"watchman" rofl in the 1980s you could walk into any book retailer chain in the u.s. and buy a copy of elfquest. let me guess, history erased itself so you wouldn't have to see the ta-tas.
As a French comic book enthusiast, I just learned through this video that Corto Maltese is not famous outside Europe. In France, everyone slightly interested in comics knows about Hugo Pratt, especially in my father's generation. It's right there close to Asterix, Tintin or Spirou.
He is famous in Argentina. I remember reading his stories when I was a kid. I even have a book that Clarin (a newspaper) published maaaaany years ago with some stories. When I go to Italy I like to buy a book or two.
Corto Maltese is famous in France, but I'm not sure I'd put it on the same level as Astérix, Tintin and Spirou. Most people have read at least one album for each of these (or an issue for Spirou since it's mainly a magazine) and children to this day still read them. Corto Maltese is more along the line of Michel Valliant, Blake & Mortimer, or Largo Winch: if you're not a comic book enthusiast, you probably only know them by name (which is still a big achievement, don't get me wrong).
@@moonlightingjam yeah I agree, most people know it by name at least, and I was surprised to hear it wasn't true in North America. I said it was "close" to Tintin and the like, it's the tier right under it.
no wonder why the translations were "mediocre", Corto Maltese is simply hard to translate. even reading the italian version can be challenging at times, and Pratt loved to mix italian dialects to create fannuy gags and languages. for example, in the ballad of the salty sea the natives of some island are described as "they are savages that speak in an impossible language" and they are actually speakig venetian (wich is absolutelly hilarious for an italian once you realize it).
Since it's impossible to translate Italian curses against God and other religious figures into English, that also means it's also impossible to translate 90-95% of Venetian speech 😆
I grew up with Corto Maltese on my father's bookshelves, and the ballad of the salty sea always struck me as weirdly written. It took me years before I got to know it was initially written in Italian and that french was only a translation, and that it probably was the reason why it seems weird at times. Now that anecdote you're telling us about adds one more layer to this. It isn't unlikely that I'll learn Italian one day (for unrelated reasons), and I'll surely read it in its original version then, that'll give a whole new dimension to dig into.
A common practice in comics. The oldest I can think of is Tintin, The Broken Ear(1937) where the natives speak the Brussels flemish dialect. Later in 1338-39, in King's Ottokar Scepter (1938-39), the Syldavian motos and expressions are also Brussel's flemish dialect. He uses again that trick with the picaros. Other writers have done the same with their local dialects (In different Natacha stories from Walthery, the natives speak Walloon from Liège)
I'm from Italy and I'm grateful you're talking about Hugo Pratt and his work. "La ballata del mare salato" it's in the bookshelves of every comicbook lover here. Pratt's storytelling and art style is evocative, poetic yet realistic. The comicbooks scene in Italy from the late 60s on has a strong literary value, it's tailored to a intellectual audience and it's less known that its French and Belgian counterpart. I would advice non-European and younger audience to have a look into it, its full of marvels, no pun intended.
Fwllow Italian here, I think everyone who has an interest in comics beyond super-heroes knows Hugo Pratt, even outside Italy (I own a Hungarian translation of "Corte Sconta detta Arcana" :) ). But in the older generation it was not just considered something for intellectuals, the generation born in the '50s grew up reading it right next to Nembo Kid and Tex, I wouldn't say the split was too extreme.
