Casanova is the sister book to Warren Ellis's Fell, in that both are presented in Image's cheaper format, but there are more commonalities than that. Both Fraction and Ellis boast an extreme approach to characters and stories, and in a text piece in the back of the book, Fraction acknowledges that Ellis helped to encourage him and guide the development of Casanova. As I read this inaugural issue, I actually noticed similarities to Ellis's Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.. That book is something of Marvel's Avengers on cocaine. Casanova is Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., sitting right alongside, setting up the lines.
Casanova Quinn is the black sheep of the family, and when one's family is in the business of international espionage, security and law enforcement, that makes him a particularly naughty fellow. Casanova loves to snub his nose at dad Cornelius Quinn, director of E.M.P.I.R.E., and that leads him to work for the bad guys or at least those not in league with E.M.P.I.R.E. But something big is brewing, promising to draw Casanova into zen warfare, alternate realities and uncomfortable exposure to familial nudity.
Gabriel Ba's artwork will put most readers in mind of Eduardo Risso's style immediately, but the Jim Steranko influence is readily apparent as well, just not as dominant. Of course, the Steranko riff is appropriate, given the Nick Fury spoof/homages in the story. The characters designs are inventive, particularly when it comes to the bizarre figures who serve as the villains of the book. The one-tone coloring technique is designed, I suspect, to keep production costs down on this cheaper-format book, but it actually works with the pop-spy premise. It adds such depth that it even seemed as though the book was in full color at times. The cover is a striking Steranko tribute, capturing the psychedelic style he pioneered years ago.
Ultimately, this is a book about rebelling against authority. Casanova defies his father, the law and the establishment with his every breath, but he's not content to stop at that. He also rebels against the antagonists i with whom his father has lumped him. His entire raison d'etre is to be an individual, beholden to no one and focused on his own desires for adventure and vice.
As Fraction notes in the back of the book, he's attempted to cram each page, each panel of this story with multiple layers, and he's succeeded. The frenetic pace is engrossing. There's so much to be found here, and the book manages to be many things at once, enhancing the chance it will connect with a larger audience. It's funny, suspenseful and surreal all at once. There's a similar tone and genre as Fraction's Rex Mantooth stories, but this material isn't quite as madcap, and there's even a touch of drama hidden in the weird, energetic and zany story. 8/10
