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Fashion Beast #1-10
Fashion Beast
Il 1985 è stato un anno cruciale per Alan Moore: era al lavoro su Swamp Thing e V for Vendetta quando su proposta di Malcolm McLaren, il manager dei Sex Pistols, accettò di scrivere una sceneggiatura per un film ispirato a La Bella e la Bestia. Fashion Beast non venne mai girato e, a quasi trent’anni di distanza, Anthony Johnston e Facundo Percio ne realizzano una versione a fumetti sotto la supervisione dello stesso Moore. La storia del gender bender Doll, proiettato all’improvviso nel crudele mondo della moda, è un nuovo piccolo capolavoro a fumetti.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2013
13 people are currently reading
1074 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,578 books21.7k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
July 13, 2016
An odd tale with a secret message.
MY OWN JOURNEY ABOUT ALAN MOORE
I was really excited when I knew about this incoming new comic book series by the master Alan Moore.
I am an insanely huge fan of Alan Moore's work.
And I've had the wonderful luck of reading many of his work and I think most of his relevant work:
V for Vendetta (my personal favorite), Watchmen, Marvelman aka Miracleman, Top 10, Tom Strong, Promethea, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, Swamp Thing, The Killing Joke, Whatever Happened with the Man of Tomorrow, For the Man who has Everything, along with some of Tomorrow Stories and even some issues from his run on Vigilante and Green Lantern Corps.
Even I have read some books analyzing his works too.
Why did I mention all those?
Well, I thought that it's important since Fashion Beast isn't what everybody thinks it is.
MY OWN THEORY ABOUT WHAT THIS IS
Fashion Beast isn't a retelling of Beauty and the Beast using the world of fashion in a post-apocalyptical ambiance.
That would be the easy answer. The obvious angle.
And Alan Moore isn't easy or obvious.
All that, it's a cover, a mirage, something to hide his real intentions with this book series.
And it's even more impressive taking in account that the idea of the series was conceived many time ago, along with the collaboration with the late Malcolm McLaren.
Fashion Beast is the testament and last will of Alan Moore.
MY OWN RECOMMENDATION OF HOW TO READ THIS
I bought this series in single issues and I was so excited about reading something fresh new by Alan Moore that I started to read each single issue comic book when they werre coming out.
THAT was a mistake.
I have to tell you that when I reach issue #7, I was like...
...What the heck is this comic book series?
What is he trying to construct here?
Is the story going anywhere?
If I am already in the issue #7 and this is a 10-part series...
...when the story would really to carburize?
I was totally clueless.
I was enjoying the reading fair enough, due his mastering of words and the great artistic direction by Facundo Percio.
HOWEVER, I hadn't the faintest idea of what was this comic book series.
So,...
...I decided to keep buying the remaining three issues, but waiting to read them until have them all, and reading the whole series again and to avoid keeping guessing the meaning of the project.
I'm happy of deciding to do that.
If you read the single issues separately, it's very likely that you will be as clueless as I was at first. Read them when you have them all (and if you read it in the TPB edition, you won't struggle at all).
MY OWN DECODING OF THE SERIES
Once I got the remaining three issues, completing the run, I RE-READ the whole series.
And that it was...
MAGIC.
It was like opening the secret codes that Moore left in the issues.
Then, I understood what Alan Moore wanted to tell in this comic book series.
If you change all that stuff about fashion and clothes and you think in the context of comic books...
...Bam! Pow! Kapow! Tomá guacho!
Your eyes are now open and you are reading the opinion of Alan Moore about his own legacy in the comic book industry and how it has been managed with him AND without him.
You can read how good he is aware of how the rest of the world thinks about him and his personal obsessions.
Also, you perceive that he is tired BUT he knows that the work must continue, comic books must keep going out and he has no troubles of somebody not only takes over his work but even "destroy" completely and re-invent it all over again.
That is his statement since after all, that's what he did with the comic book industry with some of his earlier works (in America) like Watchmen and Swamp Thing.
He "destroyed" what has been done before and he re-invented the comic book industry.
He speaks out about how his works were being "re-doing" many times with different names but basically the same formula.
Also, he isn't afraid to show how the comic book industry "killed" him and now that same comic book industry is unable to access to new material, so the comic book industry went back to search on his unused ideas and drafts and marketing, as "something new" to make profit of that.
Even you can see his desire of a worthy sucessor but not a clone but somebody with fresh brand new ideas to shake again the comic book industry, in a totally different way like he did it, but...
...in there, you have a warning, to avoid to commit the same "mistakes" that he did or becoming just another like him.
Alan Moore doesn't want another "Alan Moore", no, no, it's the least thing that he wants.
He truly want a new "fire" able to shadow the "phoenix" in what he became.
People thinks that Alan Moore is an old crazy hermit who hates the world...
...And people can't be more mistaken.
If only people could be able to see Alan Moore as I see him, as I learned to see him through his works, through his interviews...
Alan Moore loves the world, loves the music, loves the simple wonders in small things, loves his current wife, and...
...he loves the comic books.
He loves the literary genre of comic books in general.
He never has been ashamed of being a comic book writer. Never pretending to be something else than that. Never looking to write in other formats to get any "credibility".
He is a comic book writer and he loves it!
When you reached to read enough material by him, and when you have reached certain point on your life, a "mental maturity" just to choose a crazy term to name something that you just feel, you just know, well, at that moment you will think in the same way, and maybe, just maybe you will see him in a better light, to realize that that "the beast" that you may think it's Alan Moore, he really is not, and just maybe, you are going to be able to watch him as truly is him.
