Showing posts with label Hugo Pratt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hugo Pratt. Show all posts

Saturday, December 31, 2022

I Reads You Juniors: December 2022 - Update #65

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS:

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  Writer Mark Waid talks about the "explosvie twist" in the series, "Batman vs. Robin."

DC STUDIOS - From CBRWarner Bros. reportedly begged "Joker" director, Todd Phillips, to take the job leading DC Studios, but like many people in Hollywood, he did not want the job.

From Variety:  "Shazam" actor Zachary Levi, defends DC Studios bosses, James Gunn and Peter Safran, saying, "Give them time to create something special."

From Variety:  After meeting with James Gunn, co-chair of DC Studios, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says that his superhero character, Black Adam, star of the recent film, will not appear in the first chapter of the new universe of DC Comics films.

From BleedingCool:  DC-Studios co-boss, James Gunn, says he won't be bullied ... more or less.

COMICS - From BleedingCoolAfterShock Comics has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  The publisher also owes a lot of creators.

DC STUDIOS - From THRHenry Cavill's cameo as "Superman" and Gal Gadot's cameo as "Wonder Woman" have been removed from "The Flash" movie.

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  The great Jerry Ordway talks about his return to Stan Lee's "Just Imagine" in the new anthology, "Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee."

SONY SPIDER-MAN U - From THR:  Writer-director-producer Donald Glover ("Atlanta") is attached to star in and produce a movie for Sony's Spider-Man universe.  It will focus on the villain, "the Hypno-Hustler," which debuted in "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #24."

DC STUDIOS - From DeadlineJames Gunn, co-Chair and co-CEO of DC Studios, is writing a Superman film, but actor Henry Cavill will not return as Superman/Clark Kent.  Meanwhile, Ben Affleck will remain at DC Studios - as a director and not as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

MARVEL - From BleedingCoolGreg Capullo is moving to Marvel Comics, first drawing covers and then drawing an unnamed project.

FANTAGRAPHICS - From TheNewYorker:  The New Yorker's Sam Thielman profiles the long-running indie comic book, "Love and Rockets," and its creators, brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez.

DC ANIMATION - From DCBlog:  "How Kevin Conroy Became Our Batman" by Alex Jaffe

DC STUDIOS - From Variety: The tricky road ahead for DC Studios.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From DeadlineThe Library of Congress has unveiled its annual list of 25 movies to make the cut for the National Film Registry.  The 2022 class includes Marvel Studios' "Iron Man."

DC STUDIOS - From THR:  Director Patty Jenkins says that there was nothing she could do to move "Wonder Woman 3" forward, in the wake of the film's cancellation.

MILLARWORLD - From THR:  Mark Millar has announced his next Millarworld/Netflix comic book project, "The Ambassadors," a series with global potential.

EN MEMORIAM - From TheDailyCartoonist:  American freelance cartoonist, Don Orehek, died at the age of 94 on November 6, 2022.  Orehek was a prolific book, magazine, and newspaper gag cartoonist, who best known association was the American humor magazine, "Cracked."  His work also appeared in "Good Housekeeping," "Playboy," and "The Saturday Evening Post," to name a few.

DC STUDIOS - From THR:  "Wonder Woman 3" is supposedly no longer happening, but new DC Studios bosses, James Gunn and Peter Safran, are supposedly prepping a multi-year plan for DC Comics films.

From THRJames Gunn, DC Studios co-chair and co-CEO, responds to "The Hollywood Reporter's" story about the transition period for the studios film, which included news that "Wonder Woman 3" has been cancelled.

DC TV - From Deadline:  The CW's superhero television series, "The Flash," will debut its ninth and final season February 8th, 2023.

DC COMICS - From CBR:  The anthology one-shot, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods Special: Shazamily Matters #1," features stories co-written by Shazam! star Zachary Levi and actors Grace Caroline Currey, Ross Butler, D.J. Cotrona, Adam Brody and Faithe Herman. The issue also features contributions made by Fury of the Gods screenwriter Henry Gayden and other comic creators, such as Colleen Doran, Josh Trujillo and Tim Seeley.

