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Casanova (Collected Editions)
Casanova, Vol. 1: Luxuria
Meet Casanova Quinn: prodigal son of a law-and-order family hell-bent on keeping the world safe and sound; now blackmailed into betraying his father and the international law enforcement organization he controls. Luxuria collects the first volume of Casanova as its titular star transforms from devil-may-care thrill-seeker into the most dangerous man in the world. What happens when the ultimate player gets played? Find out in this genre-bending sci-spy epic.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2006
34 people are currently reading
1,358 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,212books1,827followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
February 12, 2014
So if you look on the back of this book, you'll find blurbs from half the awesome people in comics: Ellis. Bendis. Brubaker....
It's got quotes from The New York Times and GQ on it. GQ? How does something like that even happen?
When folks like this have chimed in to say this is, effectively, the best comic ever, it doesn't seem like there's much left to say.
But when has that stopped me from shooting my mouth off before?
Did I like this comic? Yes. Absolutely.
It reminds me a little bit of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol from back in the day. (A comic that was before my time, but that I sought out because everyone constantly talks about it.)
Casanova is frenetic and wild and slightly surreal. More than slightly. And while I enjoy the comic, and I admire the willingness to do something really, genuinely different... I found it confusing at times.
And here's the thing. I know the choice to leave the reader confused was a conscious and deliberate one. It was an artistic choice.
On the plus side, it allows them to move the story along at a breakneck speed. It's the opposite of the old bullshit comics of the 60's where everything was over-explained. Back then, when Martian Manhunter used his powers to became intangible, he had a thought bubble that said. "I am the Martian Manhunter, and now I will use my powers to become intangible!"
I support their right to make the choice to rush forward and make the reader struggle a bit. And I admire the size of their nuts in making that choice...
...But honestly, it isn't something that I enjoy as a reader. Too often I was left thinking, "Did I skip a page?" Once I even wondered if I got a copy of the comic that had been misprinted with the pages out of order.
And that's where I have a problem. I can support a lot of things in the pursuit of art, but I'm not a fan of actively occluding the story.
It's like when I picked up The Sound and the Fury because everyone said it was a good book. But it was largely nonsensical to me. So after 40 pages or so, I just quit. When I complained about it, people said, "But you don't understand! It constantly changes POV, and one of the character is mentally damaged! (Or something like that. This was back in 1993.)
I said, "So? Why is that impressive to you? I've read books told from the POV of psychic dolphins on other planets. And those stories managed to be clever and strange and surreal AND comprehensible. If you write a story that actively punishes the reader for trying to understand it... that's just perverse."
Thought come to think of it, that might be what's drawn the attention of NYT and GQ. There's a long-standing bullshit assumption in critical and academic circles that if a work or art is incomprehensible, it must be clever, if not downright brilliant.
That said, (and I *really* want to make this clear after the above tangent) this comic is *not* engaging in Sound-And-Fury style fuckery. No. Nothing like that.
On the spectrum of obfuscatory fuckery, Sound and Fury is about an 8, which is the literary equivalent of having the author stick his thumb in your eye. Naked Lunch is about a 4, the same as Burroughs giving you a hearty, enthusiastic openhanded slap to the face.
This comic is... 1.75. Maybe a 2. It's about the same as if they flicked your ear really hard.
Simply said, it was distracting, and irritating, and it impinged on my enjoyment of the story. But for all of that the story is really, *really* good. If you're into surreal hyper-aggressive Sci-Fi.
Is it worth your time? For people that don't read a lot of comics I'd probably say "no" because the confusion will hit you twice as hard.
But if you do read comics, and you dig some surreal, this is going to be right up your alley.
And if you read comics AND like William Burroughs? This book is probably going to make you all tingly in your privatest of places.
It's got quotes from The New York Times and GQ on it. GQ? How does something like that even happen?
When folks like this have chimed in to say this is, effectively, the best comic ever, it doesn't seem like there's much left to say.
But when has that stopped me from shooting my mouth off before?
Did I like this comic? Yes. Absolutely.
It reminds me a little bit of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol from back in the day. (A comic that was before my time, but that I sought out because everyone constantly talks about it.)
Casanova is frenetic and wild and slightly surreal. More than slightly. And while I enjoy the comic, and I admire the willingness to do something really, genuinely different... I found it confusing at times.
And here's the thing. I know the choice to leave the reader confused was a conscious and deliberate one. It was an artistic choice.
On the plus side, it allows them to move the story along at a breakneck speed. It's the opposite of the old bullshit comics of the 60's where everything was over-explained. Back then, when Martian Manhunter used his powers to became intangible, he had a thought bubble that said. "I am the Martian Manhunter, and now I will use my powers to become intangible!"
I support their right to make the choice to rush forward and make the reader struggle a bit. And I admire the size of their nuts in making that choice...
...But honestly, it isn't something that I enjoy as a reader. Too often I was left thinking, "Did I skip a page?" Once I even wondered if I got a copy of the comic that had been misprinted with the pages out of order.
And that's where I have a problem. I can support a lot of things in the pursuit of art, but I'm not a fan of actively occluding the story.
It's like when I picked up The Sound and the Fury because everyone said it was a good book. But it was largely nonsensical to me. So after 40 pages or so, I just quit. When I complained about it, people said, "But you don't understand! It constantly changes POV, and one of the character is mentally damaged! (Or something like that. This was back in 1993.)
I said, "So? Why is that impressive to you? I've read books told from the POV of psychic dolphins on other planets. And those stories managed to be clever and strange and surreal AND comprehensible. If you write a story that actively punishes the reader for trying to understand it... that's just perverse."
Thought come to think of it, that might be what's drawn the attention of NYT and GQ. There's a long-standing bullshit assumption in critical and academic circles that if a work or art is incomprehensible, it must be clever, if not downright brilliant.
