Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice

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!

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

O lindo traço de Hugo Pratt somado ao seu texto místico e misterioso transformam a Fábula de Veneza numa viagem imperdível para todo o amante da boa ficção. Há em toda a obra de Pratt um profundo traço de Hemingway, de geração perdida que envolver a todos os viajantes das letras. Afinal, o adulto que mergulha no mundo da fábula nunca mais consegue sair....

This is my 4th Corto Maltese book I purchased in the series and by far my favorite tale albeit the shortest yet. All of these books are beautifully binded, with French flaps, sturdy cover, and large album format. If you are unfamiliar with Corto Maltese, this book makes a few references to characters seen in previous books, but the references are not integral to understanding the plot.

I spend The summers in Italy, my Italian is OK,but a little more difficult for me to read, So I am happy to see the English version of these books.

Corto. In Venice. A fabulous story.

If this was the only Corto Maltese book you ever read, you might wonder what all the excitement is about. He is the coolest hero, and that still comes across as he explains to a secret society, "I often fall from the clouds." Also Hugo Pratt makes each panel perfect. The overall plot includes mostly a dense, detailed historic overview and then a confrontation and solution. The upbeat ending shows that Hugo Pratt is enjoying telling a tale set in his hometown with many potentially interesting characters. However, many of the characters are not as well developed and those in most Corto Maltese stories. The EuroComics English edition is a beautiful volume for collectors. However, any intricacies in the plot just seem skimmed over in the end.