While I'm part of the youth of Italy, because of my family I've read through lots of european comics, from very old to very "new" (comic artists in Italy still exist, but more of them are inspired to mangas and the like). Despite everything my favorite remains Dylan Dog, even tho I have a complex relationship with it (Some of the volumes are just perfect for me, some others are not that interesting imo). Regardless, I'm happy to know there are people out there who remember our comics' history
I'm from Argentina, grew up reading Corto, and when I had my daughter I was living in a smalll island in the Pacific, so of course her name is Pandora :)
I often visited the city of Angoulême in France, where the International Comics Festival takes place. The city is built on a hill, and down this hill you’ll find a river separating the city in two. But to join the two sides as one, you’ll find a bridge… with a statue of Corto Maltese on it. That’s a testament to how much he’s loved, not just by France but the international community of comic-books enthusiasts in general. Corto is a bridge for all of us ❤
Much great Graphic Quality albums are printed in France are 3 biggest exporter of Graphic Literature are The Incal ,Metabaron , Lauffray and Dorisin stories Long John Silver ,The Book of Chaos(The Prophet ),Valerian done are Bryan Talbot and Jist say Sandman Neil Gaiman are from England Alan More same so just Druilett and just go on and on and on are Take time between books but When print over 10 000 otbsrtitmes s year so not like have other stuff read Spirou ,Smurf ,Tintin ,Gaston ,Asterix Belgium ,France also Spanish team do Blacksad printed in France are just Grandville , Millenium graphics from Book Swedish Stieg Larsson Trioligy from done 4 comic books from DC done they Black label also print Bryan Talbot's books done 👍 Europe are do best Com8c Album in World in my mind for are for all ages 👍🇸🇪
France has a long history of recognizing and valorizing Italian artists. This is one of the reasons why Italians love France so much. Even if we don't love the French quite as much because, well, they're a little too keen to underline its value and importance. However, Italians don't like Italians so much too, so it's not a big deal.
@@MicheleGardiniCan't agree with the statement, Italians and French are extremely hostile to each other for various reasons. But take it as a great hate chivalrous rivalry. We cooperate, we like each other in the very end, we compete relentlessly, we fight always.
@@DucaCremisi well, so you basically agree with my statement. Because that's what I meant. But you're totally right, there's more than one reason for our love-hate tradition. I only wrote one for brevity's sake.
Sweet. Also Corto cutting his palm was much more than just him not being happy with his fate. He was born without a fate line meaning he had no fate at all so he literally carved one of his own will, basically proclaiming to the universe that he would choose his own destiny which is especially audacious since magic and the supernatural is very real in Corto’s world.
I've always taken that as a macabre irony, maybe because in the version I read, it was translated as the life line, which is one of the three main lines. (The sun line and fate line are much fainter and don't always appear.) You see, if you lengthen your life line, you'll be cutting your wrist.
I'm an Argentinian comic book artist. When I was 15 years old, I want to read something diferent between Superheroes Comics and Manga. That's when Corto Matese came and invites me to his adventure. More later, I discover his creator: Hugo Pratt. I became a big fan of all their works. Read the Hugo Pratt's comics is for me like enter in a world with an atmosphere of mistery, danger amd heroic adventures. Hugo Pratt is a cultural hero for me. You don't know how much I appreciate this video for make Justice to the great artist and legend that is Hugo Pratt. Thanks a lot!!!!
I had no idea that Hugo Pratt was not known in the US. He is such a legend here in Europe. We had a whole exhibition about his work here at the museum in Bordeaux. A big thank to introducing this major artist to American audience.
The only comic book artists we know in America are either North American or Japanese. We’ve heard of Asterix. The Tintin cartoon series is more famous in America than the comics (at least that’s how I knew him). Some millennial memelords may know HUMO. But other than that, it’s unheard of.
I don't think anyone would complain about another video from you, matttt. I don't know of Caniff, but I'd love to be educated. Beyond that, loved the video and I appreciate the awareness for European comics. Would love to see more like Uderzo, Goscinny, Morris or Hergé in the future
Even Will Eisner as such is overlooked almost to criminal extent, despite the award, while something like Bone is casually dubbed the LotR of comic books which seems excessive. Speaking of being looked over, Valhalla by Peter Madsen is a bit of a curio, especially with the animated film accompanying it.
