New Releases by Hugo Pratt

International award-winning graphic novelist Hugo Pratt''s Corto Maltese returns to American readers in a new collection of classic Corto tales, featuring a brilliantly executed wild chase through Venice for a vital occult treasure!

This album contains the first two episodes in the series: On the Trail of War and The Angel of Love. On the trail of war. End of 1940. Ethiopia. A private army forms around Koïnsky, a Polish soldier working for the British army. The aim? To bring together Commonwealth troops and Ethiopian patriots to create the conditions for an uprising against the Italian colonialists, supported by the Germans and the French of the Vichy regime. The angel of love and the angel of death. January 1941, Karthoum, Sudan. The military strategy for the reconquest of Ethiopia finally becomes clear. It is during this episode that Koïnsky meets Stella, an Italian lieutenant with whom he sympathizes despite their belonging to opposing camps. Chased by brigands, they are saved by the Beni Amar guide Cush. The main character in this series is Lieutenant Koinsky, a Pole who joined the British army after his country''s surrender. We follow him on a series of adventures and encounters (Judittah Canaan, Cush, Stella, etc.) in which we recognize Pratt''s style, reminiscent of the adventures of Corto Maltese. Koinsky, however, "is much tougher, more modern, less anarchistic than Corto, which makes him, in a way, closer to us." (Didier Platteau, in the introduction to the book).

An adventure in the yellow sands of North Africa, following the coast of the blue sea toward Djibouti and Dire Dawa, Captain Koïnsky’s final destination. The journey features a colorful theater of characters in succession. The Polish officer starts out with two degenerate Indochinese riflemen that he ran into by pure chance. Next he bumps into the singular soldier Gallina, faithful to his Breda, a priceless armored vehicle which proves essential for continuing along the difficult way. At that point a guide is needed, and a sensuous Dankal woman, Ghula, comes on the scene. She is lithe of body, but her dagger is always ready to strike. Accompanying her behind the scenes is a band of libertarian warrior women. Then it is the turn of the beautiful Madame Brezza of the “Brise de Mer,” the legendary brothel in Djibouti. It’s a far cry from the classic war story; everything spins around as if on a merry-go-round where anything can happen and then change again—even a German motor torpedo boat will change its name and flag. It’s the world that Pratt experienced as a boy, a world that left an impression on him and ultimately changed him. In this dramatic and romantic story there are silent heroes who sacrifice everything so that Pratt can have Koïnsky carry on, and that tough soldier, just like the author, will not remain unaffected.

A fort in Dancalia February 1941. Attacked by an Italian plane, Loïnsky and his friends Hassan and Akavia become separated. Loïnsky finds refuge in an Italian fort in the Dancalian region, Fort Giuletti. Here he meets two new characters: Lieutenant de La Motte, a camel rider who has chosen to join the resistance, and an Asaimara warrior. One surreal episode follows another to create a surprising tragicomic fresco, which the various actors (an alcoholic Italian commander, a disillusioned doctor, the French rebels and the beautiful Kismet...) only serve to make even stranger... Mundane conversation in Moulhoulé, February 1941. The African shore of the Red Sea (French Somali coast). Koïnsky and de La Motte leave Fort Giuletti, and enter an area controlled by the terrible Danakils. Their car jumps out, and the two men reach the Moulhoulé fort. Fanfulla, the fort''s Italian commander, the Frenchman, and the Pole begin their famous mundane conversation somewhere between fiction and reality. The main character in this series is Lieutenant Koinsky, a Pole who joined the British army after his country''s surrender. We follow him on a series of adventures and encounters (Judittah Canaan, Cush, Stella, etc.) in which we recognize Pratt''s style,reminiscent of the adventures of Corto Maltese. Koinsky, however, "is much tougher, more modern, less anarchistic than Corto, which makes him, in a way, closer to us." (Didier Platteau, in the introduction to the book).

En La balada del mar salado, una de las muchas obras maestras de Hugo Pratt, se entretejen varias historias cuyos protagonistas se han convertido en fi guras casi legendarias: la bella Pandora, su primo Caín, el misterioso monje, el feroz pirata Rasputín, el teniente Slutter, los polinesios Cranio y Tarao, y cómo no, Corto Maltés, el marino errante. La narración adquiere un ritmo sorprendentemente moderno y desarrolla una atmósfera extraordinaria que subraya el dibujo, de una fuerza insólita. Todo comienza en 1913, en los lejanos mares del Sur, en una época en la que, pese al acre aroma a sangre y pólvora de la Primera Guerra Mundial, aún se mantenían vivos los ideales románticos de un siglo XIX que se resistía a desaparecer.

