Casanova is back!

Casanova is back. As 2016 marks our tenth anniversary working on our crazy super interdimentional spy adventures, we decided to put a little extra effort in this year's issues. The storyline continues as dense and unpredictable as always, but we decided to go back on memory lane and dig some hidden treasures.

Our newest issue has a special variant cover the reproduces the original drawing used as the cover of the very first Casanova comic. It's our mix of "artist's edition" with "coloring book", which I hope gives a chance for the reader to see what our originals look like.

Inside the comic, past the regular or special variant cover, past the main storyline and before Bá and Chabon Metanauts back-up, you'll also find two pin-ups by artists we admire who helped us celebrate that the first issue of Casanova also came out in June, 10 years ago: Rafael Albuquerque and Eduardo Medeiros. I hope you like their version of some of our characters.

In two weeks, we'll go to Charlotte to be guests at our first convention of the year, Heroes Con, and we'll continue the Casanova Celebration there. I'll post more details as we get closer.

Let us know what you thought of the newest issue, and get ready for more.

Back to the drawing board for me.

Casanova celebrates 10 years

CASANOVA returns in June, celebrating 10 years since its first publication.
CASANOVA: ACEDIA #5 Cover A (Diamond Code APR160677) and Cover B (Diamond Code MAR168905) hit stores on Wednesday, June 1.

The Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, May 9.

(See more at: https://imagecomics.com/content/view/casanova-acedia-celebrates-ten-years)

2014 after a long day and a bottle of wine.

I will be done with the artwork of the Hellboy story I’m drawing this week. Today was a long day in order to finish inking two pages from it. I planned on finishing this pages much earlier, but life got in the way – in a good way, at least – and I had to pull a late night shift in order to keep up with my self-imposed schedule.
After I finished inking the first page, I made myself dinner. I opened a bottle of wine to relax a bit, and the fact that the bottle had “Aragonez” written in it struck me as a good sign. Not quite Aragonés, but close enough. I wondered if drinking would help or ruin the inking of the second page. It didn’t do any of the above, I guess, but I did relax as I worked well after midnight.

I’ve been working, on and off, at this Hellboy story since the beginning of the year, but the very first page of art I made this year was for something completely different. If you follow the news or attended the Image Expo convention that happened in San Francisco on January 9th, or if you follow this blog, you already know.



I got the following email from Matt on December 28th, already at the beach house:

“With the Image Expo coming up, Image is wondering if we (you) can generate a promo image they can reveal. Even if we just end up showing the logo and everyone’s name and a date that works but, y’know, art is always preferred.”

The page above was the result of the email exchange that followed, talking about the plot and the visual influences Matt wanted for the new arc. Even in the middle of my vacation, I decided to put in the extra effort and make this page. It was worth it, and it was a good reflex of one of my new year’s resolution:

-This year, I want to produce more.

If I focus, I know I can do more than what I’ve been doing. I know answering emails is part of the job, and making decisions and signing contracts and going to festivals around the world where I meet wonderful people and have incredible experiences, but I know I can produce more if I put my heart into it. An I plan to do it this year. The Hellboy story is part of it, as is the new Casanova arc. As is a short story for a Vertigo anthology, a one page Little Nemo homage piece, and some other secret projects we can’t talk about it yet.
We can do more stuff outside the “comics” realm: an music album cover, more live drawings, a tour poster, and whatever feeds our muse.

A recent email I received fed my muse in ways it haven’t been fed in a very long time, and it helped everything make sense.

As I finished the last inking page I set to myself for today (tonight), I went back to the bottle of wine and started thinking about my upcoming trip to India. I’m sure many stories are waiting to be discovered there, and Bá and I are counting the days.

We’re counting the days, and we’re making plans, and we’re dreaming of stores yet untold.

New Casanova back at Image

Casanova volume 4, called ACEDIA, was announced today at ImageEXPO. Matt and I will work on the main story, with backup stories by Michael Chabon and Bá.
It feels good to be back at Image with this book.
Well, back to work.
Happy new year.