Old Belgian lady here! Yes, Hugo Pratt is a legend in Europe, especially French speaking Belgium….and France of course. Tintin, Corto Maltese, they inaugurated what we lovely call the 8th ART, comics and graphic novels. It has even become very “ bourgeois” to collect them. Walk in a snooty cafe in Brussels, you might find display of the latest releases, special editions…. I had a big box with my collection on a cargo when I immigrated in the US decades ago. Didn’t want to leave them behind… Luckily, nowadays, if you can pay for shipping, they come to your door! Once a year, after eating pasta for 3 months, I indulge and get myself a big shipment…
Graphic novels are considered as 9th art, not 8th, at least at me here, and yes pratt is a superstar basically in all of europe. Here in croatia and ex yu, all schools were popular, franco - belgian ofc, but italian was huge too, spanish was also appreciated as was northern european one. Corto maltese, aster blistok, jeremiah, torpedo 1936, so many great comics from all over europe.
@@imbrod indeed, jeremiah from hermann too to a degree, because they were published a lot, ffs i even watched an american tv series filmed from it, found it on internet, what a garbage that was, and ofc kurdy malloy was an afroamerican there, because ofc he was.
Corto Maltese is Italian comics that were ahead of time for 1967 compared to the 1980s graphic comics and the creator has finally got the treasure island for good
As a Italian guy, Pratt and his legacy is a National Treasure for my country. You are the only guy who finally recognize the works of this author. Thank you very much! ❤🇮🇹😊👍
Vabbè ormai in generale la gente conosce meno e meno autori e fumetti importanti. Ormai pochi conoscono, tra tik tok e cazzat varie sempre meno gente legge.
The influence Pratt has had in latin American and Europe is immense. I thank him for giving me my passion for history. My personal favorite would be corto maltese in Siberia.
@@jonaswhale6451 thnx will definitely check it out. I also know Guy Delises Pyongyang comic talks about how parts if the film were animated in North Korea so definitely worth also a read
@AlejoToro-f3w For a while Corto in Siberia was the only volume in my collection. I read it twice a year. There was just something about it. My cat's name is Corto in fact, probably from that connection
Yes to a Milton Caniff vid! If there’s one thing I love about your videos, it’s talking about great artists and writers of comics that aren’t from the mainstream big two.
Every time I think about Italian comic book artists, The big one I always think of is Benito Jacovitti, who when he was 16, was drawing and creating comics in 1939 fascist Italy, and never shied away from political satire even under the regime, but added this weird, bizarre, but lovingly Italian style of cartooning that is some of the loosest I have ever seen in my life, and I personally think would at least be something interesting to look into, at least I think
Hell yes for a Caniff vid. Your channel is amazing for drawing attention to forgotten creators, and I’d love a primer on Terry & the Pirates. Love your work Matt.
Two weeks ago, I had a very vivid argument with the owner of a local comic book store that tried to pitch me Bastien's iteration of Corto Maltese. Seeing that the character has been taken out of its original chronological context I saw it as a travesty (like taking Asterix into a Space Opera setting), but the comic book store owner wouldn't understand my outrage saying that original Corto Maltese was "rancid and in need of modernization" to survive.
It's always puzzling, isn't it? A fellow enthusiast implores you to try some ill-fated reboot, and their first argument is that the old stuff was secretly bad all along. This is always a sign that the new product will be horrible. After all, if it distances itself from the original, why should it need the name of the original? If it's better than a time tested classic, why can it not stand on its own?
I think it's interesting to create a new and modern Corto Maltese, but also unnecessary... My biggest problem here is how that owner insulted Pratt's work like that.
The original US graphic novel, the one that used the term to desvribe itself, was Camelot 3000 (conceived in 1975), although it took a while to sell it to the US market. Then there was WIll EIsner's A Contract WIth God (1978). But, yes, many do not realize the rich foreign comic market full of books like Corto Maltese, Valerian (which influenced the movie Star Wars), ans so many others by amazingly talented artists and writers.
As an Italian i'm really happy that in America,Italian Comics have been recognised even from other countries even from the fact that Europan/Italian comics are really underrated.