That said, (and I *really* want to make this clear after the above tangent) this comic is *not* engaging in Sound-And-Fury style fuckery. No. Nothing like that.
On the spectrum of obfuscatory fuckery, Sound and Fury is about an 8, which is the literary equivalent of having the author stick his thumb in your eye. Naked Lunch is about a 4, the same as Burroughs giving you a hearty, enthusiastic openhanded slap to the face.
This comic is... 1.75. Maybe a 2. It's about the same as if they flicked your ear really hard.
Simply said, it was distracting, and irritating, and it impinged on my enjoyment of the story. But for all of that the story is really, *really* good. If you're into surreal hyper-aggressive Sci-Fi.
Is it worth your time? For people that don't read a lot of comics I'd probably say "no" because the confusion will hit you twice as hard.
But if you do read comics, and you dig some surreal, this is going to be right up your alley.
And if you read comics AND like William Burroughs? This book is probably going to make you all tingly in your privatest of places.
September 18, 2024
Really original dystopic vision of the future; love how Casanova Quinn resembles a young Mick Jagger - lots of paranoid twists that keep you trying to figure out what is really going on. I find that I am more and more gravitating to GN that tell original stories in a single volume. This was a really strange trip...but fun!
April 4, 2017
Look, I'm not 100% sure what happened in this book but I had a blast while reading it!
Obligatory "This isn't for everyone" disclaimer because it's definitely not for everyone. Usually, not knowing what's going on bugs the hell out of me but with this, it was so much fun that I kind of got past that. This is like an Austin Powers graphic novel if Austin Powers was actually the cool guy? Casanova is your typical spy protagonist who sleeps with hot chicks (and sex robots) with an endless supply of one liners. The one aspect of this character that wasn't typical was his relationship with his sister, Zephyr. They had an interesting dynamic, although I feared they might sleep together at one point.
The art was gorgeous! Everything from the colors to the lettering just made this so much fun to look at! I can really see the effort that went into putting this together and Fraction's blurb at the end about Spector's Wall of Sound being an inspiration makes so much sense! Side note, I love the songs from that era that were created with that principal in mind. In a strange way, I feel like you can hear this book. Like, I was hearing Bond themes in my head while reading it.
I will say, women are not represented well in this book. Either they're sexbots or scantily clad with few lines. Zephyr had so much promise being a female spy/assassin and yet we barely learn anything about her. There's even a single issue about one of Casanova's conquests who's biggest problem is waiting for him to call her again. It's typical in a spy film but I expected a little more from Fraction.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun reading this. I laughed out loud several times. It's not an easy recommend because I'm not sure what happened and I think the confusing layers of the plot could irk some people.
4 stars.
Obligatory "This isn't for everyone" disclaimer because it's definitely not for everyone. Usually, not knowing what's going on bugs the hell out of me but with this, it was so much fun that I kind of got past that. This is like an Austin Powers graphic novel if Austin Powers was actually the cool guy? Casanova is your typical spy protagonist who sleeps with hot chicks (and sex robots) with an endless supply of one liners. The one aspect of this character that wasn't typical was his relationship with his sister, Zephyr. They had an interesting dynamic, although I feared they might sleep together at one point.
The art was gorgeous! Everything from the colors to the lettering just made this so much fun to look at! I can really see the effort that went into putting this together and Fraction's blurb at the end about Spector's Wall of Sound being an inspiration makes so much sense! Side note, I love the songs from that era that were created with that principal in mind. In a strange way, I feel like you can hear this book. Like, I was hearing Bond themes in my head while reading it.
I will say, women are not represented well in this book. Either they're sexbots or scantily clad with few lines. Zephyr had so much promise being a female spy/assassin and yet we barely learn anything about her. There's even a single issue about one of Casanova's conquests who's biggest problem is waiting for him to call her again. It's typical in a spy film but I expected a little more from Fraction.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun reading this. I laughed out loud several times. It's not an easy recommend because I'm not sure what happened and I think the confusing layers of the plot could irk some people.
4 stars.
November 8, 2016
Bullet Review:
Spy. Alternate Universes. Sex Robots. Twin siblings. Sex. Drugs. Rock n roll.
I can't even really describe the "plot" of this book because it's so inscrutable and all over the board. Just when I think I have a thread of what is going on - foosh, it's gone.
At the end of the day, the biggest question is: What was Fraction smoking and where do I get me some of that?
Spy. Alternate Universes. Sex Robots. Twin siblings. Sex. Drugs. Rock n roll.
I can't even really describe the "plot" of this book because it's so inscrutable and all over the board. Just when I think I have a thread of what is going on - foosh, it's gone.
At the end of the day, the biggest question is: What was Fraction smoking and where do I get me some of that?
May 22, 2017
Calling Casanova Quinn a superspy seems like a hell of an understatement.
He is a megaspy, an ultra-spy, a dimension-hopping cool as ice heistmaster and psychic martial artist who goes on missions that are sometimes literally impossible.
As amazing as the ideas are, writer Matt Fraction also shines when it comes to character work. No matter how insane and odd a character seems, they are always written with consistency and a sure hand. The themes of this book are appropriately huge and universal: the nature of reality, the nature of fiction, how the two affect each other, how our relationships fuck us up and how we fuck them up in turn.
And Gabriel Ba's art is just breathtaking. Beautifully unique designs, fluid storytelling and amazing use of shadows make the book pop with energy. Casanova is a ride that is the anti-thesis of boring. You will feel exhausted and exhilarated when you put it down.
He is a megaspy, an ultra-spy, a dimension-hopping cool as ice heistmaster and psychic martial artist who goes on missions that are sometimes literally impossible.
As amazing as the ideas are, writer Matt Fraction also shines when it comes to character work. No matter how insane and odd a character seems, they are always written with consistency and a sure hand. The themes of this book are appropriately huge and universal: the nature of reality, the nature of fiction, how the two affect each other, how our relationships fuck us up and how we fuck them up in turn.
