great price for a graphic novel.
I’d highly recommend this book to fans of stories like Saga and Rat Queens, because this has a very similar vibe and style. I’ll probably look out for the next graphic novels in this series as they come out and hope they don’t cross the line into being too graphic for me.
The concept of this story is immediately intriguing. As soon as I started reading and saw the setup of the world, questions and possibilities and theories started running through my head. In this world, there’s an STD called the Beauty because when people catch it, it makes them beautiful. At the time this story starts, half of the U.S. population has it. Already, there has been a lot of division. Most of the people who have the Beauty went out and caught it intentionally. Other people strongly reject it and all those who endorse it (to the point that there are anti-Beauty terrorists). But what they don’t know (until the story starts) is that eventually, the Beauty causes those it infects to spontaneously combust.
So one interesting thing to me is, right there, that could dramatically alter what beauty means. Generally speaking, humans consider a lot of things beautiful because it indicates health, fertility, the ability to provide, care for, and protect, etc. But if those same things suddenly became marks of sickness and imminent death, suddenly everything would change. (That line of thought isn’t something that was explored in this story, at least not in the first volume.) In this story, you can already see the social awkwardness that can come from catching this disease. It starts taking effect pretty much immediately, so one day you’re normal looking, the next day you walk into work beautiful, and everyone knows that you’ve caught an STD, and depending on who you are and what your lifestyle is like, they’re just bursting with unasked questions that you can see in their eyes. Unless you’re one of those who went out to get it intentionally, it’s embarrassing, and it’s not something you can hide. It’s right there, plain to everyone.
It’s a fascinating concept, for sure. But that’s not all that the characters in this story face. They’ve obviously got the whole exploding people thing to deal with, as well as trying to find a cure (and all the political machinations that there are around that), and to top it off there’s a psycho killer on the loose (even though he’s not really on any law enforcement radar, so no one’s actively trying to stop him).
The story was interesting, though this volume was only the first part. I’m definitely curious to see how it goes. The main characters were engaging enough, considering this is a horror story and not a character-centric story. A lot of people died, which started making me a little hesitant to let myself get too drawn into any of the characters’ personal stories, if they’re just going to die. (I’ve found this to be true of other similar Image Comics titles as well.) They definitely put the graphic in graphic novel here. There’s a good amount of blood and gore—though not so much that I found it off-putting. There’s explicit nudity, but so far it always serves the story and isn’t what I’d call gratuitous. It’s definitely a story meant for adults, but I didn’t think it went overboard with any of the “adult” elements.
One thing I did find weird was the disproportionate number of homosexuals. Of the romantic/sexual relationships or encounters in this book, one was straight while three were gay. (I’m not counting the psycho and his prostitutes, since I don’t think he actually had sex with them—and anyway, he didn’t seem to have a preference for one gender over the other; I am counting an implied relationship mentioned by another character, which may have been intended as friendship but in context I don’t think it was). That’s an extremely disproportionate number of gays for a story not set in a specific culture/world where that’s the norm. It felt like the story was reaching so far for “representation” that they overcorrected into some weird supergay fantasy realm.
The art in this book is very good. Clean lines, realistic style. The art style is definitely to my taste. One thing that’s really cool is that people are given distinct and realistic looks. Given the story, it wouldn’t have been okay for everyone to look generically beautiful (as you get with most comics). There needed to be a clear, instantly-seen visual difference between the Beautys (those infected with the disease) and the rest of people. There are several people in the story who are just perfectly normal looking, which is great. In comics, usually everyone is either generically beautiful or exaggeratedly unattractive. But in this one, there’s a whole range. The beautiful people are all slim and fit their gender’s supposed ideal body type, but others are fat, thin, or somewhere in the middle like the way people in real life actually are. And the art is consistent enough that a character looks like that character in every panel they appear in. Perhaps most important, the art is realistic and nuanced enough that when a normal-looking (even attractive) character suddenly becomes a Beauty, the art portrays this change well enough that you instantly see it and grasp the significance of the change.
I got this book initially through NetGalley, but then I ran out of time to read it but it still looked interesting, so I got the paperback from Amazon for less than $7, which is a great price for a graphic novel.
I’d highly recommend this book to fans of stories like Saga and Rat Queens, because this has a very similar vibe and style. I’ll probably look out for the next graphic novels in this series as they come out and hope they don’t cross the line into being too graphic for me.
