Gli scorpioni del deserto - Hugo Pratt

Inevitably, considering Hugo Pratt's travels, living and working around the world, his collection of war stories written between 1969 and 1992 for Gli scorpioni del deserto (The Scorpions of the Desert) are far from typical. Actually, there's nothing inevitable about it of course, as the plotting, motivations of the characters and the wide perspective from all sides of the international conflicts are far from what is commonly found in wartime adventures and exploits. It's a measure of how great an artist Pratt is that even as an Italian national, his view of his home country's operations in North Africa is seen from the perspective of the allied forces and not from what we might expect as a tolerant or excusable view of ordinary Italian soldiers caught up in the conflict, but even the 'enemy' are given a fair hearing. Such an approach is not unlike those found in the adventures of his most famous character Corto Maltese then, and similar characteristics can be found here mainly in the Polish Army Corp officer Koïnsky. The humanist viewpoint applies to all in this complete collection of five stories of The Scorpions of the Desert.

To anyone who has read any of his Corto Maltese series, it seems unnecessary to describe how impressive, effective and authentic Pratt's plotting, page layouts, detailed characterisation and motivations are all contained within his stunning artwork. Like Corto Maltese however, it's most impressive in his earlier to mid-period, principally the work of the 1970s, but Pratt maintains a measure of quality, consistency and experimentation almost right through the extended period of the writing and drawing of the stories of Gli scorpioni del deserto series. It's only in the final story, Brise de mer (1992), that the author's looser style with plotting and artwork are notably different from the rest of the series, but in their totality, this series is among the finest works of Hugo Pratt.

Gli scorpioni del deserto (1969)

The Scorpions of the Desert are a unit of the Long Range Desert Group, a British Special Services unit deployed in the war zone of North West Africa. They are a mixed outfit consisting of a wide range of nationalities, and initially we are introduced to Lieutenant Kord, from the British Hussars and Hassan Beni Muchtar of the Libyan Arab Force. They are soon assisted by Lieutenant Koïnsky of the Polish Army Corp in an attack on an Italian postal run, but run into further problems in the Libyan desert. We soon see the huge international mix of troops and agents who have an interest in the region, and inevitably it's a situation where tensions, mistrust and betrayals occur, not least the suspicion that there may even be a spy in the LRDG.

Gli scorpioni del deserto is an incredibly rich opening to the series, covering not only numerous nationalities - authentically depicted by Pratt - but the whole range of planes, tanks and armoured cars employed by the war machine that add to the sense of adventure. The region is crossed in planes, jeeps, trains and dhows, the story including a stunning attack on a train that Koïnsky and Hassan are travelling on the way to Cairo. Having been decorated for their actions in the desert, they assist a young Palestinian Hebrew woman Judittah Canaan who is working with British Intelligence. She is on her way to meet an agent in Alexandria to work on plans for a Jewish homeland. That agent is none other than Kord, and it's there during a further attempt on her life that the spy is uncovered.

Piccolo Chalet (1975)

There's an underlying mission of the Long Range Desert Group or the Gedeon that was mentioned in passing and is again referred to here in the second story, which is to facilitate the restoration of the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, but there are still pockets of Italian resistance in forts in the region. This makes getting from place to place difficult and dangerous, and plans are disrupted again in Piccolo Chalet. The story seems like a humorous diversion in parts, but again, Hugo Pratt manages to bring in all the complexities of the unstable region and unpredictability of the dangers faced by indiginous tribes in the region.

Koïnsky again finds himself in a perilous situation wandering through the desert, but this time he is with unexpected company, joining a tank that aims to take out a small fort held by Italian troops. The fort is barely holding out, short on supplies and basic equipment, but with a mine field surrounding it the tank is taken out and Koïnsky is the only survivor. The fort has been left in the hands of Lieutenant Stella, who really only looks out for himself and hs own pleasures, listening to his favourite record, 'Piccolo Chalet' by the Trio Lescano. He plans to travel to Keru to recover a treasure he has taken from a band of thieves and slave traders, and go away with La Breda, a lady who works in a 'tea house' there, who is waiting from him. He needs Koïnsky's knowledge of the region and troop movements to make the dangerous journey across the desert.

It's an unusual team then, but Koïnsky takes a pragmatic approach - not unlike Corto Maltese, who is referred to here by an Abyssinian guide Cush who comes to their rescue. Cush of course appears in the Corto Maltese stories Nel nome di Allah misericordioso e compassionevole (1972),  L'ultimo colpo (1972) and …E di altri Romei e di altre Giulietta (1973). He's an important figure in Pratt's world, one who starts another thread that weaves through the story, one that is also evident in the Corto Maltese stories. He wants a revolution of the people, not one that is imposed on them by England, by white people. We also learn from Cush in Piccolo Chalet that Corto "disappeared during the war in Spain".

Vanghe Dancale (1980)

There is more trouble for the Scorpions of the Desert on a flight to a meeting with Haile Selassie, when their plane is brought down by Italian fighter planes. They make a daring escape from captivity, but don't get too far in a defective plane that was in for repairs. Out of the frying pan and into the region of the Danakil, a fearsome tribe who are known to castrate their enemies - which is anyone who is not Dancale - and whose motto is "better to die rather than live without killing". Koïnsky stays behind with the injured flight commander while Hassan and Lieutenant Atavia go to look for help, but both remaining men play their roles of heroic duty - Pratt through Koïnsky knowing it is expected rather than a normal human reaction.