There's no greater day than getting a Matttt notification! Hope to see a Jim Lee video someday I remember you wanted to make one and, if possible, get an interview. Hope it happens someday
YES, PLEASE make a Milton Cniff video! Your videos covering the obscure comic artists are your BEST videos. We enjoy learning about old creators that we don't know about and their influences on today's comic landscape.
funny thing is, I consider Corto the greatest comic book ever created but I realized people in the US never heard of it. It kinda blew my mind when I learned that
@@chaboudo3915 US people are so self centered. European comic book world is so rich, diversified and vast. Americans readers seams still only interested in they unoriginal reboot, sequels, prequels of superheros that have already been done a million times. The will eisner awards nominations are always about of the same 3/4 franchises... seriusly? those are the best you have to offer to the comic book world?
@@lucapepito Doublespeak took root there. TMNT 1987 is Japanese animation but not anime, because idiomatically it's not AN animation from Japan, only the animation, adverb, is from Japan. But the noun is deemed property of the commissioner. Batman's inspiration Zorro is dead in some alleyway, while fans cry when they feel mockery targets their own idols. NINJA turtles can only be appropriated from Eastman and Laird, but not from japan who don't own ninjas at all. Not from Kurosawa whose Seven Samurai is only adapted in USA, not from Confucious while Jedis and Trekkies make up their own neopagan religions. Everything made anywhere just belongs to the oligarchs who "paid" for it, but that's usually by fixing GDP and strongarming productive countries and flyover states into a place of servitude, work given no value to exchange big money for. Starvation is irrelevant and big immigration of labor force only stresses the amount of imports they can take, to feed their mouths, human capital becomes an expense. Intellectual Property becomes free usury money.
@@lucapepito After Vertigo shut down even the American stuff outside of superhero comics has become sort of formulaic. Half the time it feels like I'm reading someone's high-concept pitch for a Netflix show.
They used to give several Corto Maltese comics in schools, because they were THAT important in the literary field (before Argentina forgot everything and only cared about mafalda). The edition that I have is issue number 1 in which Corto travels to Argentina to help the daughter of a friend of his, but the most interesting thing about this is that despite having a reputation for being someone who studies a lot to make his comics, Pratt in this case did not rely on anything to illustrate the country, neither books nor photos, only his memories.
El Puente de la Estación Borges... en mis épocas, en otro siglo, era un paraíso escondido, lleno de enredaderas y pájaros y luz de luna. Los trenes eran una memoria, y las vías eran para los exploradores en bicicleta. Yo me escapaba allá en mi bici con mi perra a leer y a dibujar e imaginarme viajes en el tiempo, cuentos de brujas y duendes en la neblina. Y un día en las páginas del Corto, ahí estaba él, sentado en el andén, en la mismísima estación de Borges!!!! Cómo no enamorarse de un personaje así.
Hugo Pratt a dreamer, he dreamt while he was awake. His talent was so big that his dream transcended reality and was placed on Corto, Corto lived all of Hugo's dreams, he would feel as we do, he was real and he knew it, he embraced it.
I am Brazilian, born and living in Brasil. I discovered Corto Maltese by pure chance in the early 2000s due to the French animation; it was love at first sight. Today, I have three different editions of "The Ballad of the Salt Sea," two of "Under the Sign of Capricorn," among the various other volumes published by Hugo Pratt. Corto Maltese is a work of art. The reader experiences the world through the character's eyes, embarks on adventures with him, and engages with themes like colonialism, racism, and other social issues. A brilliant work.
True, but it's a very different kind of stories. Pazienza was a genius, but doesn't share anything with Pratt. Anyway, Zanardi is more a collection of shorts. Pmpeo could have been a real novel, but Pazienza died leaving it incomplete.
I really appreciate Hugo Pratt’s back story.Right now Centre Pompidou has a museum-wide exhibit of comic book artists including 1 floor on Hugo Pratt. All the early American greats including Caniff are on another floor etc. It’s on till November 4th and spectacular.
"It Rymes with Lust" and "Mansion of Evil" both were published in 1950. Each had a complete comic art story targeting an adult audience that were printed and distributed with other paperbacks rather than comics. Depending on your definition of "graphic novel", there are even earlier candidates for the "first".
Make whatever video with whatever topic you choose, and I will watch it. I have watched each of your videos and have shared them with friends and family. I love the passion, and the professionalism of each video is top notch. Thank you for the comic education.
