La Ballata del Mare Salato

Hugo Pratt's La Ballata del Mare Salato ("The Ballad of the Salt Sea") is the 1972 graphic novel that introduced Corto Maltese, the enigmatic sailor-adventurer, to the world. Published by Mondadori, this single-volume work—written and illustrated entirely by Pratt—established the melancholy, globe-trotting tone of his later series. Set in the South Pacific during World War I, it matters as the foundational text of one of European comics' most celebrated characters.