Qu’il est tentant de céder à l''appât du gain quand il prend la forme de trésors aussi mythiques que l’or des tsars ou l''émeraude magique du roi Salomon. Et qui résisterait aux charmes de Venise, de révolutionnaires romantiques ou d’une duchesse fatale ? Certainement pas Corto Maltese, qui vit là, entre lagune italienne et steppes mongoles, les plus romanesques de ses aventures. Ce recueil contient les albums Corto Maltese en Sibérie et Fable de Venise.

Des champs de bataille européens aux confins des empires coloniaux turc et anglais, Corto Maltese traverse la Première Guerre mondiale. Refusant obstinément de choisir un camp, il navigue à vue avec pour seul compas ces valeurs cardinales que sont l’amitié et la liberté. Deux récits fondateurs du personnage du marin romantique, entre révolution irlandaise, Shakespeare et geste arthurienne, un classique ! Ce recueil contient les albums Les Celtiques et Les Éthiopiques.

Automne 2002. Alors qu’une nouvelle guerre se prépare en Irak, à Venise, les trafiquants font la fête. Corto est là aux côtés de Semira et de sa clique de Bosniaques, pour jouer les pirates... Mais quand l’amour, l’honneur et la fortune s’entrechoquent, fatalement, le malheur éclate... De l’Adriatique au Golfe Persique et, des Balkans à Babylone, entre chiens et loups, Corto va devoir, une nouvelle fois, tracer sa route, aimer, se battre et découvrir que l’aventure est une malédiction qui empêche de ne jamais rentrer au port...

Oltre 60 anni di storia contemporanea raccontati da un tes- timone d’eccezione. Guerre, viaggi, amori, di un mondo che iniziava la tragica avventura della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, il colonialismo, la Liberazione, la ripresa economica, l’emigrazione alla ricerca di nuovi orizzonti, i cambiamenti della fine degli anni Sessanta. Mogli, figli, musica, incontri con altri artisti meravigliosi, le difficoltà dell’inizio, la voglia di indipendenza, l’affermazione, il successo mondiale, gli infiniti pellegrinaggi comunque alla ricerca di qualcosa. Hugo Pratt, sempre attento, a volte sfronta- to, disponibile con se stesso e con gli altri ma guidato sempre e soprattuto - sia nella vita privata che in quella artistica - dalla sua Fantasia e dalle sue figlie predilette: la Gentilezza, la Ricerca e la Curiosità.

The secret of Tristan Bantam: Tristan, who has inherited precious papers that tell of the lost kingdom of Mû, has a dream that portends an apparently incomprehensible fate. At Paramaribo, in the sultry heat of Dutch Guyana, Corto finds himself entangled in a sordid tale about a stolen inheritance, while surrounded by such strange characters as Kerster, an unscrupulous lawyer; Jeremiah Steiner, a former university professor, and Madame Java, “hotel” manager and expert knife thrower… Rendez-Vous in Bahia: Corto Maltese, Steiner, and Tristan Bantam sail for Bahia to meet Morgana, Tristan’s half-sister. She has their father’s notes concerning the lost continent of Mû, the very papers Tristan glimpsed in his dreams; even the Indians have predicted that his fate lies there. But in Bahia, a lawyer by the name of Milner tries to kill Tristan. Corto exposes Milner and beats him at poker; he wins and Milner loses his life. The treasure hunt can now continue on its way towards Itapoa. Surest Samba: At Itapoa, Corto, Tristan, and Steiner meet Bocca Dorata, the great voodoo sorceress who raised Morgana and initiated her into black and white magic. For a thousand pounds, Corto accepts Gold Mouth’s proposal to take weapons and money to the Cangaceiros led by Sureshot, rebels fighting in the Brazilian Sertão against the big landholding oil tycoons and their henchmen. Corto and his friends will get tangled up in these conflicts and will have to choose sides. The Basilian Eagle: Corto, Tristan, and Steiner sail along the Brazilian coast in search of the wreck of a Spanish galleon loaded with gold. It is supposed to be somewhere in the vicinity of Marajò Island, at the mouth of the Amazon River. But they are not the only ones on this treasure hunt; they’re part of a plan hatched by Bocca Dorata. Not only will a German baron and a British secret agent intervene, but also the dangerous Jawbreaker, whom Corto will have to confront. The character of Rasputin, the friend-enemy considered by many to be Corto’s evil alter ego, reappears on the scene from the times of the Ballad in the episode And we’ll talk again of the gentlemen of fortune, in an adventure centred on the search for a fabulous treasure, set in Saint Kitts in the Antilles, The cycle closes with Seagull''s Fault, wherein, despite itself, it is this very bird (which Pratt so loved to draw because of the sense of freedom it gave off in flight) which is the main character of the story set on an island near British Honduras.

