Corto Maltese

Corto Maltese
Corto Maltese
Author(s)Hugo Pratt
Juan Díaz Canales
Illustrator(s)Hugo Pratt
Rubén Pellejero
Websitecortomaltese.com
Current status/scheduleRunning
Launch dateSergeant Kirk (July 1967)
Publisher(s)Ivaldi Editore
Casterman
Genre(s)Adventure comics

Corto Maltese (/ˈkɔːrt mɔːlˈtz/ KOR-toh mawl-TEEZ, Italian: [ˈkorto malˈteːse, -eːze]) is a series of adventure comics named after the character Corto Maltese, an adventurous sailor. It was created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967. The comics are highly praised as some of the most artistic and literary graphic novels ever written and have been translated into numerous languages and adapted into several animated films.

The series features Corto Maltese, an enigmatic sea captain who lives in the first three decades of the 20th century. Born in Valletta on the island of Malta on 10 July 1887, the son of a sailor from Cornwall, and a gypsy from Seville.

In his adventures full of real-world references, Corto has often crossed with real historical characters like the American author Jack London and his nurse Virginia Prentiss, the American outlaw Butch Cassidy, the German World War I flying ace Red Baron, and many others.