Comics
Review: Alan Moore’s ‘Fashion Beast’ #2
From the creative mind of Alan Moore comes Antony Johnston’s adaptation Fashion Beast, an incredible spin on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. It’s as weird, surreal, and bizarre as any Moore story, but most importantly it makes me feel deeply unsettled. Moore is a master of suspense and unease, and “Fashion Beast” highlights those aspects of his writing without going too far over the edge as he has in the past. The book centers around a cross dresser known as Doll who wants nothing more than to be apart of show biz. Doll is able to bear a striking resemblance to any woman, which undoubtedly comes into play. The beast himself, Le Patron, is a fashion designer for his own company, Celestine. Le Patron is hideously disfigured but he is still able to design incredible clothing, at least that’s what I gather. “Fashion Beast” is as dark and twisted as any of Moore’s work from the 80s.
WRITTEN BY: Alan Moore, Malcolm McLaren and Antony Johnston
ART BY: Facundo Percio
PUBLISHER: Avatar
PRICE: 3.99
RELEASE: October 3rd
Issue #2 begins as Doll is fired from her job at the coat-check station, which he left unattended and was subsequently thrown into chaos by another character we’ll call Tomboy; a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy, confusing I know. After being fired, Doll learns that there are auditions for Celestine models that same night, where any model suited to Le Patron’s tastes, male, female, or in between, will be hired. After a quick audition, Doll is sent back to try on something Le Patron designed himself, and low and behold none other then Tomboy is doing the fittings.
If you’re used to Moore’s work, you’ll be able to appreciate the story’s slow build, but there is no action at all in this issue. Alan Moore is known for his incredible writing skills and command over the medium, and “Fashion Beast” proves that he can make almost anything interesting. I’m not into fashion in any way, shape, or form, but the mysterious nature of the book is engrossing enough to keep me reading. The book, despite being mostly dialogue, doesn’t feel slow at all. I continually found myself being drawn deeper into the pages and constantly wondering when the tension would break. Its uniqueness largely comes from knowing this is an adaptation of Moore’s screenplay, which alone makes it a historical event in my eyes.
“Fashion Beast” has a lot of different themes and motifs going on, pulling on an almost Shakespearean style of storytelling with all the gender bending. There are many references to a deck of Tarot Cards, and though I love when Moore bring magic and divination into his work, it’s unclear as to where this fits in.
Facundo Percio art is absolutely stunning. The detail he puts into the characters gives life to the pages. There are many characters in the story and Percio gives them each an oddity adding to the layers of intrigue. Percio’s paneling is perfect, creating sense of story flow and narrative. This is how comics should be made.
I have to say Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney creations, and I’m very excited to see Alan Moore’s twisted story come to life. Despite the lack of action so far, “Fashion Beast” will definitely cause a stir in the comic book industry.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by -GreenBasterd and Lonmonster
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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