EN MEMORIAM - From TheBeat:  Cartoonist and Underground Comics creator, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, has died at the age of 74, Tuesday, November 29, 2022.  Kominsky-Crumb was one of the first of the underground cartoonists to produce autobiographical comics.  She was part of the "Wimmen's Comix" collective.  Along with the late Diane Noomin, she was a contributor to and editor of the "Twisted Sisters" comics anthology.  Aline was married to legendary Underground Comics creator, R. Crumb, with whom she had a daughter, cartoonist Sophia Crumb.

From DrawnandQuarterly:  D&W functionary Peggy Burns speaks on the late Aline Kominsky-Crumb.

DC COMICS - From DarkKnightNews: There is a YouTube preview video for the updated edition of the book, "Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond." which you can see via the "Dark Knight News" article about the book.

EUROCOMICS TO FILM - From THR:  Comic book legend, Frank Miller ("Daredevil," "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns"), is the writer for Studio Canal's television miniseries based on the legendary European comic, "Corto Maltese."

DYNAMITE - From BleedingCool:  Writer Christopher Priest and artist Michael Sta. Maria launch a new "Draculina" comic book series, "Draculina: Blood Simple."

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NOVEMBER 2022 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Black Box for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask Studios Entertaiment for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics LLC for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Fairsquare Comics LLC for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Frank Miller Presents for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for November 2022
From CBR:  Marvel Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion/2000AD for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Seven Seas Entertainment for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Sumerian Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Tokyopop for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Whatnot Publishing for November 2022
From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for November 2022

DECEMBER 2022 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Bad Kids Press for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Bad Moon Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Frank Miller Presents for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Cold War" event for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for December 20211
From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Seven Seas Entertainment for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Sumerian Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  WhatNot Publishing for December 2022
From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for December 2022

JANUARY 2023 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Publishing for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Band of Bards for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask Studios Entertainment
From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics LLC for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  CEX Publishing for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainent for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Frank Miller Presents for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Seven Seas Entertainment for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Sumerian Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  TOKYOPOP for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Whatnot Publishing for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for January 2023
From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for January 2023

FEBRUARY 2023 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  AWA for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Spider-Man" and "Dark Web" for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion Developments Ltd for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Seven Seas Entertainment for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Silver Sprocket Press for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Storm King Productions, Inc. for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Sumerian Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Whatnot Publishing for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for February 2023
From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for February 2023

MARCH 2023 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Alaze for March 2023
From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for March 2023
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for March 2023
From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for March 2023


Monday, August 10, 2020

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 12, 2020

IDW PUBLISHING

APR200785    CORTO MALTESE GN MU LOST CONTINENT    $34.99
JAN200775    DUNGEONS & DRAGONS INFERNAL TIDES #5 (OF 5) CVR A DUNBAR    $3.99
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FEB200744    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FALLOUT TP SPANISH ED CONSECUENCIAS    $15.99
FEB200656    TRANSFORMERS GALAXIES #8 CVR A MIYAO    $3.99
FEB200657    TRANSFORMERS GALAXIES #8 CVR B CHAN    $3.99
APR200802    USAGI YOJIMBO COLOR CLASSICS #6 (OF 7) CVR A SAKAI    $3.99

Monday, March 2, 2020

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 4, 2020

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT190837    CORTO MALTESE GN BALLAD OF THE SALTY SEA    $34.99
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DEC190626    WELLINGTON #3 (OF 5) CVR A KOWALSKI    $3.99

Monday, February 25, 2019

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for February 27, 2019

IDW PUBLISHING

NOV180631    ATOMIC ROBO & DAWN OF NEW ERA #3 (OF 5) CVR A WEGENER    $3.99
NOV180632    ATOMIC ROBO & DAWN OF NEW ERA #3 (OF 5) CVR B BURCHAM    $3.99
NOV180715    CORTO MALTESE GN THE SECRET ROSE    $19.99
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NOV180673    STAR TREK VS TRANSFORMERS #5 (OF 5) CVR B BURCHAM    $3.99

