"This day's experience, set in order, none of it left ragged or lying about, all of it gathered in like treasure and finished with, set aside." –Alice Munro, "What is Remembered"
To celebrate Universe’s announcement of a new English-language edition of Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea, here’s the cover of the inaugural issue of Nino Bernazzali’s European Cartoonist magazine (October 1973), which focused on the art of Hugo Pratt:
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Coming in March 2012 from Universe/Rizzoli:
The publisher describes the book (paperback; ISBN-10: 0789324989; ISBN-13: 978-0789324986) as follows:
Treasure hunter, sailor, and adventurer, Corto Maltese remains one of the most popular characters from graphic literature in Europe and maintains a devoted cult following among American readers and creators. Originally published in 1967, Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea introduces our hero for the first time. The story begins with Corto Maltese adrift at sea in the Pacific during World War I. He is picked up by a Russian pirate/privateer named Rasputin. The graphic novel follows Corto and the adventure that ensues.
Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea is sure to appeal to fans of swashbuckling action-packed tales and sophisticated readers seeking elegant stories alike.
Earlier today, on the Comics Journal site, Fantagraphics publisher, Kim Thompson, offered the following assessment of Pratt:
I love CORTO MALTESE and would unhesitatingly place Pratt as the greatest Italian cartoonist ever and one of the top two European “realistic” (sorta)-slash-adventure cartoonists — really, it’s him and Giraud and then everybody else — but it is one of those series where, at least in my experience, you will reach your fill after a while and have enough of the wandering stories replete with wry, fatalistic dialogue bouncing off femmes fatales and scoundrels, set against minimalistic, evocative backgrounds with clever bits of genuine history woven in.
Finally, here are the first three pages of the story, followed by a grab bag of covers from previous editions:
UPDATE (19 March 2012):
Well, kids, the new English translation/publication of Corto Maltese is in stores, and the response has been mixed, to say the least. A number of Amazon reviewers seem to be very happy with the book, while others acknowledge certain problems with the format and the printing but seem willing to overlook the format in order to enjoy the story, which has been out of print in English for some time now — which would be fine, if that was the outer limit of dissatisfaction with the book. Unfortunately for Rizzoli, however, a growing number of Pratt fans who have seen the book have come to the conclusion that the new edition of Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea is nothing less than a botched job and what’s more, their frustrations are now boiling over in very negative online book reviews, blog posts, message-board discussions, and so on. See, for instance, the following:
The BEAT > Horrible production may have doomed Corto Maltese in the US yet again by Heidi MacDonald — — in which the author reprints, in its entirety, an open letter that retailers from Big Planet Comics have sent to the publisher, Rizzoli, protesting the matter.
See also:
Big Planet Comics > How to destroy a comics classic by Jared.
To buy or not to buy, that has now become the question… and until I make up my mind, I’ve cancelled my preorder.
ANOTHER UPDATE (21 MARCH 2012):
The Beat > More on CORTO MALTESE: Rizzoli responds on production problems — my reading of Rizzoli’s explanation is that they think they’ve not only done nothing wrong but in fact have done their utmost, in consultation with the rights holders, to produce a book that everyone involved could be proud of and have even gone the extra mile to improve upon all previous English-language versions of The Ballad of the Salt Sea by ordering a fresh translation directly from the original Italian; and now my question is this: could anyone be more deluded?
A reader by the name of Tim recently posted to say that he would love to see more of Hilda Terry’s “Teena” here at RCN. Well, Tim, today is your lucky day! Because just this morning I scanned ten more “Teena” Sunday strips for your (and my, and everyone else’s) reading pleasure. And here they are (with more to come at a later date, if reader response is good — 😉 ):
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Now I’m no expert in publishing, but I have long thought that the good folks at Drawn & Quarterly ought to make a concerted effort to acquire the rights to reprint “Teena,” from start to finish, in a series of archive collections. Because it seems to me that Hilda Terry would fit in perfectly on D&Q’s current author list alongside John Stanley, Kate Beaton, Tove Jansson, Doug Wright, and Lynda Barry. And I’m almost certain that cartoonist and comics historian Trina Robbins would jump at the chance to assist with (or edit!) such a project. So hop to it Chris Oliveros! Make it happen!
