Corto Maltese: l'integrale, Volume 1 - Hugo Pratt

La Giovinezza (1981)

I wasn't keen on opening the Corto Maltese l'integrale complete Italian language Corto Maltese collection with a later work as it's far from Hugo Pratt's best work, but chronologically I suppose it belongs at the start. A short introduction by Corto relates how he was a friend of Jack London in Manchuria during the 1904/1905 Russo-Japanese war and it was there that he first encountered Rasputin, who makes his 'first appearance' with a series of typically senseless killings.

The war is nearing an end, but one of the Siberian regiment is not ready to put down his arms. Rasputin is introduced immediately as ruthless and challenging of authority not out of principle but it's in his nature. He intends to join up with other like minded rebels and head for the coast, but since he doesn't make himself likeable to the Japanese either - nor indeed anyone - he doesn't get too far. The famous adventure writer Jack London however makes arrangements to introduce him to a friend of his, Corto Maltese, who might be able to get him out of Manchuria.

La Giovinezza (Youth) is not a great introduction to Corto Maltese, who appears only briefly at the conclusion. The majority of the story has little to do with Rasputin either other than establish that his nature hasn't changed much over the years, and more to do with the great adventurer and writer Jack London, who gets embroiled in a challenge to a duel of honour with a Japanese officer who is a trained ninja.

This makes La Giovinezza sound a little more adventurous than it really is, and although it does have its moments, in reality the story consists of a lot of talking heads and is by no means classic Hugo Pratt. The contrast in style of this later work, created in 1981, is certainly noticeable, the artwork looser and less detailed compared to the later pen work and the finer, more classical style of Una Ballata del Mare Salato (1967) with the greater individual style of Pratt coming in the 1970s. 

Una Ballata del Mare Salato (1967)

The original first introduction to Corto Maltese in Ballad of the Salt Sea comes with him strapped to a raft at sea near the Solomon Islands in 1913. He is discovered there by the person who will become his mortal enemy, Rasputin, who is captain of a small pirate catamaran with a native Maori crew. Rasputin has just rescued cousins Cain and Pandora from a raft at sea, not out of any sense of duty, but purely because he recognises that the young pair belong to the influential and wealthy extended Groovesnore family, and he expects a hefty reward for his trouble. He's not sure whether rescuing Corto is a good idea, as it won't be as profitable, but Corto promises that he has useful information about a worthwhile target. He has information on the Monk, the scourge of the South Seas, and a Dutch cargo ship filled with coal that the Germans will gladly pay for.

Unfortunately a storm throws their plans awry and Cain, Pandora, Tarao and Corto and Cranio (in disguise) end up in the hands of cannibals. Even the cannibals however are wary of Monaco, the Monk; a mystery, a myth who has been around for generations and feared by all. But where is Rasputin during all this? Rescued by a German submarine under the command of Lieutenant Slütter, Corto and his companions travel to the mysterious island of Escondida where the Monk, the King of the Sea resides.

The emphasis is definitely on exotic adventure in the full-length Una Ballata del Mare Salato, taking place in the exotic South Seas with cannibals, German submarines, pirates, mysterious islands, mysterious villains and two young people caught up in a complicated arrangement of personal, geopolitical and colonial allegiances. Among the many delights to be found here, there is a spectacular sequence with experimental underwater artwork on the island of the Monk, where Corto gets into difficulties with a giant squid, a giant clam, and a shark.

There are also personal journeys and wider themes developed here based on trust and betrayal. And not just to one's country, but to oneself. There are two people however who seem to exist outside these norms - Corto and Rasputin. Corto has allegiance only to himself and views others as being free to live their own lives according to their own rules, but he also rails against hypocrisy. Rasputin is a dangerous unpredictable element who will betray and kill without compunction anyone who prevents him from taking what he wants, from attaining the power and riches, and will not hesitate to align himself with anyone who will help him achieve those aims.

But it's not just a story of white people in conflict with each other and the rest of the world. Pratt doesn't fall into the trap of showing the natives of the South Sea Islands as naïve savages, but as people with a greater sense of being in harmony with the world around them. As such, the highest compliment that Corto receives comes from Sbrondolin at the end of the Ballad of the Salt Sea; 'Tu hai cercato di essere come noi, e ci quasi riuscito… forsi to manca solo una cosa...' 'Ah sì? E Cosa mi mancherebbe secondo te?' 'Il colore della pelle!' ('You are trying to be like us, and you've almost succeeded... except you are lacking one thing...', 'Oh yes, and what according to you is that?', 'The colour of your skin').

Reading notes: The two longer stories in this book are in the first volume of the Italian hardcover slipcased edition of Corto Maltese: L'integrale, collecting the complete Corto Maltese adventures. It's published by Rizzoli Lizard. I intend to cover all the books in this collection, and a few other Hugo Pratt collections, as few of these great works - some of the finest examples of European comic art - are available in print in any English language edition.