Monday, July 16, 2018

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 18, 2018

IDW PUBLISHING

MAY180759    CORTO MALTESE GN TANGO    $19.99
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APR180309    LOEG III CENTURY TP (MR)    $19.99
SEP170481    LOVE SONG HC    $24.99
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MAY180674    MY LITTLE PONY PONYVILLE MYSTERIES #3 CVR A GARBOWSKA    $3.99
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MAY180681    RISE OF TMNT #0 CVR A THOMAS    $3.99
APR180364    ROM & THE MICRONAUTS TP    $24.99
APR180431    SPIDER KING TP    $19.99
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MAY180726    X-FILES CASE FILES HOOT GOES THERE #1 (OF 2) CVR A NODET    $3.99
MAY180727    X-FILES CASE FILES HOOT GOES THERE #1 (OF 2) CVR B LENDL    $3.99

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Review: THE MAN FROM THE GREAT NORTH


THE MAN FROM THE GREAT NORTH
IDW PUBLISHING/EuroComics – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Hugo Pratt
TRANSLATION: Dean Mullaney, Simone Castaldi, and Ariane Levesque Looker
COLORS: Annie Frognier and Patrizia Zanotti
EDITOR: Dean Mullaney
ISBN:  978-1-68405-058-1; hardcover – 8 1/2” x 11” (October 2017)
104pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $33.99 CAN (November 21, 2017)

Hugo Pratt (1927 to 1995) was an Italian comic book creator and artist.  Some consider him to be among the first literary and artistic comic book creators, and his best known work is his Corto Maltese series, which he produced from 1967 to 1988.

IDW Publishing is currently publishing new English-language editions of Pratt's graphic albums and comics.  One of those is a full-color graphic novel, The Man From the Great North.  It was initially entitled Jésuite Joe and was serialized in the French comics magazines, Pilote.  Jésuite Joe was then collected as a graphic album in 1980 in France (by Dargaud).  In Italy, it was published as L'uomo del grande nord (The Man From the Great North) and was one of four graphic novels that Hugo Pratt contributed to Italian publisher Edizioni Cepim's “One Man, One Adventure” series.

IDW's The Man From the Great North is the first English-language version of Jésuite Joe (according to the publisher).  IDW's edition includes Pratt's original 48-page version of Jésuite Joe and also 21 pages of storyboard material that Pratt produced for a 1991 French film based on the graphic novel and directed by Olivier Austen.  The storyboards are integrated into the original graphic novel to produce an expanded version of the Jésuite Joe graphic novel.

IDW's The Man From the Great North also has five pages of watercolors studies and five spot illustrations that Pratt produced for Jésuite Joe.  Pratt also produced 19 pages of a second Jésuite Joe story that he never finished, and that is reprinted in this book.

The story focuses on Jesuit Joe, who is a “Métis,” an ethnic group in Canada and part of the United States that is descended from indigenous North Americans (Native Americans) and European settlers.  In Joe's case, he is of French-Canadian (father) and Mohawk (mother) descent.

The Man From the Great North's story takes place in 1912 in Canada (the “Great North”), and for most of the story, Joe is dressed in the uniform of a Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP), specifically a corporal's uniform.  Joe finds the uniform in a cabin shortly before he kills two men who hat shot into the cabin.  Next, he encounters a Cree medicine man in the middle of some kind of ceremony involving a baby stolen from white settlers, and Joe kills him.

Thus, begins Jesuit Joe's spree of killing and violence that includes a Catholic priest, family, Indians, and the man who is tracking him, Sergeant Fox, among others.  All the while, Jesuit Joe is looking for something... something ephemeral... or absolute.

In his essay, “Whatever became of Jesuit Joe?”, Gianni Brunoro writes that Hugo Pratt “...was interested in telling stories about ideas.”  Brunoro writes that Jesuit Joe may have been “an ideologically completed story,” so for Pratt, there was nothing to which he should return.  Something else worth noting:  in his forward to Jésuite Joe, written in 1991, Pratt talks about writers who influenced this creation, including Jack London and Zane Gray.

For me, Jesuit Joe seems like an idea, a story about a guy going through the wilderness of the “Great North,” killing people at just about every stop because that is what he does.  His motivation is inscrutable, unless a reader wants to admit that Joe does things simply because he wants to do those things.  He is simultaneously ephemeral, a force of nature, and a personification of death.  One can see that this story and character seem like ideas inspired by the works of Jack London.