Portland week!

We've been super busy here at the studio. After finally finishing the last pages of BPRD-Vampire (check out the detail from the last page on the image above), we're still hard at work on our short story for the recently announced American Vampire anthology. If that's not enough, there are two covers on our plate this month, a KillJoys one and a yet secret one, and we're trying to finish as much as we can before we travel to the US for our Portland week next week.
Portland week?
Yep.

We were invited to Portland to be part of this year's edition of the International Comic Arts Forum (check out the sweet Mike Allred poster) and we gladly accepted, as we love to talk about comics and how great it is to create and read them, and as Portland has so many awesome comic related people, from authors like Craig Thompson and Joe Sacco, to great artists like Allred himself, to publishers like our beloved Dark horse, and also some amazing mainstream writers like Matt Fraction and Brian Bendis.

Last time I went to Portland, this, this, this and this happened. Who knows what can happen this time?

Some of the things that will happen we know. Here's our to-do list:

-Wednesday, May 22th - from 7pm till 10pm- TFAW signing/party - we'll be signing at the Portland Things From Another World (2916 NE Broadway Street), in a very relaxed meet and talk get together where we'll sign your comics for you. Attendees will enjoy free food and beer (those 21+ with valid I.D.) and receive raffle tickets to win an original sketch I did for the event poster (pictured below). It was supposed to be a fast sketch, but I got a little carried away.

- Friday, May 24th, from 2pm to 3:15pm- Roundtable: Beyond Auteurism - Creativity and Collaboration in Comics. With Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Matt Fraction, Charles Hatfield, Ben Saunders, Qiana Whitted. (part of ICAF, at the University of Oregon, White Stag Building 70 NW Couch Street)

- Friday, May 24th, from 7pm to 8:30pm :An Evening With Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon. Moderated by Matt Fraction. We'll talk about our love of comics, and how we choose and create our projects, and we'll show some pretty pretty pictures to help with our presentation. And Matt will keep things funny. (part of ICAF, at the University of Oregon, White Stag Building 70 NW Couch Street)

Both ICAf events are free for the public, as is the signing at the store, but for the ICAF talks they ask that you register online. All the information can be found here. I hope a lot of people come, and we'll be ready for all sorts of questions, even if we have to squeeze them out of the audience.

Casanova v.4 is coming with a bonus

Casanova has a great deal of history with April. I always remember 2009 with fondness. But now the time has come to yet again share the wonders of the Casanova universe with our universe.

Matt says it best:

"When CASANOVA returns at the end of the year, the main story by Moon and me will be backed up by shorts created by Michael Chabon and Bá.
He keeps saying “Like TALES OF ASGARD” and I’m not sure if he’s kidding or not.
CASANOVA IV
Fraction • Moon • Chabon • Bá • Peter • And, siiiigh, Dharbin.
Marvel/Icon 2013."

CASANOVA in France

Here's the brand new cover I did for the French edition of CASANOVA - Luxuria.




Casanova is gonna be published in France by Urban Comics, to be release in January, 2013.

I'm prepared to sign a lot of Casanovas in Angoulême and on the other cities of our little French tour, as well of Daytripper (and every other book someone might bring) and do a lot of "dédicaces".

CASANOVA originals at SDCC 2012

It's sexy. It's crazy. What else can I say for sure about CASANOVA?
It was a very hard year working on this series and juggling it with all the other projects both Matt and I had to do, so I'm really sorry to have delayed issues #3 and #4 so much. But, in the end, it was for the best, because I was more focused and could produce what I think were some of the best pages of my life.
AVARITIA was a crazy story arc that explained a lot of things and left a whole other bunch on the air, but that's the way it is with this book. And what comes next? We'll have to wait and see. Only Matt knows.
So if you're a fan of Casanova Quinn, Sasa Lisi, Suki Boutique and Luther Desmond Diamond, you'll be thrilled to know that we're bringing original pages of AVARITIA to sell next week on SDCC at our booth (#1320). Here's the amazing selection of pages (click on the pages to see a bigger version).
 









