The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Various comics sites are abuzz with the news that Italian cartoonist Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese books are finally returning to print in the English language. I’ll confess that I have heard the name but never actually come across these graphic novels, although my colleague Kenny is a fan and seems to be in good company as most of those in the know are delighted to see them returning to English-language readers after years of being out of print (with many old copies changing hands for a lot more than their cover price on Ebay and at comic marts). I certainly didn’t know that Frank Miller was so impressed with Pratt’s work that he named the island of Corto Maltese in his Dark Knight Returns after the series as a tribute. Ballad of the Salt Sea, originally published in the late 60s, has our egalitarian rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold involved with pirates and smugglers.

Hopefully the translation will be better than the older NBM editions which many have derided as poor and possibly one of the reasons fewer English-language readers than might be expected have read this series which has been hugely popular in various other languages around the world (although often other language work has a hard time of it with English-language readers, regardless of the quality of the translation – it isn’t uncommon for a novel which has sold hundreds of thousands across Germany, France and Italy to be unknown in Britain and America for instance). According to Kenny “Hugo Pratt’s linework at this stage (1967) hadn’t yet evolved into the totally minimalist line of his later works and this is a perfect place to start for those who want to discover one of comics great adventure strips. Thoroughly recommended. ” With most comics sites (and Kenny) so enthusiastic I think I am going to have to add this to my must-read slate.