1774. Criss Kenton, a 17 year old who has fled Virginia after the massacre of his family by the Indians, and Patrick Fitzgerald, an English aristocrat who has immigrated to America, make each other’s acquaintance while participating in a series of organized raids on Indian tribes. During one of these raids they meet Mohena, a young woman who has been raised by the Shawnees. As their adventures unfold, the friendship between Criss and Pat grows stronger, but soon the War of Independence against England breaks out and the two friends find themselves on opposing sides. A great story of friendship and loyalty, Wheeling leaves ample room for History, as many of its characters actually existed. In that regard, Pratt said, “In Wheeling, as in other stories, I try to imagine something imaginary embedded in the context of precise historical references. But at times the truth is more surprising than the imagination.” (Hugo Pratt, All’Ombra di Corto)

Automne 1924, Corto doit retrouver un ami très cher à Berlin. Mais à son arrivée dans la capitale allemande, il découvre que celui-ci a été assassiné. Il se lance alors dans une enquête pour retrouver son assassin, et obtenir, sinon justice, au moins vengeance. Mais la fragile république de Weimar est déjà au bord de la guerre civile, entre espions communistes et société secrète d''extrême droite, et ils semblent tous vouloir l''empêcher de parvenir à ses fins...

Sur les eaux de la mer de Chine, le profil d’un pirate bien connu se dessine dans l’ombre d’une cabine de pilotage... Corto Maltese est de retour, à l’abordage d’un yacht de luxe. Des rues bondées de Tokyo jusqu’aux sommets des Andes, le gentilhomme de fortune poursuit un trésor mythique, disputé par une société secrète nationaliste et des narcos sans scrupules... Mais plus que jamais, ce sont les sentiments qui vont mener le célèbre marin romantique. Bastien Vivès et Martin Quenehen s’empare du mythique personnage d’Hugo Pratt pour le plonger dans notre époque contemporaine. Hugo Pratt (1927-1995) est unanimement considéré comme l''un des plus grands dessinateurs au monde. Ses bandes dessinées, ses oeuvres graphiques et ses aquarelles sont exposées dans les plus grands musées, du Grand Palais à la Pinacothèque de Paris, sans compter le Vittoriano à Rome, Ca'' Pesaro à Venise, Santa Maria della Scala à Sienne. Il définissait lui-même ses histoires selon le terme de « littérature dessinée ». Il est cité par des auteurs et des artistes tels que Tim Burton, Frank Miller, Woody Allen, Umberto Eco, Paolo Conte. Il a vécu en Italie, en Argentine, en Angleterre, en France et en Suisse. Grand Voyageur, il a traversé pratiquement tout le reste du monde. Auteur de recherches historiques - sur les Mérovingiens et les cités HLM - et d''émissions radiophoniques éclectiques pour France Culture (Jeanne d''Arc, Tupac, Ping Pong...), Martin Quenehen a le goût de l''enquête. Il a signé le roman Jours tranquilles d''un prof de banlieue et le documentaire Sur la trace des faussaires. Quatorze Juillet est son premier scénario de roman graphique. Né en 1984, Bastien Vivès est le chef de file d''une génération d''auteurs qui mêlent volontiers bande dessinée franco-belge, manga, animation et jeu vidéo. Avec Le Goût du chlore, prix Essentiel Révélation à Angoulême en 2009, il impose un style, confirmé par le succès public et critique de Polina (Grand Prix de la critique en 2012), Le Chemisier ou encore Quatorze juillet.

Night of the Devil by comics legend Hugo Pratt is the fourth in a major series of new collections - joining the War Picture Library’s mission to bring all of the long-lost UK of war comics master artists back into print. "A rare chance to see one of the undisputed greats of the comic book medium growing into the full strength of his talents." - Hollywood Reporter In Night of the Devil, take a hallucinatory trip through the oppressive heat of the Burmese jungle along with British soldiers engaged in desperate skirmishes with the enemy. In Bayonet Jungle, Private Jack Green’s presence is seen as an omen of bad luck but he struggles to prove himself to the experienced soldiers of Third Platoon as they fight against the Japanese army that surrounds them. Two exciting and explosive war stories lushly illustrated by Hugo Pratt, comics legend and creator of iconic character, Corto Maltese. Praise for previous War Picture Library volumes: "Lives up to expectations – both in story and art." - Downthetubes "There is no doubt that Battle Stations, and the titles following it, are sure to find their home among modern comic fans once again." - The Beat

In this final entry of Hugo Pratt''s epic series, the master graphic novelist returns to the theme he first explored in the initial episode--the search for the lost continent of Mu, the mythical Atlantis. A premonition hovers over the entire dreamlike story, as if fate had decided in advance that this would be Corto Maltese''s last adventure. The feeling is underscored by the return of most of the major characters seen throughout the long-running saga, like actors giving their final curtain call: Gold Mouth, Morgana, Tristan Bantam, Levi Colombia, Professor Steiner, "the Monk," Cain Groovesnore, Soledad, and (of course) Rasputin...each with their own reason to find the mythical realm. Thus, the circle closes. This EuroComics edition features new translations from Pratt''s original Italian scripts by Dean Mullaney, the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning editor of the Library of American Comics, and Simone Castaldi, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures at Hofstra, and the author of Drawn and Dangerous: Italian Comics of the 1970s and 1980s (University Press of Mississippi).

