Hugo Pratt (1927–1995)

Corto is the epitome of romantic adventure, the rise and downfall of all us dreamers. He charms, of course, but more than his person, it's really his life, his song, his melancholy, his ships and desert treks, his labyrinths and Venetian gardens, his treasure hunts and pursuits of myth, his run-ins with pirates, mad monks, freemasons, charlatans, poets, drunkards, magnificent women--every one of them eccentric yet real, larger than life yet authentic--it's all that that seduces, the show more variegated turmoil around the one fixed centre, the calm eye of the storm, where Corto dreams. show less

Corto Maltese! This is an awesome 1970's Italian pulp adventure comic given to me by Tom as a birthday present. This particular volume covers some WWI adventures in and around England, Ireland and Germany, hence the subtitle "Celtic Tales". All black and white, almost realist style, everyone is a bit elongated, but it works. Corto is a bit of an anti-hero but has a soft side. Sometimes he's jacking hidden gold on the western front, sometimes he's hanging with Senn Fein operatives, sometimes show more he's steering a tugboat on a suicide run against a German U-Boat. Here is a sample chapter title: "Concerto in O' Minor for Harp and Nitroglycerine". It's not just pulpy though, there are dozens of literary references throughout: D.H. Lawrence, Hemingway, Morte D'Arthur, The Song of Roland, Cervantes. Hugo Pratt knows his stuff but likes to have fun too.
Speaking of Pratt, the bio on this guy is incredible. His mother trained him at a young age in the esoteric secrets of Kabbalah and cartomancy. When he was fourteen years old he was forced to join the colonial police in Abyssinia where his father served as soldier in the Italian Army. After Italy surrendered in WWII, he returned at the age of 21 and served as an interpreter for the allied forces. Then he moved to Argentina to join a comic writers commune. He traveled the world going on adventures and eventually retired to Switzerland where he died on the Lake of Lausanne in 1995. Sounds like a full life.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the story lines and appreciated a comic where the author expects you to know the cultural high marks of various literary traditions. I plan on picking up the other volumes as they are translated into English by EuroComics IDW. Thanks for hooking me up Tom. show less

The first sixty six panels of this story, where no word is spoken – and no word need be – is one of the most breathtaking sequences Manara has ever produced. Just by looking at the graphics, one can almost hear the roar of the surf and the screech of the gulls drowning the scream of the raped girl. There are a few more of this nature in this 151pp edition although non with the poignancy of this opening sequence.

This is one of the most successful collaborations Manara has had with Hugo show more Pratt, telling the more or less accurate story of early Puritan settlers struggle for survival in the Americas. Individual emotions, without narrative help, are superbly illustrated by Manara, while the narrative has historical accuracy dyed deeply.

This is a sad story, one small episode amongst many such conflicts in those early colonial days, born of human foibles and misunderstanding (on both sides) that ends in tragedy.

A brilliant rendition of an unfortunate human condition presented in graphic novel format, providing both entertainment and insight. show less

I'm thinking that women would be wonderful if we could fall into their arms instead of their hands.

This was a Christmas gift. I asked Joel last weekend if he was familiar with Hugo Pratt. Umberto Eco in [b:Inventing the Enemy: Essays|13326582|Inventing the Enemy Essays|Umberto Eco|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336493013s/13326582.jpg|18533740] raved about this Corto Maltese series. Joel acknowledged the author but hadn't had any experience reading him. It was thus a shock midweek to show more not only discover the massive Ford on Fox boxed set but this on our porch as well.

The narrative concerns an adventurer who sails about with his eclectic peers undertaking the tasks of the genre: looking for treasure, assisting rebels against their tyrant oppressors, unlocking family secrets etc. Pratt succeeds in repositioning these classic tropes in a very self-aware manner, much like the cinema of Godard, you are unable to forget that you are reading a novel.

The action sequences are very much Billy Jack meets Scott Pilgrim. Thankfully they are brief. Eco notes in his essay that characters in Corto Maltese spend a good amount of time reading, that may be the case in other volumes but not this one. There is a measure of Borges, a mingling of ancient arcs through the prism of the dime novel. show less