And then, and only then, you will realize how wonderful human being he is, and his deep pure love for the genre of the comic books.
MY OWN JOURNEY ABOUT ALAN MOORE
I was really excited when I knew about this incoming new comic book series by the master Alan Moore.
I am an insanely huge fan of Alan Moore's work.
And I've had the wonderful luck of reading many of his work and I think most of his relevant work:
V for Vendetta (my personal favorite), Watchmen, Marvelman aka Miracleman, Top 10, Tom Strong, Promethea, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, Swamp Thing, The Killing Joke, Whatever Happened with the Man of Tomorrow, For the Man who has Everything, along with some of Tomorrow Stories and even some issues from his run on Vigilante and Green Lantern Corps.
Even I have read some books analyzing his works too.
Why did I mention all those?
Well, I thought that it's important since Fashion Beast isn't what everybody thinks it is.
MY OWN THEORY ABOUT WHAT THIS IS
Fashion Beast isn't a retelling of Beauty and the Beast using the world of fashion in a post-apocalyptical ambiance.
That would be the easy answer. The obvious angle.
And Alan Moore isn't easy or obvious.
All that, it's a cover, a mirage, something to hide his real intentions with this book series.
And it's even more impressive taking in account that the idea of the series was conceived many time ago, along with the collaboration with the late Malcolm McLaren.
Fashion Beast is the testament and last will of Alan Moore.
MY OWN RECOMMENDATION OF HOW TO READ THIS
I bought this series in single issues and I was so excited about reading something fresh new by Alan Moore that I started to read each single issue comic book when they werre coming out.
THAT was a mistake.
I have to tell you that when I reach issue #7, I was like...
...What the heck is this comic book series?
What is he trying to construct here?
Is the story going anywhere?
If I am already in the issue #7 and this is a 10-part series...
...when the story would really to carburize?
I was totally clueless.
I was enjoying the reading fair enough, due his mastering of words and the great artistic direction by Facundo Percio.
HOWEVER, I hadn't the faintest idea of what was this comic book series.
So,...
...I decided to keep buying the remaining three issues, but waiting to read them until have them all, and reading the whole series again and to avoid keeping guessing the meaning of the project.
I'm happy of deciding to do that.
If you read the single issues separately, it's very likely that you will be as clueless as I was at first. Read them when you have them all (and if you read it in the TPB edition, you won't struggle at all).
MY OWN DECODING OF THE SERIES
Once I got the remaining three issues, completing the run, I RE-READ the whole series.
And that it was...
MAGIC.
It was like opening the secret codes that Moore left in the issues.
Then, I understood what Alan Moore wanted to tell in this comic book series.
If you change all that stuff about fashion and clothes and you think in the context of comic books...
...Bam! Pow! Kapow! Tomá guacho!
Your eyes are now open and you are reading the opinion of Alan Moore about his own legacy in the comic book industry and how it has been managed with him AND without him.
You can read how good he is aware of how the rest of the world thinks about him and his personal obsessions.
Also, you perceive that he is tired BUT he knows that the work must continue, comic books must keep going out and he has no troubles of somebody not only takes over his work but even "destroy" completely and re-invent it all over again.
That is his statement since after all, that's what he did with the comic book industry with some of his earlier works (in America) like Watchmen and Swamp Thing.
He "destroyed" what has been done before and he re-invented the comic book industry.
He speaks out about how his works were being "re-doing" many times with different names but basically the same formula.
Also, he isn't afraid to show how the comic book industry "killed" him and now that same comic book industry is unable to access to new material, so the comic book industry went back to search on his unused ideas and drafts and marketing, as "something new" to make profit of that.
Even you can see his desire of a worthy sucessor but not a clone but somebody with fresh brand new ideas to shake again the comic book industry, in a totally different way like he did it, but...
...in there, you have a warning, to avoid to commit the same "mistakes" that he did or becoming just another like him.
Alan Moore doesn't want another "Alan Moore", no, no, it's the least thing that he wants.
He truly want a new "fire" able to shadow the "phoenix" in what he became.
People thinks that Alan Moore is an old crazy hermit who hates the world...
...And people can't be more mistaken.
If only people could be able to see Alan Moore as I see him, as I learned to see him through his works, through his interviews...
Alan Moore loves the world, loves the music, loves the simple wonders in small things, loves his current wife, and...
...he loves the comic books.
He loves the literary genre of comic books in general.
He never has been ashamed of being a comic book writer. Never pretending to be something else than that. Never looking to write in other formats to get any "credibility".
He is a comic book writer and he loves it!
When you reached to read enough material by him, and when you have reached certain point on your life, a "mental maturity" just to choose a crazy term to name something that you just feel, you just know, well, at that moment you will think in the same way, and maybe, just maybe you will see him in a better light, to realize that that "the beast" that you may think it's Alan Moore, he really is not, and just maybe, you are going to be able to watch him as truly is him.
And then, and only then, you will realize how wonderful human being he is, and his deep pure love for the genre of the comic books.
February 4, 2020
An innovative take on the Beauty & the Beast story. Or is it The Phantom of the Opera? Yes, it looks mega dated but that is exactly what makes this a v worthwhile read. Voguing, a-la "Paris is Burning," fashion, a-la Almodovar--yuuup, Moore always gives us one devil of a time!
October 12, 2013
Is it just me, or have we reached a point where it has become cool (perhaps hipster cool?) to hold Alan Moore at arms length and dismiss his work? I don’t think it is just me. It certainly feels like that was the everyreader (if not the critical) reception to Alan Moore’s Fashion Beast.
