The Beauty STD Spreads to Chapter Two

The Beauty, a science-fiction series about a unique sexually-transmitted disease spread across the world that makes people beautiful, will be returning for round two! The second chapter of the series will begin with The Beauty #7, a prequel to the first chapter. In the first volume, beauties are dying. Detectives Vaughn and Foster discover a conspiracy about the disease that leads them on a perilous journey filled with death and deceit. The second volume is about a criminal, Timo, and how The Beauty outbreak has changed his life. Writer and artist Jeremy Haun (Constantine, Batwoman, The Darkness) calls The Beauty “a morality play.”  Haun states that the series is “examining the lengths we, as a society, go to in order to look good. And let’s be honest: as a society, we’re a mess.” Co-writer Jason A. Hurley describes the new chapter in more detail: “Our next story arc will deal with a different set of characters at an earlier time in the life of the disease. The story is more about the people dealing with the situation they’re in rather than about how the situation came to be.” The Beauty, Volume 1 (which collects The Beauty #1-#5) came highly recommended to me. I tried to keep my expectations low, which was probably a good thing because in the end it quietly impressed me. The story is very interesting and I enjoyed the conspiracy. The different reactions people had to the beauty felt very realistic. I also liked the characters and the pretty strong character development our protagonists (and even side characters) get over the course of the story. It was definitely a standout title of 2015. I’m curious to see how Haun and Hurley will delve deeper into this interesting world they’ve created. The first volume of The Beauty had a pretty good book ending, so I’m not surprised the next volume will be a prequel. I am hoping some of the characters from the first chapter will make an appearance. The ongoing procedural series will continue in The Beauty #7, which will be released on May 18^th, 2016. Cover A will be by Jeremy Haun (Diamond code: MAR160514) and Cover B is by Brett Weldele (Diamond code: MAR160515). The order cutoff date for retailers is April 29^th, 2016.