The story in The Man From the Great North is impressionistic and is told in illustrations that are abstract when they are not treading the ground of realist art.  The influence of the great American cartoonist, Milton Caniff, is evident on The Man From the Great North, as it is on Pratt's Corto Maltese series.  The storyboard pages are loose and seem immediate and relevant, but do not show the influence of any particular artist or writer.  They seem like pure Pratt.

This story, with its wraith-like character who wanders a sometimes dream-like wilderness landscape, seems to me to be about inspiring the reader's imagination.  Pratt seems to tell us to follow Joe and make of it what our imaginations will.  I find that this story does indeed arouse my imagination, and I cannot help but be intrigued and emotionally involved in it.  The violence (murder, kidnapping, assault, rape, etc.) moves me.  I feel something... and some things I should not admit...

There will be no more Jesuit Joe by Hugo Pratt.  I want more because this story moves me.  There is no beginning, middle, and end in a traditional way; in fact, The Man From the Great North seems like a small section of a larger story.  Like Pratt's other work, this is a work of graphic fiction and graphic storytelling that grabs the reader in ways that larger, more developed comics do not.  That is the reason why Pratt is always worth reading, but concerning Jesuit Joe, this is the end.

9 out of 10

[This book includes a forward by Hugo Pratt, and an essay, “Whatever became of Jesuit Joe?” by Gianni Brunoro.]

EuroComics.us

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, March 19, 2018

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 21, 2018

IDW PUBLISHING

JAN180544    30 DAYS OF NIGHT #4 (OF 6) CVR A TEMPLESMITH    $3.99
JAN180545    30 DAYS OF NIGHT #4 (OF 6) CVR B KOWALSKI & FOLNY    $3.99
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JAN180574    ATARI MISSILE COMMAND GAME    $39.99
JAN180556    COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF COMICS COMICS FOR ALL #4 CVR A    $3.99
JAN180557    COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF COMICS COMICS FOR ALL #4 CVR B    $3.99
NOV170555    CORTO MALTESE GN GOLDEN HOUSE OF SAMARKAND    $34.99
JAN180457    DUNGEONS & DRAGONS SHADOW OF VAMPIRE #1 GREATEST HITS ED    $1.00
JAN180474    GEARS OF WAR RISE OF RAAM #3 CVR A BROWN    $3.99
JAN180475    GEARS OF WAR RISE OF RAAM #3 CVR B PORTACIO    $3.99
NOV170465    GHOSTBUSTERS ANSWER THE CALL #4 CVR A HOWELL    $3.99
NOV170466    GHOSTBUSTERS ANSWER THE CALL #4 CVR B FUNKO BRANESKY    $3.99
DEC170558    LEGEND OF KORRA PRO BENDING ARENA AMONS INVASION GAME    $29.99
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JAN180519    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #64 CVR A PRICE    $3.99
JAN180520    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #64 CVR B RICHARD    $3.99
JAN180532    PUNKS NOT DEAD #2 CVR A SIMMONDS    $3.99
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JAN180482    STAR TREK NEW ADVENTURES TP VOL 05    $29.99
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NOV170513    TRANSFORMERS IDW COLL PHASE 2 HC VOL 07    $49.99
OCT170522    WE SPOKE OUT COMIC BOOKS & THE HOLOCAUST HC    $49.99

Friday, February 23, 2018

Review: CORTO MALTESE: Fable of Venice


CORTO MALTESE: FABLE OF VENICE
IDW PUBLISHING/EuroComics – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally published on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Hugo Pratt
TRANSLATION: Dean Mullaney and Simone Castaldi
EDITOR: Dean Mullaney
ISBN:  978-1-63140-926-4; paperback with French flaps – 9 1/4” x 10 5/8” (August 2017)
64pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $25.99 CAN (September 26, 2017)

Hugo Pratt (1927 to 1995) was an Italian comic book creator and artist.  Some consider him to be among the first literary and artistic comic book creators, and his best known work is his Corto Maltese series, which he produced from 1967 to 1988.  Beginning with Ballad of the Salt Sea in 1976, the series was collected in 12 books (or graphic novels).