"In this final entry of Hugo Pratt''s epic series, the master graphic novelist returns to the theme he first explored in the initial episode--the search for the lost continent of Mu, the mythical Atlantis. A premonition hovers over the entire dreamlike story, as if fate had decided in advance that this would be Corto Maltese''s last adventure. The feeling is underscored by the return of most of the major characters seen throughout the long-running saga, like actors giving their final curtain call"--Amazon.com.

Set in the years 1921-22, the action leaps from Turkey, to Azerbaijan, and to the Caspian Sea, tracing the path of the legendary Silk Road, as Corto hunts for the fabled treasure of Alexander the Great.

Corto et ses amis Bouche Dorée, Lévi Colombia, Raspoutine, Tristan Bantam et Steiner se lancent à la recherche du continent disparu de Mu (plus connu sous le nom de L’Atlantide). Leur navire mouille près d’une île où se trouve une entrée pour ce pays secret et en commencent l’exploration. Ils croiseront sur leur route Pirates à trois sous, fumées magiques, dieux antiques et bavards, Amazones loyales... À l''occasion des vingt ans de la parution de Mu, la dernière histoire de Corto Maltese, en décembre 1988, Cong S.A. et les Éditions Casterman publient une édition anniversaire. Inédite car au format original des planches couleur d''Hugo Pratt (31 cm x 15 cm) et présentée sous forme de “brique de l''Atlantide (Mu)”, d''une épaisseur d''environ 6 cm, contenant les 501 strips de Pratt.

Corto Maltese se rend en Suisse, dans le canton du Tessin, pour rejoindre Hermann Hesse, le grand écrivain. Mais ce pays détient d''étranges mystères, entre alchimie et ésotérisme, qui surprendront le marin.

Sa mère était une ravissante gitane de Gibraltar. De son père, je ne sais pas s''il a hérité quelque chose... L''amour de la mer peut-être...

L''édition en noir et blanc enrichie d''une préface de Thomas B. Reverdy. À Rhodes, Corto Maltese découvre un manuscrit de Byron où est mentionné le trésor d''Alexandre le Grand, caché quelque part à Samarkand et qui n''attendrait que l''entrée en scène d''un homme assez déterminé pour s''en emparer. Il n''en faut pas plus pour que le marin prenne la route déjà empruntée par Alexandre de Macédoine des siècles auparavant.

L''édition en noir et blanc enrichie d''une préface de François Busnel. 1911, entre Venise et les jungles d''Afrique équatoriale, Corto recherche le "miroir du prêtre Jean", un mystérieux objet rapporté des croisades. Sur sa route, il croise trois jeunes femmes aux destins étrangement complémentaires : Aïda, journaliste entreprenante, Ferida, exploratrice en quête de son père disparu, et Afra, ancienne esclave.

1918, Afrique orientale. Corto Maltese s''allie à Crush, le guerrier danakil, pour traverser cette région où puissances coloniales et croyances indigènes s''affrontent dans un combat sans merci.

Nominated for both the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Foreign Language Publication! With this book Pratt leaves behind the short story form he’d used for twenty-one interrelated tales and presents a truly epic graphic novel. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the First World War, Corto Maltese is engaged by the Red Lanterns—a Chinese secret society made up entirely of women—to find an armored train laden with gold that belonged to the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II. They aren’t the only ones lusting after the treasure. The adventure, which shifts from the hidden courts of Venice to the mysterious alleys of Hong Kong, from Shanghai to Manchuria and Mongolia to Siberia, also attracts regular and irregular armies, as well as revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries. The sweeping plot allows Pratt to fully investigate the complicated and competing motivations of his cast that includes the return of Rasputin and the introduction of the cold and dangerous Duchess Marina Seminova, the enigmatic warrior/spy named Shanghai-Lil, and historical figures such as the "Mad Baron" Roman Ungern-Sternberg, a Russian general who who sees himself as the modern-day Genghis Khan!

In this affectionate tribute to his home town, Hugo Pratt offers a complex mystery thriller involving Freemasons, occultists, and esotericists set during the rise of Fascism in 1921. Corto Maltese''s return to Venice is ostensibly a search for an emerald known as the Clavicle of Solomon, but by the end he is left questioning whether the object of his quest will open the hidden doors of magic and unravel the nature of time and space in this city of secrets...or if it''s merely "the stuff that dreams are made of," as was the black bird of Dashiell Hammett''s novel featuring another Maltese. Series winner of the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material.