Script: Alan Moore
Story: Alan Moore & Malcolm McLaren
Sequential Adaptation: Antony Johnston
Artist: Facundo Percio
Colours: Hernan Cabrera

“Fashion Beast follows Doll Seguin, a sassy coat-checker who escapes into the carefree lifestyle of fashion, music and decadence while the world outside fears an oncoming nuclear war. It’s a re-telling of the classic fable Beauty and the Beast that immerses readers in the rich, living characters of of its dystopian future setting.” 

Originally written as a screenplay, for a film never realised, in 1985, Fashion Beast is a collaborative piece from the minds of Alan Moore and Malcolm McLaren. In a long, yet interesting foreword from Moore we learn a lot about the inception of the story and how the two came to work with one another. I often skip over introductions such as this one but having so little knowledge of this project, I was intrigued to learn more. Learning the history of this story only fascinated me more. Moore’s introduction could be conceived as long winded or unnecessary by some. As a younger member of society, I’m only vaguely aware of who Malcolm McLaren is, so, for me, it was important to learn more about this man. Not only his work on this book but the impact he has had on society. 

It’s important to remember that Fashion Beast was written around the same time Moore was writing Watchmen and V for Vendetta. I say that it’s important to remember this fact because these stories are all social commentaries and all share similar themes despite the fact that the three books are inherently different. Although it is called a “re-telling” of Beauty and the Beast, I would call it more of a re-imagining. McLaren and Moore have taken the classic tale and shook it about, the outcome is something altogether unique. As always Moore’s writing is stellar. His dialogue is powerful and his characters dynamic and realistic. All of the characters have motives, dreams. They are layered and deep, the characters are what truly bring this story to life, the world they live in is a mere coincidence. The protagonist, Doll, is a woman that was once a man, a transexual. Moore never turns her into a cliche or a joke, she is a human being, and that is important. Moore leads you to believe that the story concerns one thing when in fact, that’s not the case.  Fashion Beast is a tragic tale, everything from the dystopian setting to the decrepit characters screams hopelessness. Even the ending, which you are made to believe is a promising one is tainted with the darkness that often comes with a book featuring the name of Alan Moore.

The darkness that is ever present in this story’s narrative is reflected beautifully through the artwork. Percio’s dystopian world is a bleak and unforgiving one. One extremely important decision in terms of artwork was to have the pages behind the panels black instead of the usual classic white. This makes the book literally dark as well as metaphorically so. Artist and colourist have worked together in beautiful harmony to translate Moore’s screenplay. Regardless of my love for cinema, a film would not have done this story justice. However, Percio and Cabrera have not only done it justice, they have stolen the spotlight. They make you forget that this is another Alan Moore book, they stake their claim to it, they make it their own. The dialogue-less pages of Fashion Beast are the easiest to appreciate, the beautiful artwork is left to tell the story and it doesn’t disappoint. The detail of the artwork is something to be marvelled at. Backgrounds are often just as interesting as foregrounds in many of the panels and the little intricacies are what make this book.

Fashion Beast should be a classic. It should have been released as a graphic novel a long time ago. The story is deep and meaningful and everything I have come to expect from Alan Moore. The artwork is beyond phenomenal and truly brings this story to life. I only wish this book had been released sooner. However, its messages are as important and meaningful in todays world as they were 30 years ago when this story was born. An absolute delight to read.