Corto Maltese #8

In the shadowed alleys of 1920s Venice, Corto Maltese stumbles into a secret masonic lodge, where he’s taken under the wing of the enigmatic freemason Bepi Faliero. As they navigate the city’s labyrinthine streets, Corto reveals his quest for the legendary emerald known as "Solomon's Clavicle," a search that draws the attention of fascist Blackshirts led by Stevani—until a sudden, poetic intervention by The Poet, inspired by Gabriele D'Annunzio, throws the moment into sharp relief. Faliero then invites Corto to meet the Neoplatonic philosopher Hipazia, deepening the mystery of the city’s hidden currents.

In "The Baron Corvo Enigma," Corto Maltese follows a trail of ancient runes and forgotten scholarship through the shadowed alleys of Venice, uncovering secrets tied to a mysterious figure and a Greek lion statue in the Maritime Arsenal. As he seeks answers from the reclusive scholar Melchisedec and investigates a sudden attack on Stevani, the city’s tense undercurrents erupt into violence—leaving Corto fleeing across rooftops with the authorities closing in.

In "The Stairway of Encounters," Corto Maltese tumbles from a rooftop only to be met by the ghostly figure of Saud Kalula—his face eerily like Rasputin—in a dream that lingers long after he wakes. Found by Louise Brookszowyc and visited by Böeke and Silver Leg, Corto soon seeks answers among the Freemasons, where he encounters Dr. Teone, father of Hipazia.