|
Casanova, Vol. 1: Luxuria
|
| List Price: | $24.99 |
| Price: | $16.49 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
26 new or used available from $12.45
Average customer review:
Product Description
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.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #137500 in Books
- Published on: 2007-06-06
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 144 pages
Customer Reviews
Yes, please. More. More pudding. Please.
I can't begin to tell you how cool this comic is. That's really the best way to describe it, absolutely. Freaking Cool.
Alright. It's tangentially in the spy genre, more in the vein of Jerry Cornelius (although much less 'modernistic,' maybe) than James Bond, with generous helping of minty fresh Jim Steranko in there as well. The story? Well, the protagonist, Casanova Quinn, is mixed up between several super-agencies with acronyms for names, and he's also from another dimension or timeline or something. It's a little science-fiction, but not in that "thinky," irritating, way.
To express how cool the series is, in the first issue, Casanova fights like a giant floating head in a floating casino. Only, the giant floating head is actually three guys, fused together by crazy Buddhism. Casanova and said head then engage in a titanic floating staring contest. Later, Casanova sets a town ablaze through orgone overdose, steals a god, and has a kung fu battle in the head of a giant robot.
And not only is the book filled with crazy, mind-bending set pieces, but the characterization is strong, albeit sparse. Most importantly for a work as, uh, inspired as this, Casanova feels like an authentic person.
The dialog is perpetually hilarious and the art sings on the page. It's dynamic and it's in one color, like the old-school Barbarella comics.
I think, of all the hundreds of comics I read every year, this is my favorite probably as far back as I can remember. This particular edition is beautifully over-sized and well-designed. I totally recommend it, especially if you haven't already read the book.
Umm, in summation, the writer is Matt Fraction and the artist is Gabriel Ba. The book is cool. Yes.
Slick n' Sexy, just how you like it.
This book rocks your socks off. Business socks, sweat socks, which ever you happen to be wearing at the time. And if I'm not wearing socks, you ask?! Well then it rocks the skin right of your feet. This hardbound collection comes in a smooth and shiny cover, packed with story and art literally bursting off every page. The creators intentionally made this comic for the pressed for cash fan, so every issue reads and feels like 2 or 3 of the "other guy's" stuff. You just can't go wrong with Fraction and Ba. Just buy this book if you ever want to feel what it's like to be cool. ever.
Super Spy Adventure
Casanova follows Cassanova Quinn: international thief. He is the son of Cornelius Quinn, who runs E.M.P.I.R.E. (Extra-Military Police, Intelligence, Rescue, and Espionage), and the brother of Zeph, and exemplary agent of E.M.P.I.R.E. After Zeph is killed in action, Casanova is brought in by his father, has a fight with him, and eventually jumps out of a flying casino to escape certain death (and a gambling debt). On the way down, he accidentally breaches space-time to an alternate reality where he is the one who died in service of E.M.P.I.R.E. and Zeph works for Newman Xeno, hedonistic leader of W.A.S.T.E. (only Xeno's terrible mind and blackest heart knows what that stands for). Casanova teams up with Xeno and Zeph to infiltrate E.M.P.I.R.E. And that's just the first issue!
Matt Fraction takes the concept of a James Bond spy story to a whole new level. Fraction takes all the old spy standby traditions of cool gadgets, double- and triple-crosses, sexy femme fatales, and suave secret agents. To this he adds copious sci-fi elements, psychic battles, and pop-culture references. Casanova was put out during Image's experiment with 22 page comics (16 pages of actual content), so the story moves at a fast pace, but Fraction manages to pack in an incredible amount of details. He doesn't spell anything out for the reader, so the book demands full attention to keep track of all the twists and turns.
Gabriel Bã's artwork reminds me of Mignola's, but with more stylish lines and sexier figures. He draws in stark monochrome accented by green shading.
Casanova is best enjoyed like a good song; first take in the rhythm and flow of the words and images, then go back and take in the meanings of the words. The density rewards second and third readings. Though demanding, it's well worth the ride.
