Corto Maltese: Legend of the Seas and Poetry of Adventure

Corto Maltese: The Adventurer of the Seas and Mysteries

Since his first appearance in 1967 in "The Ballad of the Salty Sea" in the Italian magazine Sgt Kirk, Corto Maltese, created by the talented Hugo Pratt, has become an essential icon of European comics. His captivating adventures and enigmatic character continue to fascinate readers around the world.

A hero with captivating charisma

Corto Maltese is a complex and fascinating character. This romantic sailor with a piercing gaze and an ever-present cigarette embodies the free spirit and adventurer par excellence. Born in Malta, the son of an Andalusian gypsy and a British sailor, Corto sails the seas of the globe, often finding himself at the heart of political conflicts and occult mysteries. Initiated into Kabbalah in his youth, he is open to a magical explanation of the world. A dream hero, he dialogues with the Moon and has philosophical debates with fish; and a historical hero, anchored in the reality of the world at the beginning of the 20th century.

Corto Maltese, a hero?

An inimitable style

Hugo Pratt skillfully blends historical reality and fiction, creating a rich and immersive universe. He is known for his unique graphic style, which contrasts his mastery of black and white with that of the watercolor colors that later contributed to the development of the graphic novel. His art is characterized by clean black lines, a minimalist but expressive use of ink, and subtle washes that add depth and texture to the drawings. This distinctive style allows Pratt to capture the essence of scenes with an economy of visual means, while maintaining great expressiveness. Pratt's work is not limited to aesthetics. His visual storytelling is equally remarkable. He often uses cinematic framing, playing with perspectives and angles of view to create dynamic and immersive sequences. His characters' dialogues are often imbued with poetry and philosophy, adding an introspective dimension to Corto Maltese's adventures.

The hero's universe

Around Corto Maltese, Hugo Pratt creates an extremely diverse human palette of characters, inspired by the author's encounters in his cosmopolitan life. Throughout the stories, the hero meets independence fighters, revolutionaries, sorceress, aristocrats, officers and many others, which takes him into a whirlwind of friendships, seduction, antagonism and betrayals. Other characters are writers who emerge in some of his stories, such as Jack London, Gabriele d'Annunzio or Herman Hesse. Literature marks not only the story but the essence of Corto Maltese who is often in contact with writers during his travels and evokes works in his adventures as well as in his dreams. Thus, the words of Rimbaud, Hemmingway, Proust, Borges, Yeats, Kipling and many others wander through this hero.

Corto Maltese at the Pompidou exhibition

Some Essential Albums

"The Ballad of the Salty Sea": Corto's first adventure, where he meets Rasputin, a recurring character in the series. This album lays the foundations of the Corto Maltese universe.

"Under the Sign of Capricorn": In this album, Corto sails in South America and discovers treasures and mysterious legends.

"Corto Maltese in Siberia": This adventure takes place in the middle of the Russian Civil War, where Corto finds himself involved in revolutionary intrigues.