Exciting take on the classic fairy tale, turning Belle into a monster-hunting superhero. I particularly appreciated the details in the drawings (like the roses on Belle's Armor). ( )

I honestly can't tell if this is written by someone who has nothing but contempt for comic books or by someone who has read so many comic books that they truly believe this is how they have to be written to be good. Either way, the result is pretty dreadful. ( )

Belle: Beast Hunter by Dave Franchini and Bong Dazo collects the first six issues into a nice graphic novel format. Belle hunts monsters, the things that hide in the dark. She inherited the job from her mother. It's the family business, so to speak. With the help of Louis, whom she calls 'Candlestick’, Belle tracks down and dispatches monsters before they cause too much havoc.

The play on names with those from Disney's Beauty and the Beast is amusing. Candlestick, alluding to Lumiere's form, that's just one. There are lots of hidden visual references too. Roses can be found in garmenting, actual flowers, carvings, and more. I'm not gonna give all of them away, but it made reading this extra fun. And Belle has a pretty complicated story. She's not fluffy and innocent, but she's not f***ed up over it all either. All through, she keeps up a chatter of sarcastic commentary. Her friend Mel is pretty cool, too. She ends up having an important part, and reminds me of Nuck,'s friend Hank in Grimm.

If you like Supernatural and Grimm, check this out!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )