First appearing in 1967, The Ballad Of The Salt Sea is a graphic novel about the adventures of a rakish and ethically challenged adventurer, Corto Maltese, a "gentleman of fortune" in an era no longer accommodating to such roles. A member of a band of pirates nominally allied with the Germans in the South Pacific in 1913, Corto becomes interested in the welfare of two kidnapped British children. As the shifting interests of governments at war half a world away begin to make themselves known at their well-hidden pirate base, he must find a way to keep the children safe and himself alive.

Hugo Pratt's linework at this stage hadn’t yet evolved into the totally minimalist line of his later works and this is a perfect place to start for those who want to discover one of comics great adventure strips.



Released on http://ComicPirates.info