The problem with Matt Fraction having two comics released in the same week is that one must choose what comic is their favorite. Casanova: Aceida turns out the be the loser this time around, but even a losing Fraction title stands above the rest of them, especially thanks to wonderful art from brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. Things are finally coming to light to Casanova, but given the delay since last issue’s release I’m having a bit of trouble recollecting who all these people are. Beyond the problems caused by my crap memory, Casanova: Aceida continues to be a cool comic that’s toying with high concept Morrisionesque stuff while remembering to smile and swag at the same time. Starting out with a flashback, readers are privy to the destruction of a city at the hands of a few redirected bombs thanks to Akim, Casanova’s boss suffering from amnesia. Things return to the present as Casanvoa takes in a photo of the young Akim shortly after the attack along with Sabine, a librarian. Meanwhile, the people Casanova has hauled into his life are attacked mid meal by a large guy called Fabula who either has the ability to regenerate from sludge or has several clones. By issue’s end, someone dies and Casanova is on the verge of unwillingly switching alliances.

This latest installment of Cassanova excels at keeping things grounded even as events veer into the supernatural. Fraction has yet to provide much in the way of an explanation in the main story for just what is that’s going on, but it hardly gets in the way of enjoying the story, especially when the characters are as engaging as they are here. My favorite moments are often the way Moon expresses the character’s frustration and bemusement at the oddities occurring around them whether that’s Casanova’s surprise at a book spontaneously combusting or a group’s grossed out expression after an attackers is seemingly melted.

Perhaps the most frustrating issue with this comic is that I keep wondering how much my lack of knowledge of the wider Casanova narrative is impeding my understanding of the events here. Additionally, I’m only now getting a sense of how the backups relate to the main narrative. That frustration is on me more than the books though, and I intend to keep reading Casanova no matter how long he takes to figure out how much of a badass he is.

Score: 3/5

Casanova: Aceida #3 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Fábio Moon Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/29/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital