| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
Casanova #1
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Letterer: Sean Konot
Casanova Quinn is a scoundrel, a thief and disappointment to
his father, which might not be so bad if his father didn’t
happen to run the most elite international peacekeeping
taskforce in the world. When Casanova’s professional and
personal lives take a turn for the worse he must pull out
all the stops to keep himself alive and in business. But is
he in control of his own actions or is someone sinister
manipulating him through a bizarre series of events and
alternate timelines?
I’ve been a fan of writer Matt Fraction since I read
Rex Mantooth a few years ago. The guy’s comics
are full of a bizarre energy, a sense of insane enjoyment of
over-the-top fantastic adventures, hard-boiled heroes and
mad, mad ideas. And although his works since Mantooth
have been few and far between they have always been worth
the wait. But now with Casanova, Fraction has finally
thrown himself into a monthly, ongoing series that promises
done-in-one stories densely packed with tons of
international espionage, action, sci-fi and more all for
just $1.99!
And believe me that “densely packed” bit is no exaggeration.
This debut issue is stuffed with so much story that at first
I wasn’t sure what to think. There was so much to absorb
that I had to read it twice just to catch everything. After
giving it the second read I found myself blown away by just
how intricate it was. I was excited to discover how so much
amazing stuff could be contained within one comic. And this
book deserves a third reading just to take in all of Gabriel
Ba’s gorgeous artwork. Lovely ladies, breakneck action,
trips through time and bizarre villains, Ba draws all of
this so superbly and makes it look so damn easy.
With so many fantastic ideas presented in just the first
issue I’m desperate to see what kind of wackiness this
creative team pulls out next. If you’re looking for
something that is definitely not the same old thing,
something inspiring, scary, exciting, sexy and downright
fun, then Casanova was tailor-made for you, my
friend. And for a $1.99 how can you even think about passing
this book up?
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.