Travelling around to the comic book stores in my region (my decidedly rural Canadian region, it should be stated), I have not found anyone but myself who has actually read this entire series. Two people I know read a couple of issues then stopped, and a few read the first issue but no more. Only I have read the entire series in my less than immediate vicinity.And when I’ve brought up Fashion Beast it has been to a universal cool. Even those who’ve read some of the series responded with little more than a shrug and a “meh.”
This is a shame because Fashion Beast is as accomplished a piece of fiction as anything Moore’s written with (perhaps) the exception of From Hell (yes. I am actually saying it is as accomplished as Watchmen). It is a tormented and tortured retelling of Beauty and the Beast characterised by sexual ambiguity, abuse, power struggle, dystopia and psychological horror. And that is just the crust of the story. Dig deeper from the crust to the inner core and Fashion Beast is revealed to compress itself into subsurface layers of storytelling, layers we must work hard to uncover but whose uncovering is absolutely rewarding.
There are layers of perception, of reality and hyperreality, of anarchy, of fascism, of evolution and human interference with evolution, of fable, of morbidity, of asexuality, of transexuality, of subjugation and domination, of class and economics, of signs and semiotics, and these are just some of what make up the earth of Fashion Beast.
I have read some criticism of the screenplay structure of the tale, since it does come from an original Moore screenplay written in the eighties, because the screenplay structure doesn’t mimic the issue to issue structure of a comic narrative. I understand that feeling, and perhaps that has something to do with the response of those who’ve only read a couple of issues. This structure does mean that the story takes time to reveal its shape, but if one gives the cinematic orogenesis of Fashion Beast time, if one allows for a different pace of graphic storytelling, one will find the shape as pleasing as the more natural shapes we read everyday.
I suppose it is unfair to suggest that the lack of interest in Moore has to do with hipsterism. I think, in the end, it is simply that he challenges us too much (whether in form or substance).
He is like Orwell of comic book writing. Everyone says his name in hushed tones, everyone has read Animal Farm (Watchmen), and everyone claims to have read 1984 (V for Vendetta), and hard core readers (scholars and activists) have read The Road to Wigan Pier (From Dead), but going any farther is just too damn much work, so we admire Orwell (Moore) from a distance, recognize his importance, claim to be fans, but stay away — always — from the literature on the periphery. It’s easier that way.
So I get that. It just bums me out because genius tends to go un(der)appreciated.
Travelling around to the comic book stores in my region (my decidedly rural Canadian region, it should be stated), I have not found anyone but myself who has actually read this entire series. Two people I know read a couple of issues then stopped, and a few read the first issue but no more. Only I have read the entire series in my less than immediate vicinity.And when I’ve brought up Fashion Beast it has been to a universal cool. Even those who’ve read some of the series responded with little more than a shrug and a “meh.”
This is a shame because Fashion Beast is as accomplished a piece of fiction as anything Moore’s written with (perhaps) the exception of From Hell (yes. I am actually saying it is as accomplished as Watchmen). It is a tormented and tortured retelling of Beauty and the Beast characterised by sexual ambiguity, abuse, power struggle, dystopia and psychological horror. And that is just the crust of the story. Dig deeper from the crust to the inner core and Fashion Beast is revealed to compress itself into subsurface layers of storytelling, layers we must work hard to uncover but whose uncovering is absolutely rewarding.
There are layers of perception, of reality and hyperreality, of anarchy, of fascism, of evolution and human interference with evolution, of fable, of morbidity, of asexuality, of transexuality, of subjugation and domination, of class and economics, of signs and semiotics, and these are just some of what make up the earth of Fashion Beast.
I have read some criticism of the screenplay structure of the tale, since it does come from an original Moore screenplay written in the eighties, because the screenplay structure doesn’t mimic the issue to issue structure of a comic narrative. I understand that feeling, and perhaps that has something to do with the response of those who’ve only read a couple of issues. This structure does mean that the story takes time to reveal its shape, but if one gives the cinematic orogenesis of Fashion Beast time, if one allows for a different pace of graphic storytelling, one will find the shape as pleasing as the more natural shapes we read everyday.
I suppose it is unfair to suggest that the lack of interest in Moore has to do with hipsterism. I think, in the end, it is simply that he challenges us too much (whether in form or substance).
He is like Orwell of comic book writing. Everyone says his name in hushed tones, everyone has read Animal Farm (Watchmen), and everyone claims to have read 1984 (V for Vendetta), and hard core readers (scholars and activists) have read The Road to Wigan Pier (From Dead), but going any farther is just too damn much work, so we admire Orwell (Moore) from a distance, recognize his importance, claim to be fans, but stay away — always — from the literature on the periphery. It’s easier that way.
So I get that. It just bums me out because genius tends to go un(der)appreciated.
August 6, 2017
While I can readily acknowledge Alan Moore's creativity and see clearly where he was going with this, the handling of the plotline after the initial run that was shaping up to be extremely interesting cannot be denied. This is by far one of the worst uses of the Beauty and the Beast theme I've seen, and the gods know I've read enough of them to know.
November 14, 2017
A lost, unproduced, Alan Moore screenplay gets an adaptation. The story of an androgynous boy and an androgynous girl working at a fashion house in a dystopian world that reminded me of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. They work for Celestine, the unseen fashion designer who dazzles the world. It's something of an update on the Beauty and the Beast tale. I found it pretentious with too many monologues and not enough story.