And Gabriel Ba's art is just breathtaking. Beautifully unique designs, fluid storytelling and amazing use of shadows make the book pop with energy. Casanova is a ride that is the anti-thesis of boring. You will feel exhausted and exhilarated when you put it down.
January 20, 2016
Crazy, wild, like some coked up ride through the future where references are thick and hip and. . . wild. . . with crazy sexy art and a crazy sexy plot where a guy opposed his family who rule a world.
Still, in spite of what I say above, I'm not so into it. I like my cleverness in the way of Whedon and Vaughn more than Fraction. . . at least at this point, in my first encounter with Fraction. Not that you have to choose, but for me it's a matter of taste for a certain kind of humor and wit and ultra-sexualized violence over another, I suppose. . .
Still, in spite of what I say above, I'm not so into it. I like my cleverness in the way of Whedon and Vaughn more than Fraction. . . at least at this point, in my first encounter with Fraction. Not that you have to choose, but for me it's a matter of taste for a certain kind of humor and wit and ultra-sexualized violence over another, I suppose. . .
July 2, 2016
Well that was just weird as shit.
August 11, 2023
I read Matt Fraction's Casanova some years back, gave it a weak rating, and more or less forgot about it. After discovering Fraction's amazing recently, I decided to give Casanova another shot. I really couldn't remember what I had hated about it, tastes change, maybe it'd be better second time around.
Not better. Blarf.
I mean, I can see why it's respected. The dialogue is razor sharp, the fourth-wall-breaking asides are brilliant, and Gabriel Bá does absolutely fantastic work with what appear to be two shades of green and that's all. Fraction's intelligence and sense of humor shine throughout the book.
But Casanova suffers terribly from plot diarrhea. It makes no narrative sense.
-One minute Ruby Seychelle is an insipid little sex robot, the next she's running black ops for the world's foremost spy agency. Where the hell did that come from?
-Cass shoots his sister Zephyr for murky reasons; a few pages later she rapes him(!) And a few pages after that they're besties, like nothing ever happened.
-A 26th century civilization masquerading as a band of primitive savages comes to Cass's rescue and he absolves them of a debt that they never incurred.
-The agency's second-in-command is cloned into an army of rampaging rapists, and then...nothing. They're just out there somewhere rampaging and raping and none of the characters seem to care. Or remember.
It's an endless chain of WTFs. I don't need plot spoiler tags because there is no plot.
Casanova is to as Adam Reed's Frisky Dingo is to his follow-up award-winner, Archer. It's the clever failure that led to the creation of something wonderful.
Not better. Blarf.
I mean, I can see why it's respected. The dialogue is razor sharp, the fourth-wall-breaking asides are brilliant, and Gabriel Bá does absolutely fantastic work with what appear to be two shades of green and that's all. Fraction's intelligence and sense of humor shine throughout the book.
But Casanova suffers terribly from plot diarrhea. It makes no narrative sense.
-One minute Ruby Seychelle is an insipid little sex robot, the next she's running black ops for the world's foremost spy agency. Where the hell did that come from?
-Cass shoots his sister Zephyr for murky reasons; a few pages later she rapes him(!) And a few pages after that they're besties, like nothing ever happened.
-A 26th century civilization masquerading as a band of primitive savages comes to Cass's rescue and he absolves them of a debt that they never incurred.
-The agency's second-in-command is cloned into an army of rampaging rapists, and then...nothing. They're just out there somewhere rampaging and raping and none of the characters seem to care. Or remember.
It's an endless chain of WTFs. I don't need plot spoiler tags because there is no plot.
Casanova is to as Adam Reed's Frisky Dingo is to his follow-up award-winner, Archer. It's the clever failure that led to the creation of something wonderful.
April 24, 2013
Whoo! There are shoot-outs, and multiple timelines, and lots of beautiful nekkid robot women surrounding just so-so-looking men, and space-casinos, and incestuendo; that acid-trip science fiction that spins your brain counter-clockwise and leaves you thinking, "I don't know that the fuck I just read, but it was aaaawesome". Casanova definitely requires your undivided attention; read it as quickly as I did and the story will get away from you. But Matt Fraction has crafted such a rich and nutty universe - and a better artist than Gabriel Ba couldn't have been chosen for this book - that you won't mind retracing your steps. My big hang-up with this series is that I loathe every single one of the characters. Can't stand Cass, despise Zeph, hate Cornelius and E.M.P.I.R.E, want to stomp Xeno and Seychelle and everybody else. Etc., etc. But don't let my personal dislike of snotty rich-boy super-spies stop you. Casanova a good read, fast and sexy and psychedelic as all hell. Check it out!
November 12, 2007
Man, I can't say enough about this shit right here. This is hands-down my favorite book to read each month. This collects 1-7 by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba. It's a spy story with alternate realities, deadly twins, godhead rockstars, ugly Zen androids, ugly Zen androids in drag, punching, kicking, shooting, naked people, secret island societies, Phil Spector references, Lesley Gore song lyrics, and even a nod to Morris Day and Jerome of the muthafuckin' Time! Everything a growing boy (or girl) needs to grow big and strong.
Great writing, perfect art. Buy this now. It's like James Bond if he didn't have to be sold to squares to make movie dollars. Gets me excited just writing about it. Hoo ha!
Great writing, perfect art. Buy this now. It's like James Bond if he didn't have to be sold to squares to make movie dollars. Gets me excited just writing about it. Hoo ha!
August 5, 2012
As funny & irreverant as Ellis, Ennis & Morrison (and as complex and confusing to the not-paying-too-much-attention reader as Morrison's The Invisibles). An awesomely satisfying and refreshing read - makes it feel like I'm being treated like a king by the authors.
Fantastic fun Fraction & Bà have with sci-fi and spy tropes - mixing the weird of corporate love of PowerPoint, fourth-wall asides and spoilers, and irreverent writing that immediately deflates the pent-up bullshit pomposity or stiltedness that has characterised most comics writing to date. Fraction's asides are the hidden super-gem for me.
Second time through this book was much more enjoyable - I took copious notes along the way (which I'll share as spoilers), though I feel like to get a true appreciation of the intricacies of Luxuria I'd need one of those X-Files walls of pictures, post-its, string and thumbtacks. If it didn't make me look like the lunatic I am...
Here are my plot notes because I can never remember who when and what, when I'm reading later books:
[spoilers removed]
Fantastic fun Fraction & Bà have with sci-fi and spy tropes - mixing the weird of corporate love of PowerPoint, fourth-wall asides and spoilers, and irreverent writing that immediately deflates the pent-up bullshit pomposity or stiltedness that has characterised most comics writing to date. Fraction's asides are the hidden super-gem for me.
Second time through this book was much more enjoyable - I took copious notes along the way (which I'll share as spoilers), though I feel like to get a true appreciation of the intricacies of Luxuria I'd need one of those X-Files walls of pictures, post-its, string and thumbtacks. If it didn't make me look like the lunatic I am...
Here are my plot notes because I can never remember who when and what, when I'm reading later books:
[spoilers removed]
January 31, 2012
This was a disappointing surprise for me. I am a huge fan of Gabriel Ba's artwork and had read amazing things about this title. It just didn't cut it for me. The story is so convoluted that its difficult to summarize.
The book is summarized on the back thusly: "Welcome to the world of Casanova. His father is the Director Supreme of E.M.P.I.R.E., an international taskforce brutally maintaining peace and order across the face of the Earth. His twin sister Zephyr is E.M.P.I.R.E.'s star agent, currently investigating a disturbance in the fabric of the space-time continuum. The entire planet is under the Quinn family's jurisdiction; every law is under their reinforcement. Casanova Quinn wants to break them all one at a time..."
The book feels partly like porno (women with breasts larger than their heads and female robots created to be constantly horny and whom exist just to please men sexually), and partly like a drug induced science fiction story from the 1970’s with characters flipping into different time continuums and a bulbous creature made of three monks who practiced occult Zen.
The characters fall flat. Unlike a James Bond or Indiana Jones who uses their charm and intelligence to win over audiences and encourage us to stay interested in the story, Casanova is dumb and boring. “It’s not every day you get to leap to your death while shooting bullets at a U.F.O. I feel like I should say something important here. Or interesting at least. Maybe something cool or just nihilistic. Profound. Enigmatic. I got nothing.� And that is how I felt about this book.
The book is summarized on the back thusly: "Welcome to the world of Casanova. His father is the Director Supreme of E.M.P.I.R.E., an international taskforce brutally maintaining peace and order across the face of the Earth. His twin sister Zephyr is E.M.P.I.R.E.'s star agent, currently investigating a disturbance in the fabric of the space-time continuum. The entire planet is under the Quinn family's jurisdiction; every law is under their reinforcement. Casanova Quinn wants to break them all one at a time..."
The book feels partly like porno (women with breasts larger than their heads and female robots created to be constantly horny and whom exist just to please men sexually), and partly like a drug induced science fiction story from the 1970’s with characters flipping into different time continuums and a bulbous creature made of three monks who practiced occult Zen.
The characters fall flat. Unlike a James Bond or Indiana Jones who uses their charm and intelligence to win over audiences and encourage us to stay interested in the story, Casanova is dumb and boring. “It’s not every day you get to leap to your death while shooting bullets at a U.F.O. I feel like I should say something important here. Or interesting at least. Maybe something cool or just nihilistic. Profound. Enigmatic. I got nothing.� And that is how I felt about this book.
December 11, 2008
The book that began my Matt Fraction love affair. A paean to Grant Morrison and indy rock that has no right be a good as it is. The art by Gabriel Ba (who also draws the improbably good comic by the guy from My Chemical Romance) explodes off the page with kinetic energy to spare and distinctively stylized line that hangs somewhere between "cartoony" and "I can't believe he can work that much detail in." Like Mike Mignola on really good drugs and with a better appreciation of sexy mod fashions and a more painterly (read: less inclined to draw everyone as variations on his same set of 4 or 5 stock characters) eye. Unfortunately the back matter in the individual issues was frequently insufferable.
June 25, 2007
absolutely incredible. the next generation of comic book storytelling. makes "" look like "Murder, She Wrote" (sorry JMS).
March 16, 2017
With Casanova, Matt Fraction presents a trippy, energetic sci-fi spy thriller that spans the breadth of the space-time continuum with awesome results. Casanova Quinn is the black sheep of the family: a freelance thief whose hated father runs a global paramilitary espionage agency called EMPIRE. His heavily favored twin sister is the agency's star spy until she is murdered while investigating a temporal breach.
Everything starts to go sideways for Quinn when he is abducted into a parallel universe by Newman Xeno, the leader of a terror network hell-bent on the destruction of EMPIRE. In this alternate reality, Quinn is the superstar agent of EMPIRE, while his sister is alive but corrupted by Xeno. Working under Xeno's behest, he is given counter-missions to conduct during his assigned operations in order to undermine the goals of EMPIRE. Both Xeno and EMPIRE have one mutual interest, if not similar desires: the destruction of Sabine Seychelle's criminal empire. In a series of double- and triple-crosses, Quinn struggles to stay one step ahead of everybody in order to survive.
