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[Comic Book Review] “Casanova Volume 1: Luxuria” Bold, Self-Aware, And Humorous

Published

9 years ago

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Casanova Quinn is spy material, from his combat and espionage skills to his Bond-esque love of women and booze. He is, due to a strange time paradox, his own evil twin. He’s not sure exactly what he’s doing or where he’s going, in a big-picture sense, but he does know that he doesn’t want it to involve his dysfunctional family. This narrative is a prime example of Matt Fraction’s signature self-aware and absurdist humor. It follows the character of Casanova Quinn in and out of time and space, mostly against his will, as he navigates the politics and ethics of various comic-book-acronym-named agencies (W.A.S.T.E., E.M.P.I.R.E., etc) in Casanova Volume One: Luxuria.

CasanovaVol1HC_Cover

WRITTEN BY: Matt Fraction
ART BY: Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $29.99
RELEASE: November 19, 2014
Reviewed By: Katy Rex

Collected in a beautiful glossy hardcover, this volume collects EXECUTION DAYS, PRETTY LITTLE POLICEMAN, MISSION TO YERBA MUERTA, DÉTOURNEMENT, COLDHEART, WOMEN AND MEN (PARTS ONE AND TWO), and bonus story I THINK I ALMOST LOVED HIM, of the ongoing series, As a bonus, it includes the backmatter and letters from the creators that went into the original issues, from both the Icon-published issues and the Image-published issues, which they’ve even annotated in some places (nerds). Fraction has even included the titles and some brief descriptions of some of his major influences, both in this work and in life, leading the reader to realize how important and personal this piece is for him.

The art is boldly inked and angular, emphasizing an exaggerated expression of bodies and fucking and explosions. The character designs are more like caricatures of tropes; the femme fatale, the muscleman, the geek. The panel layout is both creative and direct, as the action flows freely from one page to another. The colors are bold, and they don’t always follow the inking, shifting the reader’s perspective.

If you haven’t started reading this yet, this is a great jumping on point. Fans of Fraction’s other work, especially Hawkeye and Sex Criminals, will find a similar tone in this series. If you’re already a fan, this collection features some great extras, with Gabriel Bá’s take on the limitations of cover art, Dustin Harbin comparing lettering to playing the bass in a band, and Cris Peter talking about the advantages of having a finite palette of 45 colors. There are tons of great discussions between Matt Fraction and various other dudes, like Michael Chabon and Howard V. Chaykin.

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yoyos2Katy Rex writes comics analysis at endoftheuniversecomics.com, comicsbulletin.com, and bloody-disgusting.com. She also writes scholarly articles for various academic journals. She really likes butt jokes, dinosaurs, and killing psychos and midgets in Borderlands 2. She has a great sense of humor if you’re not an asshole.
Twitter: @eotucomics
Instagram: @katy_rex

 

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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