Corto Maltese: Ballad of the Salt Sea by Hugo Pratt

Ballad of the Salt Sea introduces Corto Maltese, the hero, some might say antihero, of Hugo Pratt’s popular graphic novel series. 

• by Hugo Pratt
• Illustrated by Hugo Pratt
• Genre: Graphic Novel, historical fiction
• Published: 1967
• Setting: 1913 South Pacific, Melanesia, Polynesia
• Awards: Fauve d’Or: best foreign realistic comic

Corto Maltese is a sea captain—more precisely, a pirate—though at the beginning of this story he is without ship or crew. His crew mutinied and set him adrift. Fortunately he is rescued by a confederate, Captain Rasputin. Corto and Rasputin do not like each other. Indeed they each threaten to one day kill the other 6 or 7 times in this story. But, they both work for the same master, a ruthless mystery man known only as the Monk. They reluctantly cooperate in various, nefarious schemes. In contrast to Rasputin, Corto is a “rogue with a heart of gold”.

 

In his debut tale, Corto is inextricably caught in Rasputin’s current intrigue, which includes ransom of cousins, Cain and Pandora, who are also found adrift in a lifeboat, the apparent only survivors of their ship. They come from wealthy families, so they are treated decently in hopes of ransom or reward. Of course Pandora, probably 17-18ish, is beautiful, but for a “graphic” novel about pirates, the story is PG-13 at worst. Which doesn’t mean she doesn't at least notice the handsome, dark and brooding Corto Maltese.

 

It's a tale of intrigue, ransom, and reluctant alliances on the eve of World War I.

 

I didn’t love this story, but I think it may have suffered in translation. It was originally written in Italian and French. The speech bubble dialogue in my English edition was very choppy and stilted. 

When reviewing a graphic novel, I suppose it is relevant to mention the artwork. I didn’t love that either, but I'm no art critic. Hugo Pratt illustrated it himself, and it certainly demonstrates skill and his own unique form. I’m sure some love the artwork. The cover is in color, but the pages are black and white.

Some years ago, I decided to read a handful of graphic novels, and researched to find some classics of the genre. The Corto Maltese series is widely considered a masterful bit of literature and artistry. I can’t argue with that, but for me it wasn’t exceptional.

Finally, is it a comic book, or graphic novel? It isn’t comic, though it is a book. It is definitely graphic, and while technically not a novel, it is a novella: approximately 25,000 words. So, I’ll bend a little and opine it is a graphic novella.

 

For my other experiences with graphic novels, click HERE

 

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