Corto Maltese: 8. Das Goldene Haus von Samarkand (Klassik-Edition in Schwarz-Weiß)

Third part of the Euro comics release. Brilliant story line and quality of print. Corto Maltese is an outstanding comic!Now just waiting for the remaining series...

Pretty good, as always. I mean, they kept pushing back the release date, but not as bad as the last one. Nice cheap translation, much cheaper and better presented than the old English editions of Corto Maltese.

fantastic book!

Hugo Pratt has the magic of the old storytellers and can transport you to other times and other continents!! Highly recommended for those who enjoy adventures in times that have gone by!!

These reviews have absolutely nothing to do with the book in question. 1915 and 1916? Really ? Fake news.

Precioso calendario, ojo, en francés, imprescindible para los seguidores del marino bohemio alter ego del maestro Hugo Pratt.Las páginas no son de papel, son más gruesas, como de cartoncillo. Cada hoja contiene dos meses, uno por delante y otro por detrás, cada mes con una ilustración de diferentes épocas de Corto.Cada dibujo está separado del planning semanal por una línea de puntos, por si a posteriori se quiere conservar la ilustración.Muy contento con la compra, el servicio de Amazon impecable, y el precio fue de 20 euros con los gastos de envío incluidos.Salute.

Calendario bello come da attesa; bei disegni, naturalmente qualcuno ripetuto dai precedenti calendari. Sarebbe bello se con i disegni di corto c’è ne fosse qualcuno delle altre storie di HP: Anna della jungla, gli Scorpioni del deserto, Wheeling. Ma bene anche così.

Yet another great release from IDW/Eurocomics. This is one of my favourite of the Corto books, with complex tales involving a wide variety of characters and action like they just don't seem to do that much of any more. The mix of Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, Stonehenge, Cornwall, U-boat and the threat to fair Albion in 'A Mid-winter's Morning Dream' is just wonderful and enchanting story telling by Pratt and the English translation is near perfect, as it is for all the other stories. This edition looks great, but it is also great to hold with thick paper and waxed covers. All this and Hugo Pratt's masterful drawing makes this another must by, just like the previous two editions. Can't wait for the next one!

Essa coleção sobre a obra de Hugo Pratt, o marujo Corto Maltese é uma obra prima dos comics. Muito bem editada.

Great art combined with complex storytelling!

Très beau calendrier, toujours dans la même ligne des précédents, les reproductions sont très belles et grandes.Les jours sont facilemnt lisibles, très beau produit.Alex