Oh, how I loved that Ziggy Startdust reference. It came out perfect. I really love when Matt points at something and I nail it. It's a very hard thing to do. the man is not from this world.

The folks of Beguiling have some other pages as well, from previous stories. So don't forget to check them out. They sell it online and I'm sure they'll bring of of them to the show as well.
AAAAAANNNNND… we will have all three trades of the Casanova series for sale at our booth.
LUXURIA, GULA and AVARITIA. Very exciting! PA-ZOW!

Casanova Avaritia trade is coming

It's coming in July. You should go to your comic book store and make sure your store person orders the book for you. You'll probably need to order two books, to read the story twice, and then you'll understand it. And it will be awesome.

here's the solicitation:

CASANOVA: AVARITA TPB
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Cover by GABRIEL BÁ
From the writer of Marvel's smash hit FEAR ITSELF and the artist of the best-selling book Umbrella Academy comes one of the most critically acclaimed series of the year! On the run from ten thousand parallel worlds that want him dead, Casanova Quinn, the world's sexiest and savviest superspy, fights tyrant and hero alike. Now Cass and Sasa Lisi, his girlfriend from beyond tomorrow, must flee from space-time itself, aim one batch of enemies at the other, kill everybody, and save everything, simultaneously. Don't be afraid: you are an apocalypse dreaming of butterflies + the first part of reincarnation is dying. You have never read a book like CASANOVA.
152 PGS./Mature ...$14.99

CASANOVA: AVARITIA final issue!!

I'm working on this issue as we speak (read, whatever) and it's AWESOME! It will blow your mind!
By the way, don't forget to pick up issue #3 on early April.

CASANOVA: AVARITIA #4 (of 4)
One of the most critically acclaimed series of the year comes to its catastrophic conclusion. CASANOVA: AVARITIA #4 answers every question (almost), solves every riddle (kind of), and explains absolutely everything you ever wanted to know about the world of CASANOVA (in a way). Casanova Quinn, hated on all sides by tyrant and hero alike, must flee from time and space, aim one batch of enemies at the other, kill everybody and save everything simultaneously. Don’t be afraid: you are an apocalypse dreaming of butterflies + the first part of reincarnation is dying…
By the Eisner-laden team of MATT FRACTION (AvX, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, THE MIGHTY THOR, FEAR ITSELF) and GABRIEL BÁ (UMBRELLA ACADEMY, DAYTRIPPER).

40 PGS./Mature …$4.99

CASANOVA: AVARITIA #3 GO'DAMMIT!

God, damn! I'm finally done with Casanova: AVARITIA #3! If any of you hadn't seen the cover last year, here it goes again.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for all this delay. I used to hate those indy books done by superstar authors that would come out late because, well, they are superstars and really busy and all. Well, that should teach me to respect the big league and what it brings to the table.
Lot has happened last year, both Matt and I didn't expect it to be so crazy and we all hoped we would be able to work normally on Casanova through any sort of storm. We were wrong, but what ended up happening is what always ends up happening. THE BOOK IS AWESOME!!! I can honestly say it has the best pages I've ever done and some of the craziest scenes Matt's ever written. In the end, that's what really matters.

So, the solicitation number for it is 5960607229-00311 and it shall come out in March, finally! If you haven't already ordered it, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING???

And I'm hands deep into issue #4 already! Good times! 

Matt Fraction in Brazil

It was great to have Matt and Kelly Sue in Brazil, even if only for a little while, and even if we didn't see each other all that much with us having to handle our booth and Matt and Kelly Sue writing and reading and walking around the cool parts of the city.



Back to drawing comics now. These puppies don't get made all by themselves (or, how I would have said to Kelly Sue, "and that's why we have Mario").

CASANOVA is back... AGAIN... FINALLY!

