The Beautiful Death #2

   Since I'm not much of a fan of dystopian futures, I was surprised at how much I liked the first issue of The Beautiful Death.

   It brings us a world that has largely fallen to ruin. The buildings still stand, but the people are gone - mostly.

   We're still not sure why. It may involve radiation, and it may involve alien insects - it's still not clear (and may never be made clear).

   The story follows three men - Wayne, Jeremiah and Soham as they struggle with survival and sanity.

   They make a surprising discovery as they explore an empty city - and it leads to a truly disturbing scene, and an unsettling flashback.

   It's an ugly turn - and a disappointing one - for a series that was already dark and disturbing.

   I don't expect a happy-go-lucky story here, but there are limits to how much bleakness I can process.

   But if you're into dystopia, it doesn't get much better than this.

Grade: B-

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The Beautiful Death #1

   Dystopian futures are the only kind we see in comics these days.

   (Am I wrong? I honestly can't think of a utopian comics series out there, but surely there must be at least one.)

   A great example of one is The Beautiful Death, a Titan Comics translation of the Ankama Edition.

   It gives us a world where humanity has failed and very few are left alive.

   It's astonishingly bleak and vivid as we follow a few of the survivors through a major city that has been trashed by an apocalyptic event.

   We're not entirely sure what has gone wrong, but it apparently has something to do with the insects (no doubt future issues will bring along more information).

   The series is credited to Mathieu Bablet, and it's remarkable work - showing some Mobius influences, but with an original look and characters.

   I'm not a huge fan of dystopian tales (there are so many!), but I was captivated by this - it manages to incorporate both the human tragedy of the event along with the desperation to stay alive.

   Excellent work - I'm looking forward to the next chapter!

Grade: A-

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