Back in July 2014, IDW Publishing announced that it was going to publish the complete Corto Maltese in a series of twelve trade paperbacks, using Hugo Pratt’s original over-sized black and white format.  These trade paperbacks (which can also be called “graphic albums”) are published under IDW's “EuroComics” imprint.  They feature new translations into English from Hugo Pratt’s original Italian scripts by Simone Castaldi, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures at Hofstra, and Dean Mullaney, the longtime comics publisher, editor, and translator who is also the creative director of the IDW's imprints, “The Library of American Comics” and EuroComics.

In September 2017, IDW published Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice.  It was originally published in 1976 as Favola di Venezia, the eighth book in the series.  The story takes place in Venice (Pratt's hometown) in 1921 and is a mystery thriller set during the rise of Fascism in Italy.

Fable of Venice finds the enigmatic sea captain, Corto Maltese, returning to Venice, Italy.  He has been brought to the city by the riddle of an old acquaintance, Baron Corvo, and now, he needs to find Corvo's diary.  In that diary are inscriptions related to the whereabouts of the “Clavicle of Solomon,” a legendary emerald and magical talisman.

Corto is not the only one after this magical object that is steeped in history and mysticism.  There are his friends, Bepi Faliero and Böeke, and the young Blackshirts (Fascists), Stevani and Boselli.  There is mystery woman, Hipazia, who believes that she is the reincarnation of a prominent figure in the School of Alexandria.  Corto also finds that the Freemasons and their masonic lodge, R L Hermes, frequently pop up during his search.  Freemasons, Vikings, Teutonic Knights, King Solomon, Jewish mysticism, the Queen of Sheba, Biblical figures, mysterious Arabs, and the genie of the lamp:  are they all part of a quest that will unravel time and space or are they all chasing a fantasy?

I first heard of Hugo Pratt and Corto Maltese when Frank Miller mentioned them as influences on his work leading up to his then-new comic book, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  Pratt's own influences include 19th and 20th century adventure storytellers like novelist Robert Louis Stevens (Treasure Island) and cartoonist Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates).

Fable of Venice specifically is influenced by the magical realist literature of South American writers like Jose Luis Borges (whose work Pratt would have encountered during his years living and working in Argentina) and American novelist Dashiell Hammett.  In fact, while reading Fable of Venice I could not stop thinking about Hammett's most famous novel, The Maltese Falcon (1930), which was twice adapted into film, with the 1941 John Huston-Humphrey Bogart film being more famous.

So I think of Fable of Venice as a magical realist take on The Maltese Falcon set in Venice during the rise of Fascism.  This is the first time that I have read a Corto Maltese graphic novel (thanks to a review copy provided to me by IDW), so I really do not know this character.  What attracts me to this novel are two things.

The first thing are the characters.  I cannot choose a favorite, because each one is like a delightful flavor in a wondrous hoodoo gumbo.  They are simultaneously weird and recognizable and sinister and attractive.  Each of these character is so eccentric and colorful that he or she makes this black and white comic seem like a spinning kaleidoscope throwing off sparklers.

The second great thing about Fable of Venice is Hugo Pratt's gorgeous black and white art and sumptuous graphical storytelling.  This is simply some of the most beautiful black and white comic book art that I have ever seen.  This book is like a slim, paperback version of one of editor Scott Dunbier's “Artist Editions” (also from IDW).  I think that this story is so rich and complicated because Pratt maximized his over-sized pages with nine to 12 panels to page.  Whereas so many American artists draw big panels and half-splash and full-splash pages, Pratt uses the 9 to 12-panel grid to delve into the details of the characters, moods, situations, and his wonderfully magical Venetian setting.

From the opening pages' Masonic gathering and Corto's arrival to the final pages' gathering of players and magical realist and surrealist ending, Pratt pushes past any imaginary boundary lines forced on the graphical and comics medium.  Over 40 years after Fables of Venice was first published, Hugo Pratt's work is still ahead of most comics being published today.

A+
10 out of 10

EuroComics.us

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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