Kerascoët (Illustrator) and Hubert (Writer) follow up to Miss Don't Touch Me, which was set in a Parisian brothel in the thirties. So, since they capitalize in that one in part on sexualizing women's bodies, it is interesting that they turn in this one to a sort of conventional critique of a western view of female beauty. Still, they do make their point, through a story, and do it decently well.
It's hard for me to give three stars to a book this ambitious, and to make their basic point in 150 pages. Maybe it's more like a 3.5 since the art is really a 5 star production, and the writing is . . . good, but I just don;'t care that much for the story. I read it all in one sitting and did enjoy it, but it wasn't that engaging.
I know, I know, I'm a guy, and I gave the brothel story 4 stars, so sue me!
Beauty is an adult-themed fairy tale, in three parts. But can you imagine begin surprised on this topic? Beauty is only skin deep. Women's magazines, body shaming, etc etc. There are some little surprises in it, but nothing fundamental. Beauty, the moral goes, is more curse than blessing for women, and the men who pursue beautiful women for their beauty alone. Are you still awake? Even YOU want to go back to the brothel, admit it!
An ugly girl (or, no, is she truly a beautiful girl?) is granted a wish to be beautiful by a mischievous dark fairy, Mab, and there is hell to pay for this, all around, with men doing terrible things to try to have her. And who doesn't want to be this femme fatale, with idiot men falling all over to have you?
It's actually a little like Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips! The women in Fatale who become beautiful just leave men in ruins all around her, and it is finally no fun for her, it corrupts her, she becomes a Mean Girl, selfish, spoiled, hates men, hates herself, and finally would rather not have any of it. Same thing happens here! There's a foil character who is a great person, smart, interesting, not stunningly beautiful (whatever that means), who manages to have a decent relationship with a guy. But even he has to make an effort to NOT look at Beauty (the assumed name of our heroine).
In part as in Beauty and the Beast, right.
But it's a really strong production overall. The topic (and adult fairy tales with "morals") just don't particularly interest me as texts.