On September 7th, the wait is over. Even people who have not been waiting will have not to wait any longer, because that which they did not know will be known at last. Yes, confusing. But yes, amazing.
The new CASANOVA : AVARITIA series starts this wednesday, a four issues series, each chapter with 32 pages filled with crazy, sexy, complicated and fun sci-fi stuff for people who really give a shit about comics. Written by super-star Matt Fraction, art by humble me (yet, awesome art by humble me), hand lettered by Dustin Harbin and colors Cris Peter. Published by ICON!
And if you're one of them, you might like to know that Floating World in Portland has an exposition of original Casanova pages during September, pages ranging from Luxuria, to Gula and the freshly started AVARITIA. Go check out the amazing black and white artwork, just to compare to the great color work Cris Peter is doing on the series.


Well, what are you waiting for?

Solicitation for Casanova Avaritia #1

The wait is over - or almost - as Casanova is once again solicited! This is the moment all of you - or at least many of you - have been waiting for: 100% new Casanova issues. No reprints. No old material. New story! New artwork! New color palette!
Our new arc, avaritia will start in September, and the solicitation goes like this:
CASANOVA: AVARITIA #1 (of 4)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by GABRIEL BÁ
Cover by GABRIEL BÁ
From the writer of Marvel's smash hit FEAR ITSELF and the artist of the best-selling book Umbrella Academy comes the FULL-COLOR rebirth of the coolest comic of all time -- CASANOVA IS BACK and NOW YOU can see what everybody's been talking about. THIS ISSUE: The world's sexiest and savviest superspy kills his way from dimension to dimension in a high-stakes, action-packed adventure that cannot be described in a mere human "solicitation." !!! 32 ALL-NEW FULL-COLOR PAGES. PREORDER THIS BOOK! IF YOUR RETAILER CAN'T READ YOUR MIND, YOU CAN'T READ 'CASANOVA.'
40 PGS./Mature …$4.99

CASANOVA- AVARITIA 1 cover revealed!

In September, everything in the Casanova universe will be new. New storyline, new artwork, new mood. And here's the first brand new cover!

If you like the cover, wait until you see what the interiors look like.
All the best, and back to work.

Casanova in 2011

January will explode with Casanova as both the trade from the first series, LUXURIA, and the first issue of the new series, GULA, will come out and please the readers. In GULA, I step in as artist of the series, and the LUXURIA trade has super cool never before seen bonus material. 2011 is a good year to be a Casanovonaut, as Matt used to call our readers, and it al starts as early as January. This time around, don't miss the boat.


CASANOVA VOL. 1: LUXURIA TPB
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by FÁBIO MOON & GABRIEL BÁ
Cover by GABRIEL BÁ
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. Gorgeously re-colored and re-lettered by hand, this staggering psychedelic spy-fi epic is collected for the first time as it was meant to be made. By the Eisner award-winning team of Matt Fraction (INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, THOR, UNCANNY X-MEN), Gabriel Bá (UMBRELLA ACADEMY, BPRD: 1947), and Fábio Moon (DAYTRIPPER, SUGARSHOCK). With all-new, all-different, never-before-seen bonus material! Collecting CASANOVA: LUXURIA #1-4

CASANOVA: GULA #1 (of 4)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art & Cover by FÁBIO MOON
CASANOVA is back. Or is he? Actually Casanova is gone. Gone from space, gone from time. The burning question WHEN IS CASANOVA QUINN hangs over the entire world as E.M.P.I.R.E. and W.A.S.T.E. alike race toward the horrible, inevitable, answer…The second staggering volume of CASANOVA starts here by the Eisner-laden team of Matt Fraction (THOR, UNCANNY X-MEN, THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN) and Fábio Moon (DAYTRIPPER, SUGARSHOCK) taking over art duties. Never before collected! Never before reprinted! Never before understood! In gorgeous full 4-D psychocolor! Worth a million in prizes! Change your shorts, change your life, change into a nine-year-old Hindu boy! Guaranteed!*
*not actually guaranteed
40 PGS./Mature Content …$3.99

Daytripper and Casanova solicitation for August

Busy month for us. Exciting.