September 6, 2014
Before I wrote anything I skimmed the reviews and was glad I did because I think Alejandro might be right that this is a story that is essentially about Moore himself, the comic book industry, his having been destroyed by the comics industry, his need for a successor or successors who completely remake the world of comics, which completely makes sense to me on a certain level. If he's right, and I am considering that, this is on a par with his best work, since Moore is always writing levels under whatever story he is telling, levels you have to get to to really appreciate the work.
On one level, Fashion Beast is the fable of Beauty and the Beast set in the fashion industry, with fantasy/horror elements and sexual ambiguity. And a logo of very fine writing. Originally developed as a screenplay with Malcolm McLaren (of the Sex Pistols), it was never made as a movie, but decades later. was adapted into a comic book series. I am not sure how much credit McLaren really deserves for the project, because Moore did the writing. Contributor, Goodreads calls him, though on the book cover itself, he is credited as co-author and Antony Johnston, long time adapter of Moore's works, is given credit for adaptation. But Goodreads changes this (it seems to me correctly) and gives Johnston co-authorship, which seems right because it was he without working with Moore directly who adapted the screenplay for the comic book series, Also, Facundo Percio did the art without Moore's collaboration, so it is not like Moore's other great works such as working closely with Eddie Campbell on From Hell, for instance. Fashion Beast is largely Moore's story, though, and it is unmistakably his writing and approach and richness we read, "edited" in what I am guessing are useful ways by Johnston and compelling drawn by Percio.
A girl? boy? girl? gets chosen by a fashion guru, plucked out of her working class life and job as a coat check girl, to be a "mannequin" or top model for his work (Beauty). We don't get to see the face of the guru, who we are told is hideous, and operates reclusively as a result (the Beast). Moore knows nothing of fashion, but he knows fables and reconceiving them for his various purposes. And he knows glamour/beauty/fantasy and its various uses. A dresser is a key player, as well, who may also be a boy or girl. And two crazy long time assistants who help to keep the Beast in his studio for reasons that are not all that clear or convincing, really, but hey, that's the fable, he's the beast. It's a story about art and beauty, and romance, and the Romantic world that matters to Moore. Worth a read, for sure.
On one level, Fashion Beast is the fable of Beauty and the Beast set in the fashion industry, with fantasy/horror elements and sexual ambiguity. And a logo of very fine writing. Originally developed as a screenplay with Malcolm McLaren (of the Sex Pistols), it was never made as a movie, but decades later. was adapted into a comic book series. I am not sure how much credit McLaren really deserves for the project, because Moore did the writing. Contributor, Goodreads calls him, though on the book cover itself, he is credited as co-author and Antony Johnston, long time adapter of Moore's works, is given credit for adaptation. But Goodreads changes this (it seems to me correctly) and gives Johnston co-authorship, which seems right because it was he without working with Moore directly who adapted the screenplay for the comic book series, Also, Facundo Percio did the art without Moore's collaboration, so it is not like Moore's other great works such as working closely with Eddie Campbell on From Hell, for instance. Fashion Beast is largely Moore's story, though, and it is unmistakably his writing and approach and richness we read, "edited" in what I am guessing are useful ways by Johnston and compelling drawn by Percio.
A girl? boy? girl? gets chosen by a fashion guru, plucked out of her working class life and job as a coat check girl, to be a "mannequin" or top model for his work (Beauty). We don't get to see the face of the guru, who we are told is hideous, and operates reclusively as a result (the Beast). Moore knows nothing of fashion, but he knows fables and reconceiving them for his various purposes. And he knows glamour/beauty/fantasy and its various uses. A dresser is a key player, as well, who may also be a boy or girl. And two crazy long time assistants who help to keep the Beast in his studio for reasons that are not all that clear or convincing, really, but hey, that's the fable, he's the beast. It's a story about art and beauty, and romance, and the Romantic world that matters to Moore. Worth a read, for sure.
March 3, 2016
Creative, inventive and fascinating.
The story behind Fashion Beast is almost as fascinating as the TPB; originally conceived as a screen play by Moore at the behest of McLaren in the 80's the story was never used. It is a dark and warped look at a fictitious (but all too believable) fashion house through the eyes of two people caught in the web spun by the fashion house.
Loved the description of the two main characters as suggested by McLaren "a girl who looks like a boy who looks like a girl.... and.... a boy who looks like a girl who looks like a girl".
The narrative is very readable and while, if you look closely, you can imagine that it could have been written in the 80's the concept is so incredibly contemporary that it never feels dated.
The artwork of Facundo Percio perfectly complements the story; strong outlines and classic paneling provide the structure for the brilliantly erratic coloring choices and the incredible detail that goes into the fashion panels. That same detail goes into the background and settings so that one really has to keep reading the TPG over and over to appreciate the intricate beauty of the artwork.
I bought this one outright, but I suspect that had I borrowed it to read I would have eventually had to buy it for myself, the story quirks and formidable artwork suggest that this is one I can re-read regularly forever and still find things about it I missed.
The story behind Fashion Beast is almost as fascinating as the TPB; originally conceived as a screen play by Moore at the behest of McLaren in the 80's the story was never used. It is a dark and warped look at a fictitious (but all too believable) fashion house through the eyes of two people caught in the web spun by the fashion house.
Loved the description of the two main characters as suggested by McLaren "a girl who looks like a boy who looks like a girl.... and.... a boy who looks like a girl who looks like a girl".
The narrative is very readable and while, if you look closely, you can imagine that it could have been written in the 80's the concept is so incredibly contemporary that it never feels dated.