SEE ALSO:
Ragged Claws Network > Look Here, Read: Four “Teena” Sunday strips by Hilda Terry
Ragged Claws Network > Look Here, Read: Four more “Teena” Sunday strips by Hilda Terry
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Scheduled for release in February 2012 (according to Amazon), Michael Wm. Kaluta: Sketchbook Series Volume 1 is described by the publisher, IDW, as “the first in a series that will provide a glimpse into the inner workings of this great artist, from the very earliest creative spark to more finished concepts and nearly completed works. Each image has been scanned from Kaluta’s personal sketchbooks and archives, and is accompanied by commentary from the artist.”
To whet your appetite for Kaluta’s new book, here’s the fifth (?) instalment in writer Len Wein and artist Mike Kaluta’s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1934 novel, Pirates of Venus. Wein and Kaluta’s adaptation was part of an ongoing series of “Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Carson of Venus” stories that had a short but memorable run as back-up feature in the series, Korak, Son of Tarzan. If you’re familiar with Frazetta’s cover paintings for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Carson of Venus” novels, you will notice on the third page of the story that Kaluta gives an artistic tip of the hat to Frazetta’s painting for the 1963 Ace edition of Lost on Venus; for those who aren’t familiar with Frazetta’s painting, I’ve included an image of it below for the sake of comparison:
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It was obvious right from the start that Kaluta and Burroughs were a match made in heaven! And if work like that doesn’t make you want to see Kaluta’s sketchbook, and read what he has to say about his process, then nothing will…
From Heavy Metal, volume III, number 6, “Special Lovecraft Issue” (October 1979), here’s “The Language of Cats,” with beautiful black-and-white art by French illustrator, painter, and cartoonist, Nicole Claveloux:
Coming in the spring of 2012 from Drawn & Quarterly, The Making Of —published this autumn, 2011, under the title De Liefhebbers in Belgium and Les Amateurs in France —is the new offering from Flemish cartoonist/visual artist/musician Brecht Evens, who shook the English-speaking comics world by the lapels last year with his gorgeously illustrated graphic novel, The Wrong Place (which regular readers will remember received a “Heads Up” and a capsule review here at RCN):
Via Amazon, here’s the publisher’s description of Evens’s new book (ISBN-10: 177046073X; ISBN-13: 978-1770460737):
The Making Of is the follow-up to international sensation Brecht Evens’s Eisner-nominated debut, The Wrong Place. With lush watercolors and his characteristic wit, Evens details the fumbling, amateurish foibles of the participants of a small art festival in the Flemish countryside. Pieterjan is invited to a small town as an honored guest. From the moment he arrives, things start going wrong, and since no one seems ready to step in, Pieterjan takes over the show. He decides to build a giant garden gnome as a symbol of Flemish identity, but the construction process brings buried tensions to the surface as the other artists become jealous of Pieterjan’s authority. In The Making Of, Evens delves deep into the petty tensions, small misunderstandings, and deadpan humor that pervade modern relationships. With a keen eye for the subtleties of body language, Evens’s The Making Of builds on the iconic visual style showcased in The Wrong Place, which was published around the world. Sweeping watercolors jump off the page, surrealist scenery intermingles with crowds of people, and small suburban plot homes have never looked so lovely.
For me, any painted graphic novel by Brecht Evens is a must buy! How about you?
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Coming in December from Dynamite Entertainment:
Written by Robert Greenberger, The Art of Howard Chaykin will include a foreword by Brian Michael Bendis and an afterword by Walter Simonson. The product description at Amazon reads as follows:
Legendary for what he has done on the page and infamous for what he has said off it, Howard Chaykin ranks among the superstars of modern comics. In The Art of Howard Chaykin, go behind the scenes with the creator whose pioneering works include American Flagg! and Black Kiss, and experience the stories of his life as only he can tell them. Filled with no-holds-barred perspective from his longtime friends and colleagues, and featuring an extensive selection of artwork from throughout his career, including many never-before-published pieces from Chaykin’s own archives, The Art of Howard Chaykin takes readers on an in-depth journey from the 1970s to today with one of the medium’s great storytellers.
Although we won’t know until The Art of Howard Chaykin is published what work will be reprinted, here’s a gallery of the kind of work that MIGHT appear:
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Actually, Howard Chaykin’s work has been in the spotlight a few times here at RCN. You can click here, for instance, to access a list of links to stories with art by Howard Chaykin and to read the story “Seven Moons’ Light Casts Complex Shadows” by Samuel R. Delany and Howard Chaykin, from Epic Illustrated #2 (June 1980). You can also click here to read “Gideon Faust” by Wein and Chaykin, from Star*Reach #5.
Vampyres (Blackthorne Publishing, 1985):
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Vampyres II: The Undead (Blackthorne Publishing, 1985):
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Ragged Claws Network 