There is a lot going on in Luxuria, the first volume of a proposed seven-part series, and readers will be rewarded for paying close attention. Fraction juggles time-bending alternate realities with spy shenanigans, as Quinn visits exotic locales to grapple with traitors, assassins, sexbots, and ancient military hardware that could destroy the world. Fraction's writing is smooth, filled with smart dashes of humor that occasionally break the fourth wall. Characters, sometimes God Himself, narrate events directly to the reader, bringing them up to speed on the storyline's various threads. Interspersed are a few moments of ironic self-awareness amongst the book's characters that are entertaining, such as an early scene where Xeno is compared to a deranged comic book villain. The plotting is tight across the story arc and the characters are well-defined to the point where an earlier bit of funny, innocuous dialogue reflecting Casanova's speech patterns is later repeated with an "oh, no" sinking feeling. Casanova is a fun ride, but further enriched with a story that, at its heart, is just as much about family and overcoming the old wounds that only those we truly love can inflict upon us.
Gabriel Bá's artwork is nicely stylized and exhibits a strong use and sense of space, especially with small moments where an element of scenery, like a mirror or a knife, can provide a reflection for him to cleverly spin the artwork in a different direction. His close-up portraits are illustrated particularly well, the action scenes are deftly crafted and fluid, and the panels are packed with important detail. Bá has a cinematic style to his framing, working with establishing wide-angle shots that demand attention and inspection, before moving in with closer views that keep the visual element of the book moving swiftly. The illustrations are a terrific marriage with Fraction's script, as the imagery is every bit as cool and evocative as the written element.
Matt Fraction and Gabriel Bá imbue Casanova with an old-style sense of cool, molding their futuristic story with the atmosphere of a bygone era. Filled with action and sexuality, it has a kind of 1960s spy story vibe to it, with a bit of European slick for good measure, which adult readers should find entertaining and rewarding. Combining the sexy panache and action of Sean Connery's James Bond with thrilling, oftentimes crazy, elements, it is among the best sci-fi offerings to come along in recent years.
Everything starts to go sideways for Quinn when he is abducted into a parallel universe by Newman Xeno, the leader of a terror network hell-bent on the destruction of EMPIRE. In this alternate reality, Quinn is the superstar agent of EMPIRE, while his sister is alive but corrupted by Xeno. Working under Xeno's behest, he is given counter-missions to conduct during his assigned operations in order to undermine the goals of EMPIRE. Both Xeno and EMPIRE have one mutual interest, if not similar desires: the destruction of Sabine Seychelle's criminal empire. In a series of double- and triple-crosses, Quinn struggles to stay one step ahead of everybody in order to survive.
There is a lot going on in Luxuria, the first volume of a proposed seven-part series, and readers will be rewarded for paying close attention. Fraction juggles time-bending alternate realities with spy shenanigans, as Quinn visits exotic locales to grapple with traitors, assassins, sexbots, and ancient military hardware that could destroy the world. Fraction's writing is smooth, filled with smart dashes of humor that occasionally break the fourth wall. Characters, sometimes God Himself, narrate events directly to the reader, bringing them up to speed on the storyline's various threads. Interspersed are a few moments of ironic self-awareness amongst the book's characters that are entertaining, such as an early scene where Xeno is compared to a deranged comic book villain. The plotting is tight across the story arc and the characters are well-defined to the point where an earlier bit of funny, innocuous dialogue reflecting Casanova's speech patterns is later repeated with an "oh, no" sinking feeling. Casanova is a fun ride, but further enriched with a story that, at its heart, is just as much about family and overcoming the old wounds that only those we truly love can inflict upon us.
Gabriel Bá's artwork is nicely stylized and exhibits a strong use and sense of space, especially with small moments where an element of scenery, like a mirror or a knife, can provide a reflection for him to cleverly spin the artwork in a different direction. His close-up portraits are illustrated particularly well, the action scenes are deftly crafted and fluid, and the panels are packed with important detail. Bá has a cinematic style to his framing, working with establishing wide-angle shots that demand attention and inspection, before moving in with closer views that keep the visual element of the book moving swiftly. The illustrations are a terrific marriage with Fraction's script, as the imagery is every bit as cool and evocative as the written element.
Matt Fraction and Gabriel Bá imbue Casanova with an old-style sense of cool, molding their futuristic story with the atmosphere of a bygone era. Filled with action and sexuality, it has a kind of 1960s spy story vibe to it, with a bit of European slick for good measure, which adult readers should find entertaining and rewarding. Combining the sexy panache and action of Sean Connery's James Bond with thrilling, oftentimes crazy, elements, it is among the best sci-fi offerings to come along in recent years.
October 4, 2020
I pulled the trigger on all three volumes of this series without knowing much about it except that I kinda like Matt Fraction and I definitely like super-spies. Hmm.
This was quite difficult to follow. There were several moments reading this where I wasn't entirely sure that the pages had been printed in the right order. I've still got two more volumes to go and I'm not thrilled about it.
This was quite difficult to follow. There were several moments reading this where I wasn't entirely sure that the pages had been printed in the right order. I've still got two more volumes to go and I'm not thrilled about it.
October 27, 2008
“The shortest, write-it-on-the-back-of-a-business-card pitch for Casanova is "the world's greatest thief gets blackmailed into being a pawn and double agent in a global game of super-espionage." There are more keywords and PowerPoint topics, like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Diabolik, Jim Steranko, Jerry Cornelius, Nick Fury and Our Man Flint.
Then I do a little interpretive dance.�
-Matt Fraction
The most important thing to know before reading this book is that Luxuria was originally published as monthly comic books. They were meant to be dense, stylish little blasts of cool that’d satisfy a reader for the weeks and weeks between issues. So I’d recommend trying to take a pause between each chapter to appreciate and absorb them individually.
Other than that, if you enjoyed some of the weirder, frantic, and fun elements of The Immortal Iron Fist, which Fraction co-wrote with Ed Brubaker, then buckle in, because that was the mass-consumption model. This is the pure, uncut shit.
