Cover: Hugo Pratt

Corto Maltese #3

Sep 1989 · Casterman

🌐 French edition · synopsis shown in English

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“La ballade de la mer salée”

About this Collection

This deluxe hardcover edition collects the earliest colorized version of Hugo Pratt's seminal adventure 'La Ballade de la mer salée,' the first Corto Maltese story. Originally serialized in the late 1960s, the tale introduces the enigmatic sailor Corto Maltese as he becomes entangled with a cast of rogues and outcasts—including the ruthless Caïn Groovesnore, his sister Pandora, the mysterious Le Moine, and the sinister Raspoutine—on a treacherous voyage across the Pacific during World War I. Published by Casterman as part of their 1989 Corto Maltese series, this volume presents the story in its restored, full-color format, offering a definitive reading experience for fans of Pratt's masterful blend of historical fiction and graphic storytelling.

In "La ballade de la mer salée," Hugo Pratt invites readers into a richly textured 20-page notebook that blends art and archive, showcasing his signature watercolours, ethnographic sketches, and fragments of the story’s narrative. Framed by a striking photo of Pratt before a Moai statue on Easter Island, this issue offers an intimate glimpse into the creative world behind the tale—without revealing a single plot point.

writer, artist, inker Hugo Pratt · colorist Patrizia Zanotti · cover Hugo Pratt