| Corto Maltese | |
|---|---|
 Corto Maltese | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Ivaldi Editore Casterman |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Hugo Pratt Juan Díaz Canales |
| Artist(s) | Hugo Pratt Rubén Pellejero |
Corto Maltese (/ˈkɔːrtoʊmɔːlˈtiːz/KOR-toh mawl-TEEZ;Italian:[ˈkortomalˈteːse,-eːze]) is a series ofadventure comics named after the character Corto Maltese, an adventurous sailor. It was created by the Italian comic book creatorHugo Pratt in 1967. The comics are highly praised as some of the most artistic and literarygraphic novels ever written and have been translated into numerous languages and adapted into several animated films.
The series featuresCorto Maltese, an enigmatic sea captain who lives in the first three decades of the 20th century. Born inValletta on the island ofMalta on 10 July 1887, the son of a sailor fromCornwall, and a gypsy fromSeville.
In his adventures full of real-world references,Corto has often crossed with real historical characters like the American authorJack London and his nurseVirginia Prentiss, the American outlawButch Cassidy, the GermanWorld War I flying aceRed Baron, and many others.
The character debuted in the serialBallad of the Salty Sea, one of several Pratt stories published in the first edition of the Ivaldi Editorecomics magazineSergeant Kirk in July 1967.[1] The story centers around smugglers and pirates in the World War I–eraPacific Islands. In 1970, Pratt moved to France and began a series of shortCorto Maltese stories for the French comics magazinePif Gadget, an arrangement lasting four years and producing many 20-page stories. In 1974 he returned to full-length stories, sending Corto to 1918Siberia in the storyCorto Maltese in Siberia, first serialised in the Italian comics magazineLinus.
In 1976,Ballad of the Salty Sea was published in book format and was awarded theprize for best foreign realistic comic album at theAngoulême International Comics Festival.[2]
Pratt continued to produce new stories over the next two decades, many first appearing in the eponymous comics magazineCorto Maltese (published between October 1983 and July 1993), until 1988 when the final storyMu, the Lost Continent was serialised, ending in June 1989.
On October 7, 2014, Italian publisher Cong, who owns the rights to Corto Maltese, announced that a new album was being made by writerJuan Díaz Canales and artist Rubén Pellejero.[3] "Under the Midnight Sun" was released in Europe on September 30, 2015 and takes place in 1915. In September 2017, a second album, "Equatoria" set in 1911 was published. In November 2019, a third album, "All Saints Day" set in 1912–1913 was published. The fourth album by Canales and Pellejero was published in September 2022, entitled "Berlin Nocturne". It takes place in Berlin and Prague in 1924.
Corto Maltese is a laconic sea captain adventuring during the early 20th century (1900–1920s). A "rogue with a heart of gold", he is tolerant and sympathetic to the underdog. Born inValletta on July 10, 1887, he is the son of a British sailor fromCornwall and anAndalusian–Romani[4] witch and prostitute known as "La Niña de Gibraltar" ("The Girl ofGibraltar"). As a boy growing up in the Jewish quarter ofCórdoba, Maltese discovered that he had nofate line on his palm and therefore carved his own with his father's razor, determining that his fate was his to choose. Although maintaining a neutral position, Corto instinctively supports the disadvantaged and oppressed.
The character embodies the author's skepticism of national, ideological and religious assertions. Corto befriends people from all walks of life, including the murderous Russian Rasputin (no relation withthe historical figure, apart from physical resemblance and some character traits), British heir Tristan Bantam,voodoo priestess Gold Mouth andCzech academic Jeremiah Steiner. He also knows and meets various real-life historical figures, includingJack London,Ernest Hemingway,Hermann Hesse,Butch Cassidy,James Joyce,Gabriele D'Annunzio,Frederick Rolfe,Joseph Conrad,Sükhbaatar,John Reed,White Russian generalRoman von Ungern-Sternberg,Enver Pasha of Turkey and Sergei Semenov, modelled afterGrigory Semyonov. His acquaintances treat him with great respect, as when a telephone call toJoseph Stalin frees him from arrest when he is threatened with execution on the border of Turkey andArmenia.
Corto's favourite book isUtopia byThomas More, but he never finishes it. He also read books byLondon,Lugones,Stevenson,Melville andConrad, and quotesRimbaud.
Corto Maltese stories range from straight historical adventure tooccult dream sequences. He is present when theRed Baron is shot down, helps theJívaro in South America, and flees Fascists in Venice, but also unwittingly helpsMerlin andOberon to defend Britain and helps Tristan Bantam to visit thelost continent ofMu.
Chronologically, the first adventure,Corto Maltese: The Early Years, happens during theRusso-Japanese War. In other albums he experiences theGreat War in several locations, participates in theRussian Civil War after theOctober Revolution, and appears during the early stages ofFascist Italy. In a separate series by Pratt,The Desert Scorpions, Corto is said to be missing in action in Spain during theSpanish Civil War.
This is a list of the twelve originalCorto Maltese novels in chronological order. French editions were published byCasterman, Italian byEdizioni Lizard, English editions byIDW'sEuroComics imprint.
In 2015 the series was continued byRuben Pellejero andJuan Díaz Canales, with the following albums published thus far:
In 2021 a reboot series was launched byMartin Quenehen andBastien Vivès reimagining the character for the 21st century.
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