***
Casanova Quinn� imagine James Bond playing the role of a happily morally-corrupt master thief. His twin sister, Zephyr, is the finest agent of E.M.P.I.R.E., the law-enforcement intelligence agency of their world that is run by their father Cornelius.
The sudden death (by, like, page 4) of Zephyr knocks Casanova’s world out of whack, and is the event that precipitates his being sucked OUT of his world ( timeline 909) into an alternate timeline (919) by Newman Xeno, a bandaged super-genius hedonist running an evil organization called W.A.S.T.E.
In the 919 timeline, Casanova is the star secret agent and his evil sister Zephyr is an agent of W.A.S.T.E. The finest agent of E.M.P.I.R.E. (in this case, the 919 version of Casanova) has been W.A.S.T.E.d and the master thief (909 Casanova) is blackmailed by Xeno into taking his place within E.M.P.I.R.E. as a double-agent. Clearly, this book can get a bit complicated.
Luxuria follows Casanova on missions as he tries to serve both of his masters and still survive. It has roots in the superspy genre, but mixes in a healthy dose of sci-fi and fantasy that allow the story’s trippier elements free reign to go wherever they like.
This can also be a negative. The book, at its best, has a great, sexy “just come with me for a ride� energy like an excited child tugging at your sleeve and which totally sucked me in. Sometimes, however, that enthusiasm drowns out clarity in the story, which is a bit egregious a flaw when Luxuria,/i> tries to deal with the mechanics of double-crosses in tight spy-story plotting. Its clear Fraction is more interested in thematic resonance, style, and tone.
To this end, Luxuria works best for me at points like chapter three, where a simple story’s narrative tension is maintained by how Fraction and Ba reveal information to the reader, or in the “Islander� (chapter 5?) story where Casanova and the reader are together in the discovery of big secrets That Change Everything (in that issue).
***
Fraction said he looked to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it came to structuring this as a series of stand-alone adventures that could be read independently or build up to a greater whole, and for the most part, it succeeds as little details accumulate in each issue that become relevant for the climactic finale.
Fraction has imagined the entirety of Casanova to be seven collections of seven-issue ‘seasons� of the comic book, each one named for the seven deadly sins. Luxuria, collects issues #1-7. Issues 8-14 will be collected under the title Gula sometime in 2009.
This is a trippy, DENSE book with fantastic art by Gabriel Ba (also artist of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, a fantastic artist that I haven’t said enough about, but the book owes so much to him), zippy dialogue, hip posturing, and a supreme sense of style, fun, and craziness. It’s a book I want people to read because I want to keep reading it. I hope you’ll try it, and feel the same way.
Then I do a little interpretive dance.�
-Matt Fraction
The most important thing to know before reading this book is that Luxuria was originally published as monthly comic books. They were meant to be dense, stylish little blasts of cool that’d satisfy a reader for the weeks and weeks between issues. So I’d recommend trying to take a pause between each chapter to appreciate and absorb them individually.
Other than that, if you enjoyed some of the weirder, frantic, and fun elements of The Immortal Iron Fist, which Fraction co-wrote with Ed Brubaker, then buckle in, because that was the mass-consumption model. This is the pure, uncut shit.
***
Casanova Quinn� imagine James Bond playing the role of a happily morally-corrupt master thief. His twin sister, Zephyr, is the finest agent of E.M.P.I.R.E., the law-enforcement intelligence agency of their world that is run by their father Cornelius.
The sudden death (by, like, page 4) of Zephyr knocks Casanova’s world out of whack, and is the event that precipitates his being sucked OUT of his world ( timeline 909) into an alternate timeline (919) by Newman Xeno, a bandaged super-genius hedonist running an evil organization called W.A.S.T.E.
In the 919 timeline, Casanova is the star secret agent and his evil sister Zephyr is an agent of W.A.S.T.E. The finest agent of E.M.P.I.R.E. (in this case, the 919 version of Casanova) has been W.A.S.T.E.d and the master thief (909 Casanova) is blackmailed by Xeno into taking his place within E.M.P.I.R.E. as a double-agent. Clearly, this book can get a bit complicated.
Luxuria follows Casanova on missions as he tries to serve both of his masters and still survive. It has roots in the superspy genre, but mixes in a healthy dose of sci-fi and fantasy that allow the story’s trippier elements free reign to go wherever they like.
This can also be a negative. The book, at its best, has a great, sexy “just come with me for a ride� energy like an excited child tugging at your sleeve and which totally sucked me in. Sometimes, however, that enthusiasm drowns out clarity in the story, which is a bit egregious a flaw when Luxuria,/i> tries to deal with the mechanics of double-crosses in tight spy-story plotting. Its clear Fraction is more interested in thematic resonance, style, and tone.
To this end, Luxuria works best for me at points like chapter three, where a simple story’s narrative tension is maintained by how Fraction and Ba reveal information to the reader, or in the “Islander� (chapter 5?) story where Casanova and the reader are together in the discovery of big secrets That Change Everything (in that issue).
***
Fraction said he looked to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it came to structuring this as a series of stand-alone adventures that could be read independently or build up to a greater whole, and for the most part, it succeeds as little details accumulate in each issue that become relevant for the climactic finale.
Fraction has imagined the entirety of Casanova to be seven collections of seven-issue ‘seasons� of the comic book, each one named for the seven deadly sins. Luxuria, collects issues #1-7. Issues 8-14 will be collected under the title Gula sometime in 2009.
This is a trippy, DENSE book with fantastic art by Gabriel Ba (also artist of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, a fantastic artist that I haven’t said enough about, but the book owes so much to him), zippy dialogue, hip posturing, and a supreme sense of style, fun, and craziness. It’s a book I want people to read because I want to keep reading it. I hope you’ll try it, and feel the same way.
