By Hugo Pratt
Publisher: Universe
ISBN: 9780789324986
I visited the Tintin Museum near Brussels a couple of years ago and nearby was a comic shop chock-full of European graphic albums. What was visually striking about the place was that the back wall was completely covered with comic-related prints, and the vast majority of these was of a character I knew pretty much nothing about, Corto Maltese, but clearly, in Belgium at least, he was a very popular bloke. After reading a couple of Hugo Pratt stories last year illustrated by Milo Manara I thought I’d take a punt on Pratt’s most enduring creation so ordered The Ballad Of The Salt Sea.
Originally published in 1967, and set in 1914, the rhythm of the storytelling and the accompanying illustrations really do evoke a different era, but that’s in no way detrimental. In fact, it makes a rather refreshing change. This is the first Corto Maltese story, although later works (and you’ll struggle to find an English translation of them at the moment) explore his earlier adventures too.
Corto Maltese is a pirate in a much more contemporary mould, but although he’s a scoundrel, he’s a scoundrel with a heart. He certainly enjoys the company he keeps although he doesn’t always endorse it. We first encounter him being rescued following being strapped across a raft and set adrift upon the Pacific by a mutinous crew. His rescuer is a fellow cove called Rasputin (who also has more than a passing resemblance to the original) who has already picked up two shipwrecked youths who, it transpires, are from a wealthy family and so potentially worth holding on to.
Corto and the two young captives don’t hit it off straight away, to the point that both of them end up firing weapons at him at some point in the story, but as the tale unfolds and we’re drawn deeper into the pirates of the Pacific’s lives, including the mysterious hooded monk who appears to orchestrate the operations, Corto shows that he’s a champion of the oppressed and the unfortunate as he defies orders, challenges authority and, ultimately, saves their lives.
Set against the islands of west Pacific, there are many strange and unusual characters from many different nations, which makes the telling of the tale in this exotic location all the more enthralling. Bear in mind this is also 1914, and things are happening on the global stage that begin to impact all the players in and around their island paradise.
Corto is certainly a hero of sorts, and you’re left feeling that you’d like to get to know him more. It would be good if Universe could see their way to collecting some further tales for us English readers.
And if you liked that: Try The Manara Library Vol 1
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