Wandering delirious trying to catch up with his colleagues Koïnsky runs into another couple of eccentric Italian soldiers - Captain Palchetti and Doctor Ferrini, holding a fort with a group of Arcari natives as troops. The commander of the fort, Palchetti is an opera lover, perhaps eccentric but clearly losing it in the confines of the fort in the desert, carrying on his own version of Aida - or is it Carmen - with a native girl Kismet. Koïnsky is warned that they will soon be surrounded on all sides, although they can't be sure where they stand with the French, who don't know whether to side with the Vichy government.

The Ascari are in a similar position, and again, Pratt emphasises the difficulties that have been created by European colonisation and interests in the region for the people living there, And, as with the treatment of other non-white non-European figures in Pratt's Corto Maltese series, they are never seen as a homogenous group, but have clear, defined racial characteristics and individual personalities. The dilemma over whether to switch sides is encapsulated by the elder experienced Ibrahim: "I have been a soldier in my youth with the Turks, and they despise you and steal your women and treat you like a dog. I've been a soldier with the English, who despise you, don't steal your women and treat you like a horse. And then with the Italians, who insult you, steal your women but treat you like a man". 

Dry Martini Parlour (1982)

It's February 1941. Under orders from Brigadier General Tenton, Koïnsky prepares to go to Raheitá in South Eritrea. The French Lieutenant La Motte says there is nothing there, but the international situation is changing and made more complicated with the French Petain government, not to mention the varied factions in North African regions, meaning all kinds of deals and pacts are being discussed. There are many groups with interests in the region, though none of them working for the good of the people. The desert is still dangerous and vehicles are unreliable or easily destroyed, and Koïnsky and La Motte have to make their way on foot through difficult terrain. When asked where he stands on the issue, Koïnsky - much like Corto Maltese - says the only side he is on is his own. 

Even though Dry Martini Parlour was written and drawn two years after the last episode, the art style is distinct from previous parts of Gli scorpioni del deserto. It's moving towards the later Hugo Pratt style, a little more sketchy, with lots of scenes with talking heads, but here  the contrasting black and white inking is still full of atmosphere and character for the region and the variety of nationalities. The story is still very much the same, the alliances - accordingly with the rapidly changing state of international affairs - even more complex and hard to follow. Pratt leavens the seriousness of the conflict with a number of characters all mooning over Adrienne, the Melancholic Beauty of Djibouti. We also are introduced to Major Fanfulla, now suffering from leprosy, also a former admirer of the lovely Adrienne. He is hoping to get a Dow to continue their journey, but is betrayed by his men. Such romantic dreams of a better life - an idealised one maybe that is inevitably never realised - are consistent and integral to these stories, just as they are in Corto Maltese.

Brise de mer (1992)

Written ten years after the previous Gli scorpioni del deserto adventure, Brise de mer takes up the story started in Dry Martini Parlour. Koïnsky and his team are now using dromedaries to get Djibouti in Ethiopia in order to get to Harar in Abyssinia. Again, it's a challenge for them (and the reader) to navigate the geopolitical complications of the region, with Indochina soldiers for example yet to decide whether to side with Vichy or Free France. Koïnsky and La Motte are directed to find the 'Soldato Gallina', an eccentric Jewish Italian soldier with a plume in his helmet resembles a hen. He has an armoured car and cultivates flowers in the desert, much to the amusement of the Dancali natives.

This Italian soldier is persuaded to surrender without much difficulty and they are assigned a guide, Ghula, a descendant of Lilith with mystical powers, to take them to Djibouti by the safest coast road via Obock, even though that post is held by German troops. They also have to pass through territory held by French troops loyal to the Pétain government, and there, with Koïnsky disguised as a Fascist Italian officer, they are asked to take an Italian lady, Madame Brezza, with them to Djibouti where she hopes to take over the running of a bordello called Brise de mer (the sea air). As ever, travel is perilous, Djibouti being blockaded by English ships and soon Koïnsky and Madame Brezza find themselves - temporarily at least - without transport.

Again, despite the complications of the story, Pratt's journey through the war torn regions of North Africa is unlike any other, Koïnsky retaining a phlegmatic demeanour in spite of the considerable challenges, the other figures, armies and tribes each having their own dream or idea of how they want to direct their own futures in an uncertain present. It's also a time and in unusual circumstances where anything is possible, in Ethiopia in 1941. An Italian bordello madame supported by the Nazis teaming up with a unit consisting of a Polish officer of an English unit disguised as a French speaking Italian, a Jewish fascist, two Indochinese fusiliers and a Dancali interpreter who turns out to be the warrior of an Amazonian tribe/cult to the goddess. Strange times indeed.

As mentioned, Pratt's artwork is in the later looser style of the artist, very rough and fluid, almost sketchy, with a lot of talking head panels. The constant surprising turns that the story takes keep it interesting, but there are perhaps too many complications in an overlong plot that makes this a hard episode to follow. It takes this fog of war idea of The Scorpions of the Desert series to its limits, but along the way seems to have developed or gotten lost itself in the complex politics of the world.

Reading notes: Gli scorpioni del deserto, Edizione integrale is published in Italy, like the majority of Hugo Pratt's major works, by Rizzoli Lizard. There is a beautiful hardcover edition and, unlike the rest of the non-Corto Maltese material, this collected volume of the complete series is also available in a Kindle edition, which is the edition I read. It comes over very well in this format if you have a screen large enough to display the full pages. The eBook edition contains the same supplementary material, which consists of numerous beautiful colour sketches by the artist. The only English language edition of the series, as far as I can see, appears to be published in colourised eBook by Cong Editions and exclusively available though Apple Books. It's worth trying to get hold of them, as The Scorpions of the Desert contains some of Hugo Pratt's best artwork and strong original wartime adventure storylines.