To victory! Stefano Cassini tells the story of the Cuban revolution, where a former Italian soldier becomes involved in the brutal conspiracies on both sides of the conflict.
In this comprehensive volume ¡Hasta la Victoria!, published by cARTEm Comics, the tetralogy of Stefano Cassini’s work is collected, consisting of volumes: Cuba 1957, Mambo Cubano, last summer in Havana and Venceremos, first published by the Italian publisher Mondadori, his historical collection.
The success of the works of the Italian author led CARTEm to establish his own line in the collection of Stefano Cassini, previously his publications such as Mimbrenos and The Sword and the Cross were successful in the Spanish market.
The conspiracy in the Cuban revolution
Until victory! Cassini sets the Cuban saga against the historical backdrop of the mid-20th-century revolution in the Caribbean nation, led by President Fulgencio Batista and revolutionary leaders such as Nero Macanti, who tortured Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
Stefano Cassini came up with the idea of creating this adventure while on vacation in a book titled Palmeras de Sangre, which had a beautiful photo of a street in Havana on the cover. For another reason, it happened to him to make history during the Cuban Revolution.
In order to make a story with a historical background, the author decided to examine the time and work first with the atmosphere of the country before the revolution and later with the revolutionaries born in Sierra Maistra. The battles that rocked the “Las Vegas of the Caribbean.”
Macanti is a former Italian military man who philosophically takes every facet of his existence in which he finds himself caught up in the conspiracies and machinations of many people, starting with a doctor who collaborates with a doctor. The movement is revolutionary. This volume is a melodious story, with many main characters and a dynamic and frenetic narrative beat.
“Casinia” is a story of action and meditation
So there are fast sequences where adrenaline runs like wildfire in the action, but to give more attention to the story, the pace slows down when the author looks for a more internal character, analyzing the story from a certain point of view, as happens in the action novels of Tom Clancy or the crime novels of another famous Italian author, such as Donato Carisi. .
The spy story’s influence on Cazzini’s plot is, in fact, as clear as a John Le Carré adventure. Here, Cassini explores the psychology of Nero McCantry and the other main characters very well. In an honest exercise, the screenwriter establishes the balance between the characters without judgment.
The portrayal of historical figures such as Fidel Castro or Che Guevara does not mean that the author endorses any of them or their actions, but is limited to corrupt politicians, individuals giving a very effective description of the small world of Cuba. Along with the mafias, honest revolutionaries, adventurers and criminals based on the island.
The Italian author wastes his story criticizing the social and economic inequality in Cuba, where the people who partake in the island’s casinos and luxury hotels have a lot of fun in Hollywood. The misery and poverty spread in the slums and rural areas of the country.
Since it was an introduction to the world of Cuba under the Batista regime, there is hardly any reference to the revolutionary leaders in the first part of the whole volume, but in the second half, Castro and Che are more relevant, although they are. It is not the center of Cassini’s history.
Nero Macanti remains the central plot point of Stefano Cassini, a character who suffers from fate and the pain they bring. The moral ambiguity of such an unstable time is perfectly captured by Cassini, black and white, good and bad, but without many changing shades of gray.
In the artistic department, Cassini shows a real concern for making a very good picture, it is not a natural line, with branches, but without falling into caratera. This style is more than enough to represent an environment where danger and hope coexist, with violent and uncontrollable emotions, not realizing significant volatility and periods of chaos.
Editing and grading
Universal edition to victory! Published in the Cassini comic collection by cARTEm Cómics, hardcover, color, 21 x 29.7 cm format and 240 page extension, translated into Spanish by José E. Martínez.
The complex story developed by Stefano Cassini in ¡Hasta la Victoria! Like his previous works, it is a work of the highest order that will delight Italian fans, readers of the author’s comics, and those looking for a mixture of entertainment and reflection in one story. Spy.
Cuba, 1957
It brings us to Cuba, in 1957, when violence reigned, a historical moment in which the island is undergoing a transcendental transformation. As the powerful American influence manifests itself in the form of wild parties, the dark rides of the Mafia and the excitement of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, in the mountains and humble neighborhoods of Havana, the germ of revolution strikes hard.
In the midst of this social and political storm emerges Nero Macanti, a former officer of the Royal Italian Navy and Orinoco’s second hand, who, unsuspectingly, is destined to become a protagonist in the ensuing turmoil. It’s Cuba. As fate intertwines with the island and its inhabitants in a game of passion, intrigue, and struggle for freedom, every decision and every encounter plunges you into the complexities of a country in flux.
The magnum opus of Mimbrenos and the sword and cross author has finally hit Spanish shelves to delight a new audience eager for adventure and thrills.
Through the author’s brilliant pen, we witness an unforgettable journey in search of a future where dreams collide with reality, and where courage and hope are intertwined, introducing us to the vibrant atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Cuba.
This work is not only an honest picture of a turbulent time, but also a story of the resilience of the human spirit in times of crisis, captivating from the first page and leaving a big mark on the reader’s heart.