Casanova, the Complete Edition, Vol. 1: Luxuria

There’s a way of making a complicated multiple-reality sci-fi spy story that works, and Fraction (Sex Criminals, Hawkeye) has certainly found it. Rather than move the plot forward with painstaking precision, gradually establishing the magnitude of it all, Fraction serves it up at an absolutely screaming pace, trusting the reader to see the hectic art mirroring the unfolding events.. The eponymous Casanova Quinn finds himself kidnapped into a parallel universe, where he must work at the behest of the forces of evil in order to bring down EMPIRE, an organization dedicated to international law enforcement headed by his own father. Keeping everything straight is a challenge for Quinn, and on more than one occasion he thinks he’s losing his mind. The frenetic line work of Ba (The Umbrella Academy, Daytripper) is just what the narrative needs, especially when accompanied by the excellent coloring of Cris Peter, using a very selective palette. The reader will also appreciate Fraction’s supercool touches, such as popping God into the margins to explain what’s happening. (Dec.)