Corto Maltese

Corto Maltese is a roguish, freewheeling sailor and adventurer created by Hugo Pratt, first appearing in the graphic novel 'A Ballad of the Salt Sea.' Born of a Maltese sailor and an Andalusian fortune-teller, he drifts through the early 20th century seeking fortune and meaning across exotic corners of the world.

Few characters in the comic art form carry themselves with quite the mystique of Corto Maltese, the seafaring adventurer who first set sail in the pages of Pif Gadget in 1970, brought to life by Louis Cance during the Silver Age. Published under the Casterman banner across an extraordinary span stretching into the present day — over five decades of voyages — he's become one of the great enduring figures of the European bande dessinée tradition, appearing most prominently in the series bearing his own name. His world is richly populated by memorable company: the enigmatic Raspoutine, the mysterious Morgana Dias dos Santos Bantam, and a cast of characters as atmospheric as the exotic ports they haunt — and with at least one collector-significant key issue to his name, Corto Maltese is an essential discovery for any reader ready to venture beyond the anglophone mainstream.