February 28, 2011
I only gave this book 4 stars, but in many regards it deserves 5 because the same thing that is one of the books biggest stumbling points is also one of its biggest appeals: The velocity of its ideas. Before "Quantum of Solace" came out, I remember the direct talking about how he viewed the movie like it was a bullet, and he just wanted the audience to grab on and hold on for dear life. In a lot of ways, this book is the same. Matt Fraction, with the able help of Gabriel Ba, has a ton of ideas here, and he just fires them all at the reader in rapid succession and hopes you can keep up with them and sort them out: Dimension hopping, sex-bots, three-faced cross-dressing Buddhist monks, giant robots from WWII, dozens of different agencies, companies and secret societies all with anagram names and on-and-on. Crazy stuff... but you are largely left to sort it out for yourself.
Though the subject matter and even tone are vastly different, in some regards this series reminds me of Masamune Shirow's "Orion." In both, the writer obviously has a ton of ideas in his head that he wants to get out, and both reward multiple readings. In fact, this was actually the second time I've read the series, having collected it initially in the original Image monthlies. I re-read it partially because I was interested to see how it read in a collected edition, and partially because I wanted to see the new coloring that it had been given for the Marvel re-release. Both were definite positives. The only negative to this re-release is the absence of Fraction's original "back matter," the collection of behind-the-scenes, making of and other random thoughts that accompanied the original series. That original content provided an extra level of context that is missing from this version, and is worth tracking down.
Finally, I think its worth mentioning Gabriel Ba's artwork, which could probably be described as a cartoon-ier, pop-ier Mike Mignola. Fraction gives him a lot of fun content to chew on here and he definitely rises to the occasion. But, its the overall sense of style that shine through, a sense of style that is embodied in the appearance of Casanova himself: A sort of James Bond as played by a young Mick Jagger.
If you are looking for a highly original action series, and aren't turned off by a little nudity, swearing and random violence, you can't go wrong with Casanova.
Though the subject matter and even tone are vastly different, in some regards this series reminds me of Masamune Shirow's "Orion." In both, the writer obviously has a ton of ideas in his head that he wants to get out, and both reward multiple readings. In fact, this was actually the second time I've read the series, having collected it initially in the original Image monthlies. I re-read it partially because I was interested to see how it read in a collected edition, and partially because I wanted to see the new coloring that it had been given for the Marvel re-release. Both were definite positives. The only negative to this re-release is the absence of Fraction's original "back matter," the collection of behind-the-scenes, making of and other random thoughts that accompanied the original series. That original content provided an extra level of context that is missing from this version, and is worth tracking down.
Finally, I think its worth mentioning Gabriel Ba's artwork, which could probably be described as a cartoon-ier, pop-ier Mike Mignola. Fraction gives him a lot of fun content to chew on here and he definitely rises to the occasion. But, its the overall sense of style that shine through, a sense of style that is embodied in the appearance of Casanova himself: A sort of James Bond as played by a young Mick Jagger.
If you are looking for a highly original action series, and aren't turned off by a little nudity, swearing and random violence, you can't go wrong with Casanova.
November 23, 2013
Having read other reviewers' take on this one, I must say that I agree with a lot of their comments. There ARE a lot of good ideas and funny bits in this book. The fact that it's creator-owned means that [almost] anything goes, and with Matt Fraction you just know that he's going to turn out something fantastic. Just a sampling (er, a "fraction" ?) of the ideas in this book is more than you'll find in most big 2 comics series or events. However, I found the many drug references unnecessary as they don't do anything to forward the story, and that took away from my enjoyment of the book somewhat.
Luxuria is the first volume of a planned 7-volume series (one mini-series for each capital sin) and it stands well on its own. Some seeds are sown for the following volumes, but the fact that the subsequent volumes are published only once in a long while means that previous volumes need to be re-read if only to keep things straight - just check how much time went by between the publication of the first three volumes, and how long it's been since volume 3 came out. I understand Matt Fraction's probably got his plate full at Marvel these days, but people who have to wait too long for a new chapter in a series might just stop following it. As for me, maybe I'll check out an eventual Omnibus edition; waiting months (if not years) between chapters is not something I have patience for...
Luxuria is the first volume of a planned 7-volume series (one mini-series for each capital sin) and it stands well on its own. Some seeds are sown for the following volumes, but the fact that the subsequent volumes are published only once in a long while means that previous volumes need to be re-read if only to keep things straight - just check how much time went by between the publication of the first three volumes, and how long it's been since volume 3 came out. I understand Matt Fraction's probably got his plate full at Marvel these days, but people who have to wait too long for a new chapter in a series might just stop following it. As for me, maybe I'll check out an eventual Omnibus edition; waiting months (if not years) between chapters is not something I have patience for...
July 1, 2013
I remember buying the first issue or two of this when it first came out. It was so bizarre, and I'm pretty sure my initial reaction was, "Man, I love the art, but WTF did I just read?"
After picking this up a few months back, when I first dove back in, I thought, "Man, I love the art, but WTF did I just read?"
I'll admit, those first few issues are next to nonsense, but if you stick with it and keep reading, not only do the definitions come, but the pieces fall into place in a wonderful way. It's incredibly cool to see how Mr. Fraction builds the story arc and allows it to unfold in such a slow build. I imagine it was a rather risky thing to do, especially given--I believe--that it was an Image comic. And seeing as how often Image shitcanned good comics because they "didn't sell," I was honestly surprised to see that this one stuck around for not just one, but three full volumes worth. I guess enough folks figured the story would pay off. Sure enough, it really and truly does.
There are still a few things left hanging, but not in a bad way. I still had questions when I finished, but by the end, I was read for the next volume and had to admit that this is an extremely unique and fun ride.
After picking this up a few months back, when I first dove back in, I thought, "Man, I love the art, but WTF did I just read?"