The artwork of Facundo Percio perfectly complements the story; strong outlines and classic paneling provide the structure for the brilliantly erratic coloring choices and the incredible detail that goes into the fashion panels. That same detail goes into the background and settings so that one really has to keep reading the TPG over and over to appreciate the intricate beauty of the artwork.
I bought this one outright, but I suspect that had I borrowed it to read I would have eventually had to buy it for myself, the story quirks and formidable artwork suggest that this is one I can re-read regularly forever and still find things about it I missed.
May 8, 2018
I just ...do not know what the point of this was? Unless it was just 'I'm Alan Moore and I'm 'deeper' and 'smarter' than you are', which is entirely possible I guess. But really, I have no idea what message this story was trying to convey and also I feel like calling it a Beauty and the Beast retelling might be stretching it a little bit. I mean yeah some of the pieces are there and there were a few scenes that definitely had that vibe but for the most part I was just like what on earth am I reading? Also I don't know why he decided to let us think the main character was trans for several issues only to reveal she's actually cis. I mean it was probably something to do with gender roles and fashion presentation and blah blah blah and I guess maybe like 'an effort was made' but honestly it just felt like queerbaiting and it probably helped to turn me off the whole thing in general.
May 26, 2018
A Bela e a Fera meets Gianni Versace - na visão de Alan Moore e Malcolm McLaren. Imperdível é pouco.
June 21, 2013
To the truism ‘One must keep from adapting into a movie an Alan Moore comic book’ here’s an addition: One must keep from adapting into a comic book an Alan Moore screenplay.
Sure there are some interesting panels, conversations and insights here, and an eeriness only Moore can bring to this ramp, but if they come they come too late and are far and few between and the eeriness is (Hollywood consciously perhaps) soft-core at best. To attest this screenplay was written around the time of Videodrome and Blue Velvet must suffice and put Fashion Beast’s supposed transgressiveness to rest. Another gripe is (being aware it is a screenplay adaptation and hence not demanding it to be as dense as his comics) Moore’s density of prose is utterly non-existent even for a screenplay and for a visually dominant comics excepting occasional inspired pages and transitions it is again found lacking. Half of it does not work as well as it would in a movie as photoplay.
Sure there are some interesting panels, conversations and insights here, and an eeriness only Moore can bring to this ramp, but if they come they come too late and are far and few between and the eeriness is (Hollywood consciously perhaps) soft-core at best. To attest this screenplay was written around the time of Videodrome and Blue Velvet must suffice and put Fashion Beast’s supposed transgressiveness to rest. Another gripe is (being aware it is a screenplay adaptation and hence not demanding it to be as dense as his comics) Moore’s density of prose is utterly non-existent even for a screenplay and for a visually dominant comics excepting occasional inspired pages and transitions it is again found lacking. Half of it does not work as well as it would in a movie as photoplay.
Read
June 6, 2013Malcolm McLaren wanted to make a film of Beauty and the Beast in the eighties, hired Alan Moore to write the screenplay...and then nothing, until now. Adapted for comics by frequent Moore collaborator Antony Johnston, it is very much of its time (nuclear winter!) but still has some interesting takes on fashion, art and the immortality thereof.
April 21, 2020
Allá por mediados de los 80s, cuando el Barba Moore la estaba rompiendo en "Swamp Thing" , "V for Vendetta" y empezaba a gestar "Watchmen", Malcolm McLaren (empresario, diseñador de moda, titiritero de la escena punk británica de fines de los 70s, y figura central en la historia de los Sex Pistols) lo contrató para escribir un guión cinematográfico de una película que finalmente nunca llegó a filmarse.
Esa película era "Fashion Beast" y, casi 30 años más tarde de la concepción de su guión original, vio la luz a través de esta adaptación comiquera publicada por Avatar Press.
Si bien el nombre de Moore aparece en la portada con una tipografía gigante (clara estrategia marketinera para que todos nos tiramos de palomita a la compra del libro), se trata de otro caso en el que Moore delega el guión comiquero en Anthony Johnston, quien ya en otras oportunidades se ha encargado de adaptar al mundo de las viñetas obras del Barba concebidas para otros medios (novelas, poesía y ahora cine). El Barba supervisa, Johnston ejecuta.
La historia transcurre en una Inglaterra distópica, horrenda, decadente, en la que el mundo de la moda ocupa un lugar central, y que en cierta forma recoge algunos de los tópicos y elementos que Moore abordó en varias de sus obras de los años de la Inglaterra Thatcheriana (el Estado opresor, la amenaza de un invierno nuclear, la discriminación hacia los homosexuales, etc). De hecho, entre los protagonistas (un diseñador de moda excéntrico y ermitaño que se mantiene en la oscuridad, y una joven que se convierte en su modelo y musa inspiradora) hasta pueden identificarse algunos paralelismos con la relación entre V y Evey, de "V for Vendetta".
El arte corre por cuenta del argentino Facundo Percio, quien le da una clara impronta cinematográfica a las viñetas, pero respetando los ritmos narrativos tan característicos de Moore. Los colores del también argentino Hernán Cabrera, excesivamente saturados, metalizados y con abuso de degradé, no le juegan muy a favor.
Un libro oscuro pero disfrutable, que si bien está bastante lejos del nivel de excelencia de las mejores obras del mago de Northampton, de todas maneras es recomendable, especialmente para los completistas que quieren leer todo aquello que lleva su apellido en la tapa (por más que acá se trate de una trampita).
Esa película era "Fashion Beast" y, casi 30 años más tarde de la concepción de su guión original, vio la luz a través de esta adaptación comiquera publicada por Avatar Press.
Si bien el nombre de Moore aparece en la portada con una tipografía gigante (clara estrategia marketinera para que todos nos tiramos de palomita a la compra del libro), se trata de otro caso en el que Moore delega el guión comiquero en Anthony Johnston, quien ya en otras oportunidades se ha encargado de adaptar al mundo de las viñetas obras del Barba concebidas para otros medios (novelas, poesía y ahora cine). El Barba supervisa, Johnston ejecuta.
La historia transcurre en una Inglaterra distópica, horrenda, decadente, en la que el mundo de la moda ocupa un lugar central, y que en cierta forma recoge algunos de los tópicos y elementos que Moore abordó en varias de sus obras de los años de la Inglaterra Thatcheriana (el Estado opresor, la amenaza de un invierno nuclear, la discriminación hacia los homosexuales, etc). De hecho, entre los protagonistas (un diseñador de moda excéntrico y ermitaño que se mantiene en la oscuridad, y una joven que se convierte en su modelo y musa inspiradora) hasta pueden identificarse algunos paralelismos con la relación entre V y Evey, de "V for Vendetta".
El arte corre por cuenta del argentino Facundo Percio, quien le da una clara impronta cinematográfica a las viñetas, pero respetando los ritmos narrativos tan característicos de Moore. Los colores del también argentino Hernán Cabrera, excesivamente saturados, metalizados y con abuso de degradé, no le juegan muy a favor.
Un libro oscuro pero disfrutable, que si bien está bastante lejos del nivel de excelencia de las mejores obras del mago de Northampton, de todas maneras es recomendable, especialmente para los completistas que quieren leer todo aquello que lleva su apellido en la tapa (por más que acá se trate de una trampita).
September 15, 2024
Quería agregar a mis lecturas una novela gráfica y decidí comenzar por esta entre tantas pendientes que tengo y ha sido un gran descubrimiento.
Las gráficas son atractivas, con un estilo que recuerda las historias steampunk, pero aquí nos presentan un futuro distópico en donde nuestra protagonista es Doll Seguin, al parecer travesti o trans (en la historia no se aclara muy bien) que trabaja de guardarropa en un cabaret, hace voguing y sueña con ser modelo. Para su buena suerte es reclutada por Jean-Claude Celestine, un diseñador de modas de gran impacto en la sociedad.
Así Doll se enfrenta a una sociedad que no tolera la moda, rechaza la diversidad y está repleta de miedos, va recibiendo adulaciones y críticas a partes iguales y lleva una lucha interna en saber si eligió el camino correcto o no, y se ve acechada por los comentarios ácidos de su compañero Tony Tare, quien busca que reconozcan su talento en la moda.
Por otro lado está Celestine un hombre hermoso, pero con el pensamiento de ser un hombre feo, pensamiento que fue cosechado por su madre y todo este dolor es el detonante para sus creaciones.
Con un número limitado de personajes, es una historia fresca, que se lee rápido y con una historia que no sé si funcionaría como película —según lo tenían planeado—, pero como novela gráfica ha sido un gran acierto y me ha gustado bastante. La única pega es el final, que es correcto teniendo en cuenta todo lo contado, pero que de alguna forma lo sentí abrupto.
4,5 ⭐️
Las gráficas son atractivas, con un estilo que recuerda las historias steampunk, pero aquí nos presentan un futuro distópico en donde nuestra protagonista es Doll Seguin, al parecer travesti o trans (en la historia no se aclara muy bien) que trabaja de guardarropa en un cabaret, hace voguing y sueña con ser modelo. Para su buena suerte es reclutada por Jean-Claude Celestine, un diseñador de modas de gran impacto en la sociedad.
Así Doll se enfrenta a una sociedad que no tolera la moda, rechaza la diversidad y está repleta de miedos, va recibiendo adulaciones y críticas a partes iguales y lleva una lucha interna en saber si eligió el camino correcto o no, y se ve acechada por los comentarios ácidos de su compañero Tony Tare, quien busca que reconozcan su talento en la moda.
Por otro lado está Celestine un hombre hermoso, pero con el pensamiento de ser un hombre feo, pensamiento que fue cosechado por su madre y todo este dolor es el detonante para sus creaciones.
Con un número limitado de personajes, es una historia fresca, que se lee rápido y con una historia que no sé si funcionaría como película —según lo tenían planeado—, pero como novela gráfica ha sido un gran acierto y me ha gustado bastante. La única pega es el final, que es correcto teniendo en cuenta todo lo contado, pero que de alguna forma lo sentí abrupto.
4,5 ⭐️
September 1, 2017
Առաջին անգամ էր Մուրը "նե ֆանտան"։ Էխ, կյանքը ցավ է։ :(
August 26, 2013
It's hard to review (and particularly to critique) Alan Moore and Malcolm McLaren's Fashion Beast without giving away spoilers, but I'll do my best.
The graphic novel is a loose adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, set in the world of couture fashion, within a near-apocalyptic world in the midst of nuclear winter and perpetual war. Using these frames, Moore and McLaren examine celebrity and culture, creating a broad view of humanity, a set of extremely well-drawn (both literally and figuratively) characters, and a narrative that is hard to put down.
Where I think the book falls down a little is in its examination of gender and sexuality. Fashion Beast can certainly be labeled as a queer graphic novel, but it ultimately undercuts that . I'm not sure what to make of this problem, but ultimately I felt it didn't make the novel distasteful to me.
Fashion Beast was originally intended to be a film, and Antony Johnston has done a great job of adapting the text to fit the format of the graphic novel. Even better are Facundo Percio's illustrations. These bring to mind the dense, detailed panels of Moore's earlier collaborators Dave Gibbons and Kevin O'Neill in his masterpieces, Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and do justice to that work. It is fascinating to imagine what actors Moore and McLaren may have wanted to cast when they created this text more than twenty years ago, but nonetheless, Fashion Beast isn't simply a historical relic. Some of the stuff feels a bit dated, but much of it is still very relevant and fascinating. I suppose that's what archetypal stories like fairy tales will do.
The graphic novel is a loose adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, set in the world of couture fashion, within a near-apocalyptic world in the midst of nuclear winter and perpetual war. Using these frames, Moore and McLaren examine celebrity and culture, creating a broad view of humanity, a set of extremely well-drawn (both literally and figuratively) characters, and a narrative that is hard to put down.
Where I think the book falls down a little is in its examination of gender and sexuality. Fashion Beast can certainly be labeled as a queer graphic novel, but it ultimately undercuts that . I'm not sure what to make of this problem, but ultimately I felt it didn't make the novel distasteful to me.
Fashion Beast was originally intended to be a film, and Antony Johnston has done a great job of adapting the text to fit the format of the graphic novel. Even better are Facundo Percio's illustrations. These bring to mind the dense, detailed panels of Moore's earlier collaborators Dave Gibbons and Kevin O'Neill in his masterpieces, Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and do justice to that work. It is fascinating to imagine what actors Moore and McLaren may have wanted to cast when they created this text more than twenty years ago, but nonetheless, Fashion Beast isn't simply a historical relic. Some of the stuff feels a bit dated, but much of it is still very relevant and fascinating. I suppose that's what archetypal stories like fairy tales will do.
April 24, 2014
This is a modern take on Beauty and the Beast that has a little of Moore's unique style to it, but not a whole lot. It almost feels sanitized, compared to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or V for Vendetta, or Watchmen. The allegory is much tamer, although it is definitely present. A person goes from coat check to lead 'mannequin' for the premier fashion designer Celestine, and uncovers the truth about themselves and their boss. There's more to it, a major subplot about a designer chafing under Celestine's foot, and some random characters Madame S and Madame D who don't have the impact they seem like they should. What it comes down to is that it is a comic book adaptation of a movie that was never made. It suffers the weaknesses of a movie in that it is shallower than it would have been if developed specifically for the page. It's still interesting, and it still feels like Moore, but sort of a Moore light.
December 4, 2013
Very interesting piece of work by Alan Moore, set in a not-named city in a not-named future, dark and dingy. A fashion house, with a secretive designer and a new model. Detailed artwork, sets the mood wonderfully. I liked the story as well and the ending, leaves open many possibilities.
September 17, 2013
Sometime in the late 80s, the already legendary Malcolm McLaren, musician, impresario, visual artist, performer, clothes designer and boutique owner, contacted Alan Moore about working on a movie project. After discussing several ideas (including Surf Nazis which featured an aboriginal hero with the ability to summon waves and an Oscar Wilde in the Wild West tale that somehow morphs into the story of a 19th century female performer in the mode of the 20th century Madonna), they settled on Fashion Beast, an amalgamation of the life of Christian Dior and "Beauty and the Beast," both the fable and the haunting Jean Cocteau adaptation. Moore completed the screenplay but it was never filmed. Avatar publisher William Christensen discovered a copy of the screenplay and asked to convert the story into a comic.
Writer Antony Johnston converted the story into a more comics-friendly format and Facundo Percio handled the art chores. The artist deftly enhanced the lurid and at times disturbing near future tale.
After losing her job as a coat checker at a trendy club, the androgynous Doll literally stumbles into a modeling job for a reclusive designer. Moore and McLaren delve into the warped perceptions of the fashion industry, while society literally crumbles. The fears of Thatcher's conservative late 80s England sadly still resonate with the 21st century reader. The reality of a decaying society with the poor being crushed under the weight of the super rich and privileged remains a very real reality.
The graphic novel reads much like a typical 80s Alan Moore piece, complete with the obvious tropes and in your face symbolism. And much like that decade's work, the compelling Fashion Beast toys with ideas and concepts that simultaneously thrill, terrify, and intrigue.
Writer Antony Johnston converted the story into a more comics-friendly format and Facundo Percio handled the art chores. The artist deftly enhanced the lurid and at times disturbing near future tale.
After losing her job as a coat checker at a trendy club, the androgynous Doll literally stumbles into a modeling job for a reclusive designer. Moore and McLaren delve into the warped perceptions of the fashion industry, while society literally crumbles. The fears of Thatcher's conservative late 80s England sadly still resonate with the 21st century reader. The reality of a decaying society with the poor being crushed under the weight of the super rich and privileged remains a very real reality.
The graphic novel reads much like a typical 80s Alan Moore piece, complete with the obvious tropes and in your face symbolism. And much like that decade's work, the compelling Fashion Beast toys with ideas and concepts that simultaneously thrill, terrify, and intrigue.