Chapter Two of The Ethiopian, "The Coup de Grace," opens with lines from a poem, "The Drunken Boat," superimposed over scenes of the desert. Rows of cacti and a pair of camels give way to images with an undercurrent of danger: a scorpion, a large machine gun, and a soldier and flag of the King's African Rifles. The following page shifts the scene to the interior of a fort displaying the banner of the K.A.R., where the speaker is revealed to be a tidy white man in military garb. "Ah, yes... I love Rimbaud," Captain Bradt wonders aloud.Then, from behind a wicker chair, Corto Maltese's head pokes out, cigarette in mouth: "You surprise me! I don't know why, but I thought that career officers of the British Army only liked Kipling."This clever exchange underscores an important theme of The Ethiopian: an examination of colonialism and the desire for control that forms part of the basis of it--Hugo Pratt frames much of the conflict in this book in machinations by the British in the pursuit of empire.Corto, being half-British himself, can never fully belong to the Danakil or the British or any of the other groups of people featured in The Ethiopian, but he is able to occupy those spheres by virtue of his knowledge of Islam and Great Britain, and even navigate those spheres to some extent by virtue of his deeds. Save for the first story, Corto's only stake in the book's adventures seems to be the preservation of his own life: the stories see him stumbling into gun battles, an execution and an inter-tribe war, and exiting with barely his own jacket intact. But it's because he is so far removed from everything that Corto is able to act in a manner that does not forward the British agenda nor the agenda of the people they seek to control. He acts according to a personal code of honor that values friendship and sympathy for whoever's the weakest at any given moment, be it oppressed or oppressor. "I'm not a hero..." Corto remarks to himself during a quiet moment between life-threatening situations. It's a line couched in some introspection that really encapsulates the heart of the character.There's nothing that could be said about the quality of this book's printing that hasn't been said already: the reproduction of Pratt's art is excellent and the translation reads well. The inside cover flaps feature a picture from the Danakil desert and of Pratt in Ethiopia in 1982, and pull out into identical maps of Ethiopia. There is one obvious typo in the second page of Chapter One, but otherwise it's a fine printing.There are only four stories featured here: "In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate," "The Coup de Grace," "... And of Other Romeos and Other Juliets" and "The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji." The first three feature Corto's travels with the Danakil Cush in Ethiopia, while the last seems to stand apart from the others--"The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji" takes place in Tanzania, has a more hurried pace than its predecessors, and only barely hearkens back to the adventures preceding it. In fact, more time is spent dwelling on an adventure that hasn't yet been reprinted by IDW publishing.They're all generally good stories, though. One major complaint is the lack of any strong woman presence in any of these stories--in fact, only one of the stories depicts a woman at all, and her role is merely a pawn in a larger power struggle. There's very little to her beyond that. This is disappointing, especially considering the women Pratt's featured in previous books. The second complaint is related to the last story, "The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji," which exhibits a group of Africans who operate outside of colonial and tribal boundaries to administer justice across the continent. This story appears to rehabilitate the image of the real-world "Leopard Society" written about in the early 20th century; portrayed as cannibals in historical accounts, Pratt ennobles them in this last story. Despite this, it almost seems like Pratt is homogenizing an entire continent when he writes that there is "one true law" of Africa that Leopard Men serve. This does serve the larger end of repudiating colonial rule, but the apparent oversimplification in depicting Africa as monolith almost comes across as a misstep. A closer reading might dispel this interpretation.Ultimately, it's best to keep in mind that these stories were originally intended as adventure comics for young men. That Pratt is able to infuse them with such profound subtext is a testament to his skill as an artist. Many of the lessons conveyed here about imperialism will certainly be salient to readers in light of what’s happening in the world today.

Corto Maltese returns to Buenos Aires after a 15-year absence in order to locate an old friend, a prostitute named Louise, who wrote Corto asking for help. He discovers that she has been murdered leaving a young daughter behind. Corto decides to track down the daughter to make sure she’s taken care of but in the process inadvertently finds himself in the crosshairs of some very powerful people. There is all sorts of political intrigue and assassinations and possibly an appearance by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.I wrote a very critical review after my first read through but I’m going to be much kinder after a second careful reading. This is a story that requires the reader to pay very close attention because you can get lost very quickly. Hugo Pratt tends to use a lot of characters and there is a ton of dialogue in this short 53 page story. You might be surprised out how long it takes you to get through such a short book. It’s not my favorite Corto Maltese story but if you can follow the plot it’s very rewarding.

A treasure for those of us who worship the ground Corto Maltese treads upon. An excursion into the Noir genre for our gentleman adventurer, as his innocent (?) efforts to solve an old mystery opens up more and more adversarial conspiracies. The art is superb, just about the apex of what can be accomplished in black and white. Corto himself is downplayed -- he always is -- he once referred to himself as "The one who never gets to do it for himself." He is the eye of the hurricane, attracting danger, arousing suspicion, and, ultimately, learning the answers. The scenes with his hair all slicked down are hilarious, given his usual tousled sea-breeze appearance. A pure joy!

I really enjoy these books by Hugo Pratt, and was happy to find them in English.They make a nice gift or collectors item.

All of Pratt's work is amazing, but to have this volume -- my very favorite -- in the original format size, is truly wonderful. The animated movie is also quite good, with English subtitles. From North Korea, of all places.

The book is awesome, it’s a little dented up though. But highly recommended book!!

Hugo Pratt is a master and this is an incredible book! Milton Caniff reincarnated.

So glad to be able to get a US print of these!

Corto Maltese never dissapoints