December 12, 2019
I finished this a few days ago, but I don’t really remember any details that stood out. I barely even recall how anything got resolved. It’s an interesting premise — beauty is a STD that’s starting to kill people, and big pharma wants to halt the cure in order to sell pills to manage the symptoms — but it didn’t stick with me. I didn’t feel like I got to know any of the characters, and the storyline wrapped up quickly.
November 14, 2022
This might be a near perfect graphic novel?? An STD that makes you more beautiful by the day but will leave you burning in more than just your dangly bits. The art is beautiful (a huge departure from most graphic novel, IYKYK), striking, story was fast-paced & engaging, the blood/gore was on point, & no lulls in the action. My only complaint was that it was such a short series, I want more! A nice little horror tryst with some social jabs thrown in, a very pleasant surprise indeed.
October 8, 2018
I love the cover and the artwork so much, they're perfect.
The idea of the comic is unique, a good disease and potential bio-threat and all that. Plus the detectives and the whole crime stuff to come.. this is exactly what I needed.
The idea of the comic is unique, a good disease and potential bio-threat and all that. Plus the detectives and the whole crime stuff to come.. this is exactly what I needed.
August 13, 2019
An STD makes people become physically beautiful with minimal side-effects so that it becomes a fad to get sick...until apparently the sickness starts causing people to internally combust. Kind of an intriguing premise. Good enough at least to make me kind of want to read more.
June 12, 2020
A weird plague is being spread std style.
Good color artwork,image freebie. A group is investigating beauty, the new std. Is beauty turning into something truly dangerous? How much does the government know.
Good color artwork,image freebie. A group is investigating beauty, the new std. Is beauty turning into something truly dangerous? How much does the government know.
February 12, 2017
A fairly enjoyable first volume. This series has a lot of potential.
December 28, 2018
Interesante, pero raro.
October 3, 2019
the premise is interesting. this issue was just ok, but i hope it gets better.
May 3, 2021
Very pretty covers
October 23, 2022
Was a good story. Just wished that it was longer.
November 1, 2025
Great start
January 2, 2026
I'm reading the back issues of Beauty because of the anticipated release of the upcoming TV
series. I love a good murder mystery and so far I have not been disappointed.
series. I love a good murder mystery and so far I have not been disappointed.
June 7, 2020
An STD that can make you beautiful but can also make you explode, is the price of beauty worth it.
This premise is awesome, it starts off with everyone wanting it, because it makes you beautiful. It's only recently that someone exploded, so the cause of that is unknown. It's up to two detectives to uncover what caused it, is it the STD or is someone targeting them.
This premise is awesome, it starts off with everyone wanting it, because it makes you beautiful. It's only recently that someone exploded, so the cause of that is unknown. It's up to two detectives to uncover what caused it, is it the STD or is someone targeting them.
September 1, 2015
My good friend, Alex, who introduced me to comic books last year, not only recommended this comic to me but handed it over on Friday so I could read. I don't know about you but someone who lets you borrow their books/comic books is a friend you want to have!! I don't let anyone borrow my books. In fact I only let three people borrow my books my FFL Sarah, my sister, Cristella, and now Alex. Mind you, I only let my sister borrow my books because she is my sister or she would never get a hold of them. Anyways, I digress, this comic book BLEW ME AWAY!! (Yes, I'm screaming!) I loved it from beginning to end and I can't wait to read more. I mean, a special type of CSI team that deals with an STD virus consuming the U.S. This story beautifully combines detective work with a splash of sci-fi. Yes, please! I can't believe I'm the first to leave a review for this amazing work. Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, and John Rauch I salute you! Thank you for making my new found love of reading comics an EPIC event. I still can't believe I've missed out on such greatness.
April 2, 2016
*Special Thanks to Hunger for Knowledge @Booklikes whose gift card I used to buy these five issues*
**review for issues 1-5**
This is a fantastic set of series. We are in a dystopian world where there is an STD taking over: Beauty. Yep, you can catch it and be gorgeous. So, where is the harm in that you might ask? Well, there is a reason this is a disease: after some time, you will overheat and explode. So, still think you want to be beautiful?
The illustrations were gorgeous and this is the first graphic novels I read in digital form. The last issue is supposed to come out by the end of this month! Can't wait!
**review for issues 1-5**
This is a fantastic set of series. We are in a dystopian world where there is an STD taking over: Beauty. Yep, you can catch it and be gorgeous. So, where is the harm in that you might ask? Well, there is a reason this is a disease: after some time, you will overheat and explode. So, still think you want to be beautiful?
The illustrations were gorgeous and this is the first graphic novels I read in digital form. The last issue is supposed to come out by the end of this month! Can't wait!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews