I’ve been an enduring fan of The Beauty prior to its re-IGNITION (yes, I’m oh so punny) into pop culture/society. The crime-thriller and body-horror series debuted with Image Comics back in 2015 and unfortunately was canceled by 2019. There was a one-shot conclusion in 2021, but it was effectively reborn (as a soft launch rather than a full-fledged reboot of the series) with indie publisher Ignition Press in 2025, with The Beauty co-creator Jeremy Haun serving as the Creative Director. This announcement was made in tandem with the excitement surrounding this comic’s FX series adaptation (of the same name) conceived by Director Ryan Murphy.
I remember being present for the NYCC 2025 panel where The Beauty star Ashton Kutcher was avidly talking about his role as the villain, and acting alongside A-Star talents like Rebecca Hall and Isabella Rossellini. If anything, the entire phenomenon made me fall back in love with the original comic series.
In any case, this 2.0 iteration of The Beauty is interesting in that it draws thematic parallels from the TV show more than anything. It’s not frame-by-frame, but certainly in issue #7 (which focuses on a Beauty-infected man named Thorogood Holt AKA Percival Abernathy, a rich benefactor of this coveted ‘STD’, albeit with ‘implosive’ side-effects), it very much echoes the character of Byron Forst AKA The Corporation in the show.
While issue #5 was my favorite so far – which you could consider as a detour/ sub-plot and to show how damaging and detrimental The Beauty’s effects are on the general populace – the narrative for issue #7 firmly roots us back to the focal point and actions of Abernathy, Nox, Agents Jonathan Goode and Crayton, and The Boogeyman AKA Calaveras.
The suspense and divergent threads come to an action-packed head with a cliffhanger ending; now the tables are effectively turned on our Boogeyman as he’s invited – nay, tasered to visit the aptly named Perfection (akin to an exclusive island compound) to coerce him to explain his gory escapades (namely, why is he targeting and hacking into Beauty-infected individuals).
Thinking about the previous issues that have led up to this – I think the thing that I’ve always admired about co-writers Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley’s respective writing is that the duo honors the page time of every single character. Each person is compelling enough that you’re invested in their respective plights. Oftentimes, side-characters are precisely that… filler… a means to an end to get from one panel and page to the next. However, I’ve always found myself invested in everyone from Nox (a contract thief who contracts The Beauty disease in order to infiltrate Perfection); to Kelvin Frost (a schmuck of a desperate meteorologist who wants to ‘catch’ the virus in order to save his career… only to get entangled in this dangerous conspiracy surrounding The Beauty).
I also appreciate how the dialogue is grounded in reality (okay, well The Beauty doesn’t exist, but think about Ozempic, which comes eerily close… but I’m more referring to the manner in which characters speak to each other) and is tempered with dark humor. This is particularly essential since the art by Emanuela Lupacchino is equal parts gruesome and deceptively gorgeous; the attractiveness gives way to anatomical decay thanks to chiseled pencils and dark shadowy lines – all of which are complemented with the color work of Leonardo Paciarotti (everything from the neon of the kinetic action sequences to the pastel hues of the vibrant high-fashions depicted).
Ultimately, The Beauty comic book series is a sleeper hit, and I do hope it gets a continued spotlight now that Season 2 of the FX show is in limbo (and may not be produced).
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