Graphic Novel Review: Beauty - Diamond BookShelf

Published by: NBM Comics

Written by: Kerascoët

Illustrated by: Kerascoët & Hubert

ISBN: 9781561638949

Ages: 16+

It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Normally this applies to looking at someone else and seeing past their physical appearance and seeing the inner beauty they have. We don’t think about “beholding yourself”, but this is true as well. Whether or not you see yourself as beautiful can be as strong an indicator of beauty as being perceived.

Coddie is a poor village girl who is perceived as ugly by the other villages. Caught in somewhat of a ‘Cinderella-type’ situation, she and her mother work for her godmother as servants in her home. One night, after being scorned and mocked at the Harvest Festival, Coddie finds a frog in the woods, and relates to its loneliness, showing compassion for a kindred spirit. Her tear changes the frog into Mab, a powerful fairy, who grants Coddie her wish: to be perceived as “beauty incarnate”.

As things begin, Coddie still doesn’t see herself as beautiful, even after being renamed “Beauty” by Prince Otto, and so she remains humble. This will change over time, and even Mab will have her say in the events that unfold.

‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ but what happens when that eye becomes corrupted?

BEAUTY is written by Kerascoët, a husband (Sébastien Cosset) and wife (Marie Pommepuy) team and illustrated by fellow French illustrator Hubert. The tale feels like several fairy tales merged together, which gives it a familiarity while also maintaining a spirit all its own. I really loved seeing how Coddie’s story played out the deeper and deeper she got into her own perceptions.

Highly recommended. A brief scene of nudity and some of the subject matter make this 16+, but the lessons learned by the story are valid for 13+.

ADAM FISHER, Reference Associate

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Adam Fisher

Adam Fisher has worked for more than a decade at Lane Libraries in Fairfield, Ohio, where he is a Reference Associate. He creates and leads programming for all ages, manages the graphic novel, sci-fi/fantasy, and magazine collections at his branch, and has recently seen great success with his self-created Escape Room programs. He writes reviews for everything he reads and can be found on Goodreads @FisherAd80 and on Twitter @adamreadscomics.

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