I'll admit, those first few issues are next to nonsense, but if you stick with it and keep reading, not only do the definitions come, but the pieces fall into place in a wonderful way. It's incredibly cool to see how Mr. Fraction builds the story arc and allows it to unfold in such a slow build. I imagine it was a rather risky thing to do, especially given--I believe--that it was an Image comic. And seeing as how often Image shitcanned good comics because they "didn't sell," I was honestly surprised to see that this one stuck around for not just one, but three full volumes worth. I guess enough folks figured the story would pay off. Sure enough, it really and truly does.
There are still a few things left hanging, but not in a bad way. I still had questions when I finished, but by the end, I was read for the next volume and had to admit that this is an extremely unique and fun ride.
April 14, 2016
Mess.
Total mess.
Funniest thing was DeVries Technical Institute being the supplier of mooks/henchmen working for evil organizations.
I've liked Gabriel Bá's art since Finn lent me a few years ago, although Cassanova being drawn as a beefcake Mick Jagger/Richard Ashcroft is a little weird.
As for Matt Fraction, I liked the afterward/letters section at the end of each issue much better than the comic itself. He talks about his influences, and he's clearly a bright guy who's super-into the spy genre and innovative storytelling techniques, but I think he's been ruined by the film 'Primer' (I used to say "If time travel was possible, someone would've killed Einstein." I'm now changing it to Shane Carruth).
A small gag was had at the reader's expense with Newman Xeno's identity, but those points in cleverness will all... unravel... when he eventually does reveal it. A face in bandages is effectively equivalent to Chekhov's gun: it's gotta go off sometime.
Total mess.
Funniest thing was DeVries Technical Institute being the supplier of mooks/henchmen working for evil organizations.
I've liked Gabriel Bá's art since Finn lent me a few years ago, although Cassanova being drawn as a beefcake Mick Jagger/Richard Ashcroft is a little weird.
As for Matt Fraction, I liked the afterward/letters section at the end of each issue much better than the comic itself. He talks about his influences, and he's clearly a bright guy who's super-into the spy genre and innovative storytelling techniques, but I think he's been ruined by the film 'Primer' (I used to say "If time travel was possible, someone would've killed Einstein." I'm now changing it to Shane Carruth).
A small gag was had at the reader's expense with Newman Xeno's identity, but those points in cleverness will all... unravel... when he eventually does reveal it. A face in bandages is effectively equivalent to Chekhov's gun: it's gotta go off sometime.
February 15, 2015
Fun stuff! I feel bad for not liking this more than I do, actually. I wanted to be blown away, but I wasn't. That said, it's good solid work. And, if it's merely good, it's a level of merely good to which more comics creators should aspire. This is an homage to the spy movies of the '60s filtered through a pop cultural lens. It reminds me a bit of Michael Moorcock's tales of Jerry Cornelius, which Fraction allows was intentional in the bonus materials. That's right. We get bonus materials. Reprinted for our reading pleasure-- with new footnotes and, sadly, myriad typos--are the afterwords from all previous editions--both Image and Icon--of these comics. There's also a nice interview of Howard Chaykin by Matt Fraction (Chaykin's American Flagg is another of Casanova's inspirations), as well as brief looks at the coloring and lettering processes, original cover art, and other goodies.
November 11, 2015
Casanova Quinn is a super-spy and Mick Jagger lookalike caught in the middle of a war between the militaristic E.M.P.I.R.E. and the anarchic W.A.S.T.E. The plot bears some superficial similarities to , but Casanova is as colorful, sexy, and funny as that book is grim and paranoid. The retro-futurist artwork and the hyper-compressed storytelling make for a blissfully disorienting reading experience.
January 20, 2008
There is a moment in the first volume of Casanova in which several characters, each with conflicting and overlapping agendas, grudges, and motives, meet and prepare to hash things out. With fists, guns, and science fiction robots. There are three different captions that are crossed out, with author Matt Fraction finally settling on: "I LOVE COMIC BOOKS!"
Me too, Mr. Fraction. Me too.
Me too, Mr. Fraction. Me too.
May 19, 2009
A fantastic piece of psychedelic pop. Danger Diabolik, Jerry Cornelius, and James Bond thrown in a blender of pop music, sex automatons, Pynchon references, multiple time lines, battling secret organizations, Orgone generators, girl group assassins, parodies of espionage action, and giant Japanese Robots. Manic, bewildering and absolutely hilarious. Creators Matt Fraction and Gabriel Bá have my attention
May 17, 2008
Yeah, um, it's a spy book. Except when it's sci-fi. Except when it's a concept album. Except when it travels through time. Except when it goes to orgies.
You will never be so gleefully confused by a work of art/fiction as you will by this.
Who knew mind-altering drugs could be bought for a mere $1.99 every month or so?
You will never be so gleefully confused by a work of art/fiction as you will by this.
Who knew mind-altering drugs could be bought for a mere $1.99 every month or so?
October 23, 2018
The design is brilliant, but I seriously had trouble getting to the finish. Everything, that I have put my hands on, illustrated by the brazillian brothers is very good. Maybe this is one of the rare cases when reading single issues instead of a whole volume, would work better. Anyway, the character and his world became tiring, after a while.
June 25, 2019
The first volume of Matt Fraction’s Casanova is often more interested in being clever than in being good. Nevertheless, Gabriel Bá’s fantastic art kept pulling me forward, and I’m glad it did. Near the end of the volume, once Fraction stops showing off his entire collection of narrative tricks, his real storytelling chops begin to emerge.
August 4, 2008
Wild, kinetic and mind-bending. A comic that's like an extra-dimensional James Bond on acid, buy one of the strongest new voices in comics today. It's nearly indescribable, but a lot of sci-fi adventure twists get thrown around in here.
September 11, 2018
It's been a couple of years since I last read Casanova, and I'd forgotten how good it was. Idea-dense, with brilliant writing and absolutely gorgeous art, it's still one of the best comics series of recent times.
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