Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice Paperback – 4 July 2017

it was a secret santa gift...but it looked amazing!

The quality of the album is excellent, although story wise, it is rather short and perhaps may not be exciting compared to his other adventures. Nonetheless, it is a good introduction to the series.

fantastic book!

The book: a secret society meets in Venice, and Corto falls through the skylight of the hall where they are meeting... Corto maltese, sailor, adventurer, the man with his eyes on the horizon; but also interested in mysteries (of which there are plenty, in Venice) and impatient with authority (of which there is plenty, too).Old poets, beautiful women, loony sidekicks - it is all here, and Venice itself is very present, too. There is a story (hidden treasure, old mysteries, baron Corvo), but it is (as usual) the atmosphere that counts.Set in about 1921, between 'CM in Siberia' and 'the gilded house of Samarkand'The author: Hugo Pratt spent his childhood in Venice, lived in Ethiopia, London, Argentina, France and Switzerland; no wonder his heroes are restless! He drew his first graphic stories in 1945, and the first Corto dates to 1967.My opinion: his lines are spare, his ink heavy, his atmosphere incomparable. His stories are weird, but addictive, with their ancient mysteries, seductive and scary strong females, ghosts, djinns... Corto in Venice is typical of his work (hence the five stars) though it is rather on the short side!