The Beauty #2
Writer: Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley
Art: Jeremy Haun
Image Comics
After reading issue #1 I was hooked to read more of The Beauty.
The Beauty is a sexually transmitted disease which leaves those with the disease becoming beautiful. Fat melts away, balding hair returns etc.
But downsides emerged in the first issue, which of course is the basic premise of the story.
However, while the first issue hinted at something with fresh potential, the storyline bogged down in genre cliche in the second issue.
The good cops find themselves stymied by a higher up who appears under the thumb of a corporation, a storyline that is so often done it should start with ‘it was a dark and stormy night’.
The Corp is of course pushing a cover-up of the apparent side effects of ‘Beauty’ as they work to create a treatment/cure for the good of corporate profits … err the health of the populace. Again not particularly fresh. In fact, a recent Blacklist episode had the same general theme based around a corn virus.
Now I am willing to hope writers Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley have a curveball or two in their bag of tricks to make readers sit up and applaud the unexpected turns, but they certainly stayed with their straight fastball through issue #2, and it wasn’t a particularly quick fastball either. (Sorry for the baseball references, but it is MLB playoff time).
Codename Baboushka #2
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Shari Chankhamma
Image Comics
Writer Antony Johnston has kicked up the action with issue #2.
On a mission for the shady Extrajudicial Operations Network Baboushka finds the op going south in a hurry when pirates take over a ship where a conclave of crime lords are meeting. It was a great little twist which will likely have another turn or two to come.
Story wise I like this title.
But Shari Chankhamma’s art is still ultra-disappointing.
There is a scene on page two of Baboushka interacting with another criminal on the ship that is just ugly in terms of how it comes across.
With the right artist this title might actually shine, as it is the story has kept me on board, but it really is not a great ride as the art is just a major miss.