DAYTRIPPER #9
Written by GABRIEL BÁ & FÁBIO MOON
Art by GABRIEL BÁ & FÁBIO MOON
Cover by GABRIEL BÁ
Brás is going through one of those days that seems like a lifetime; when so many things happen and change so fast and so dramatically that he can’t keep track of what the hell is going on. In this penultimate issue to the acclaimed miniseries, can he figure things out before it’s too late?
On sale AUGUST 11 • 9 of 10 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS


CASANOVA #2
Written by Mat Fraction
Art by Gabriel Bá
Cover by Gaberiel Bá
CASANOVA: LUXURIA continues! Strange, sweaty, naked things are afoot deep in the jungle metropolis of Áqua Pesada. A rogue E.M.P.I.R.E. agent has gone mad and, in between throwing the most decadent parties the world has ever known, spills his spy-guts out in the pages of a breathless, confessional, comic book... and Casanova Quinn is given orders by his father to bring the agent in... but Newman Xeno wants Casanova to kill him instead. Bloodshed, betrayal, a trial, an exile, a Paco Rabanne dress made entirely out of credit cards, and a shocking twist that sets Casanova irrevocably on a path of no return. 32 PAGES OF COSMIC COMIC SPY-CHEDELIA. All new back-matter! Soul-elevating colors! Staples and paper! READ!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ... $3.99

CASANOVA is BACK!!

New covers!
32 pages comics!
Re-colored by Cris Peter!
Re-lettered by Dustin Harbin!

Third arc ON THE MAKING!
At ICON!

13 at night.

Friday 13th. Here I am at night, headed home. First, I stop to think about all these things that seem to be happening at the same time.



I put aside my X-Men curiosity for a while. It was getting in the way of my pages. It was getting serious in an unhealthy kind of way. When time allows, I'll get back to it as the curiosity is still here, alive and kicking, but there are more urgent matter kicking harder. I did, however, managed to do some more sketches of the X-Men. And what trouble did they bring. I can tell you it's not easy to draw those people.

But back to what takes most of my time: Daytripper.

The release of Daytripper is getting closer and closer. Finally, after more than a year working on it, it's finally happening. We have never been so proud of anything we did like we are of Daytripper, and I think it really shows how much we like this project when we realize how much hard work it requires from us. We do everything the same we did with any other project, but it just seems harder, like it's so much more personal that it hurts to get it done, to get it out. Matt Fraction told us writing Casanova was a lot more trouble than writing anything else, so I guess it's expected.

Talking about Matt, he spent the entire week answering all sorts of questions on the WhiteChapel forum, and I found it very interesting for anyone who wants to know more about writing and making comic books for bigger and smaller publishers. I also liked that questions were balanced between his Marvel work and Casanova as it shows that readers are waiting for the book's return. We've been planning the book's return for some time now and it was very nice to see Matt share some information of the hows and whens of it. Everybody should check out that discussion, I couldn't help it myself and made some questions, and I ended up answering some as well.

That's how we'll learn: getting out there, making questions, trying things out by ourselves.

I have a lot of faith for the future of comics and I welcome all the hard work involved in being a part of this present and this future. I won't be easly scared if things get rough. Not now, on a friday 13th at night, and not ever.

Don't you just love comics?

the talk of X-Men

A week ago, I was thinking about Casanova and I read something on Matt's twitter about what he wanted to do someday in a story, and I joked ( on my twitter) he was already doing that on his X-Men. All this silly talking soon turned into a "what if I did draw the X-Men?" that got my corner of the internet talking.

I got curious.

Just the day before that, I was talking to Grampá, Rafa and Cobiaco I didn't thought I was a good fit for super heroes just because I wasn't curious to see super heroes in my style. I'm curious to see Grampá drawing them, or Paul Pope, or John Cassaday, or even Bá, but not me.

Now you imagine you're crazy like me, and then you mix the conversation with Grampá and the internet cheering, and then my curiosity suddenly grew and looked me in the face, challenging me.

I fed this challenging curiosity a few days, researching the current X-Men.

I opened the sketchbook during one of my many coffee breaks.

I just let my curiosity drive my hand.

My hand drew Casanova characters.