August 4, 2016
Not unlike the lead protagonist, Alan Moore's would-be-screenplay-turned-comic book is a tantalizing and mysterious read. "Fashion Beast" sets up a clothing designer, apparently based on Christian Dior, runs this dystopian, waste-land looking clothing factory in which Mr. Celestine, the clothing genius, hides in shadows, for what we have here, as Moore mentioned in the introduction, is a new take on "Beauty and the Beast" and in particular Cocteau's adaptation. It is interesting to note that Nicolas Winding Refn's "Neon Demon" (a moody trip well worth seeing) was being conceived around the time this collection was released as the two stories do share many similarities, including an over-the-top ending that builds up and then comes to an end. It is fascinating to read the dialogue about the specifics of fashion design, the materials and how they're presented, as well as juxtaposing this immense factory as a seemingly safe refuge from the war outside that has extended to the destruction of the working class area from where the protagonist came from that, in all its violence and bigotry and lawlessness, displays with a harrowing clarity the darker elements that awakens the reader to a very real possibility if they do not hold their government and their society accountable for the horrors and the suffocating pressure to be a certain way and yet never finding it for it does not exist, and our protagonist eventually finds her own way, to her undoing. While "Fashion Beast" may lack the layered plotting and rich narratives Moore is known for it still reads like an entertaining, glossy stroll through a well developed landscape not far from actual hell.
April 2, 2015
A departure from Moore's normal works, 'Fashion Beast' is a dark and macabre trek through Beauty and the Beast with a dystopian setting of haute couture.
Fashion Beast cleverly plays with themes of gender, sexuality and vanity. It remains equally dark and squalid, yet still retains a sense of elegance, aided essentially by the stunning art style and execution.
The plot, while slightly rushed and ever so slightly underdeveloped in places, was both entertaining and poignant. While the characters were slightly narratively underdeveloped, the art more than made up for it, showing their development visually.
Fashion Beast was a stunning graphic novel. It shows just how much graphic novels as an art form have to offer.
Fashion Beast cleverly plays with themes of gender, sexuality and vanity. It remains equally dark and squalid, yet still retains a sense of elegance, aided essentially by the stunning art style and execution.
The plot, while slightly rushed and ever so slightly underdeveloped in places, was both entertaining and poignant. While the characters were slightly narratively underdeveloped, the art more than made up for it, showing their development visually.
Fashion Beast was a stunning graphic novel. It shows just how much graphic novels as an art form have to offer.
September 7, 2013
Obviously anyone going into this comic knows that it's probably gonna be 'lesser Moore'- and it definitely is that. Nothing groundbreaking or brilliant here. Still, it's a pretty good read! Had the movie ever been made with the right director in charge (I'm thinking Brian DePalma) it very likely could have wound up a cult classic. This adaptation does a great job turning a movie into a comic and the art is absolutely perfect for the story (with some great colors!) I wouldn't recommend buying this unless you're a Moore completist, but if you have a friend who has it or see it at the library I say go for it.
May 4, 2014
All the bleak themes, overwritten diatribes, and asshole characters you'd expect from Alan Moore, with very little of the layered nuance in storytelling that (rightfully!) made classics of some of his other GNs. Comparatively speaking, Fashion Beast is downright bland. In all likelihood it would've worked much better as the film it was meant to be than it does as a comic.
I did enjoy the treatment of gender — progressive for the time of writing, though nearsighted and sometimes outright offensive/triggery by today's standards, particularly closer to the beginning chapters — and the implicit reminders throughout that all clothing/presentation choices are a form of drag.
I did enjoy the treatment of gender — progressive for the time of writing, though nearsighted and sometimes outright offensive/triggery by today's standards, particularly closer to the beginning chapters — and the implicit reminders throughout that all clothing/presentation choices are a form of drag.
September 22, 2013
An interesting experience reading this graphic novel as it has been a good long while since I last did so. The last ones I read were also Alan Moore so I at least had a notion of what to expect from the experience. This is essentially a take on Beauty and the Beast, with aspects of post apocalyptic society and the shallow nature of the fashion industry thrown in. Certainly this was well crafted and an interesting enough story, however I felt it lacked much of the cinemagraphic quality of some of his other works, and for a story based so heavily on fashion was somewhat lacking in style. Well worth a look for fans though.
October 3, 2014
Originalmente esta obra no fue planeada como cómic, sino como una obra de teatro. La idea original fue desarrollada por Alan Moore y Malcom McLaren (Sex Pistols), el guión fue escrito por Alan Moore a mediados de la década de 1980s; se trata de una reinterpretación muy a la Moore de la fábula de la Bella y la Bestia situado en un futuro distópico. Fue adaptada a cómic por Antony Johnson (Courtyard), cuate de Moore, respetando hasta la última coma del script original e ilustrado por Facundo Percio (Anna Mercury). Muy convencional para el estilo Mooriano, pero muy superior al estándar del cómic.
January 7, 2014
"La Bella y la Bestia" de Cocteau según los feroces códigos que impone la Alta Costura, revisada por la inusual dupla del célebre guionista Alan Moore y la leyenda punk Malcolm McLaren. Destaca su rápida lectura, bastante desprejuiciada en su premisa y destilando una salvaje elegancia que no da concesiones a esa profundidad mágica que siempre se espera en un guión de Moore. Gran rescate de un truncado proyecto cinematográfico, dando luces sobre lo que pudo ser.
November 5, 2014
A lost classic from Alan Moore, conceived in the 80s, about a fashion empire set in a very dark future city facing a possible nuclear winter. The main characters share very loose and malleable gender identities bound together by a communal passion for fashion. Sparse and sad, it still managed to say quite a bit about sexuality and spirituality, and hope through creativity.
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March 23, 2023Pretty fun! I liked the world it painted. It was powerful without being too 'realistic'. It reminded me of a Clockwork Orange. The speech about the power of imagery is excellent. Would make a good movie.
August 9, 2015
Not your greatest Alan Moore, but still engaging enough to read it till the end.
July 12, 2015
3.5 I enjoyed this but it was very strange
May 5, 2017
A dark, beautiful exploration of fashion, fairytales, dystopia, and gender.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews