I clearly need to check out the fairy tale-based comics at Webtoons more often, because I so rarely go explore their site that I stumbled upon The Beastslayer by accident whilst looking for a different story, not even thinking about searching for retellings artists might be publishing there.
This webtoon is an intriguing retelling of the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast,” and you can tell immediately by appearance alone, because the respective colourings of Belle and Beast from the film are borrowed for the colour palette the artist chose for Gale Castor (same palette as for Belle) and the prince (same palette as for Adam). I found these aesthetics fetching, because the gorgeousness of the visuals and the artwork are what I like best about Disney’s version.
The plot kicks off slowly, with a little backstory to set up the world as is typical in webtoons, using the one-panel-per-scene storytelling technique. Soon you realise this is going to be a gender-swapped retake on the fairy tale with a Beauty figure that’s a mix of Gaston and Belle. Which isn’t as weird as it sounds, I promise!
In the beginning, Gale comes off as very Gaston-like, and he is a tad annoying for how stupidly he risks his life over his obsession to slay the Beast that the townspeople have been sacrificing maidens to for a century (a divergence from the Disney plot). This chap sneaks into the palace a bit like Gaston does in the animated film, all dumb confidence and brute force, plus he’s a bonafide brash braggart that can’t shut up and listen for a minute. We’re not predisposed to like him at first, I sure wasn’t and was mentally preparing myself to dislike him to the point of abandoning the webcomics after only a couple of episodes. But once Gale is inside the castle and facing the cursed prince in his monstrous form, he hilariously becomes the sacrificial damoiseau without realising it, and the humour of his comeuppance wasn’t lost on me. Then, you learn a bit about his backstory that explains why he’s so annoying and how he became a hunter.
On glance, it does look like a typical hunter-falls-for-the hunted plotline, but I’ve read enough retellings to be aware that sometimes even the apparently most clichéd plotlines can surprise you with something fresh, there’s always signs to look for to guess if you’re in front of one, and I do see potential in this ongoing story. There’s interesting glimpses into the nature of the curse that made me curious about how the artist will add his own twist to it and whether it will be diverge from Disney’s or stay similar as the initial backstory hints at. Additionally, the artist, Jack0lopes, has an illustrating style that I liked, especially because he has made an effort to have his Beast look very different to Disney’s Beast. You have to see for yourself what animal Jack0lopes’ Beast is drawn to look like.
The downside is that the set-up is slow-paced, maybe too slow for some readers, and there hasn’t been much yet to get a feel for how this will continue besides the hint that this will be a M/M retelling of the tale. And unfortunately the story is on hold at merely seven episodes released on the Webtoons site, leaving us to hang on precisely when the story is starting to pick up speed and becoming more engrossing once the somewhat dragging opening episodes where the two main characters meet are over. I would be sad if the webtoon were to be abandoned this early, and sincerely hope it’s only a hiatus.