I'm from Argentina, where Corto Maltese is huge, and I always thought Hugo Pratt was Argentinian too! XD it was very interesting to learn about his life 🤍
Thanks for making this! I remember reading the ballad as a kid, along with my dad, back when it was first published weekly on Corriere Dei Piccoli. It was a blast, so scary and mysterious!
It’s so strange and sad how us Americans never got exposed to these types of international masterpieces. It’s cool to see their influence still seeped through to some creators. Just as manga is now widely read in the U.S., hopefully European and South American comics can one day find a wide audience.
@@jonaswhale6451It has nothing to do with it, the reason is that European cinema like European comics is culturally far from the Americans, It's the same reason why Japanese products have taken so long to gain fame outside Japan, moreover, it must be taken into account that our European authors are not only culturally ideologically distant from the American public but are now also generationally distant from the modern public.
It makes sense that the first graphic novel has such an interesting author! I do wonder how many later ones drew direct inspiration from this rather than from its more famed successors...
I need to add that both Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were serialised in the monthly Corto Maltese anthology magazine in Italy shortly after being published. The same goes for Ronin and V fo Vendetta. Why are these being referred to as graphic novels btw? They were all presented as a miniseries, in the same way as Secret Wars at the time! Nobody calls that a graphic novel! Both Watchmen a V thrive on their episodic nature.
@@smog9814 I think a lot of people use "Graphic Novel" interchangably, and sometimes use it to refer to collected paperbacks, and sometimes just comics in general.
Man, these videos are so good. You can tell that you actually love what you're talking about and have for a long time. Makes you a great person to learn from.
There was a novel in print in Mexico in the 1970's called Lagrimas y Risas that was printed in a brown ink. The Artist was fantastic, I learned to read with that comic book. I think his drawings were so refined and smooth.
I read the Corto Maltese comics when I was a kid in the seventies. Probably too advanced for me at the time, but now I get them. European comics are very off the radar in the States. There is so much to discover. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for this insight into one of early graphic novels. I hadn't heard of Pratt, so I learned a lot. The earliest American "graphic novel" I was aware of is _The First Kingdom_ by Jack Katz. It is made up of 24 issues, began publishing in 1974, and took 24 years to complete. It is a black&white work, but with extremely dense yet intriguing imagery. It combines science fiction and fantasy and aimed at mature readers.
Hey man, you should try using youtubes inbuilt chapters feature on your vids it would be cool to skip back and forth and know where to skip to. Love your videos btw!
When I was in my teens, (I am 65 now), I had a graphic novel of some of Ray Bradbury's stories. The one that really sticks in head was titled, 'And Soft Rains Shall Fall' about the aftermath of a nuclear war.
PRATT had a truly unigue and interesting life as a young man,most definitely different than most people. But,being in prison was not fun I'm sure,so glad you did this feature on PRATT,never heard of him till now. GOOD stuff,learned a lot too. Would like to see a video on Caniff also.
Dear Matttt: you can do a video on Canif or the summer paperboy who sorted fanmail in an obscure comic publisher and WE WILL WATCH because the care and effort you put in each video is inspiring.
I am an Argentinian who grew up with the local comics and from the very first minute this video shares a wealth of new information for myself, about the great Hugo Pratt. Thank you.
Corto Maltese is an amazing character and comic... Hugo Pratt is a legend... For anyone interested in comics, just read ANY of Corto Maltese stories... I cannot imagine anyone not being mesmerised by Corto Maltese...
Weird to talk about the history of graphic novels and not mention A Contract with God, by Eisner. Corto Maltese is still earlier, but if you're going to talk about what lots of Americans think of as the first graphic novel I would mention A Contract with God before I mentioned Watchmen or Dark Knight.
@@thecandlemaker1329 Come on, man, be real. The article mentioning Eisner was onscreen for three seconds and the majority of that segment found @matttt discussing and showing the covers of "Maus," "Watchmen" and "Dark Knight," the latter two of which he then referenced a second time later in the video. Eisner was a giant, one of the most influential creators in the history of the medium, and this video does him a serious disservice.
In 1985, Juan Sasturain organized here in Buenos Aires a series of lectures called "El Domicilio de la Aventura". I remember attending three of those: one with Francisco Solano López, another with Alberto Breccia, and the last one with Hugo Pratt. ¡What a time for the culture of my country! A friend of mine asked Pratt to draw him a Corto Maltese. He did it with a marker in almost one stroke, as if he were signing an autograph.
I for one would absolutely LOVE a Caniff video. One if my favorite Cartoonist Kayfabe videos (among many I loved) was the one focused on Milt. I’ve been a fan of his for decades. (One of his ghosts Bill Overgard drew Steve Roper & Mike Nomad, my favorite adventure daily strip and his earliest work on the strip showed off the Caniff influence.)
I will translate this episode, include it in the curriculum and present it to my students in the next term. Huogo Pratt was a major turn im my life and art. Thank you for all the episode you present, especially this one ☝. Keep the great job up!
As a HUGE fan of Hugo Pratt and specially of Corto Maltese, I want to thank you for telling this story in detail. Corto is the epitome of the "romantic hero", and much more. He brings magic into everyday life, without believing in it. There's an exchange between him and another "side character", Levi Colombia, in one of the "short stories" located in South America... He asks Levi Colombia how comes he keeps believing in such dreams as the Eldorado and the other legends about the Amazon misteries, and Levi Colombia just answers: "Dreams are made of gold, reality is made of lead". This permeates all and every one of CM stories. Yet they're somehow as magic as it gets. I just happen to love that character... 🙂
@matttt as a lover of history and biographies these videos are incredible im not much of a comic book reader but am always facinated of peoples lives and success and these videos are a joy to watch. honestly your in the top with my favorite youtubers alongside thoughty2 and mrballen. love it!
thanks for making this video. cortomaltese was my dads favorite comic. that he spent quite some of his money to buy them when they were translated to danish. sadly my aunt stole them them from him and sold for a good profit with little retaliation because she was in a relasionship with a rocker ( a gang member of denmark). I know very little since my father hated talking anything about his past. So thanks again for making this video so i have a better understanding of this why my dad liked this Author.
I mean, It Rhymes With Lust was released in 1950, 17 years before "Ballad". It was also one of many attempts at a serious crime comics directed at adults released around that time, like EC Comics "Shock Illustrated" in their "Picto Fiction" line. Which would eventually lead to stuff like Steranko's "Chandler".
Aimed at adults is not typically a bigger literary merit than aimed at edgy teenagers. It obfuscates a lot and narrows the scope. The potential in a reader to growth versus the potential, even drive, towards stagnancy. Carl Barks from mid-fifties reaches at least the merit of Hobbit, next to more serious novels that might go up in scope to something like Lord of the Rings.
@@sboinkthelegday3892 The point isn't literary merit at all. I was only referring to target demographic as an actual fact. Some of my favorite graphic novels are the ones aimed at kids (e.g. Bone, or Giants Beware).
@@sboinkthelegday3892 My point is that these comics were aimed at adults, because the goal was trying to find a way to market these comics specifically to adult audience and distance them from 'kids' comics, and that's where innovation of a graphic novel came from - attempt to create a pulp paperback as a comics. That's why I mentioned these examples - EC doesn't call them comics but "Picto fiction" and uses a different format than regular comics of the time. The same is true of Steranko's "Chandler", which also distances itself from regular comics by a different visual language. In contrast It Rhymes With Lust is relatively conservative, since it works mostly like regular comics, though it has some differences, like decompressed storytelling (most pages have up to 3 panels and splash pages are common, which is very unsual for 1950s) and the art being black and white.
It's not the target, neither the long format that qualifies a narrative product as literature. It's the depth of the characters, the themes, the writing, the ability to leave quesions in the mind of the readers. That's what makes Corto's books a novel. And the craftmanship of the comic adds the adjective "graphic" in front of it.
@@UTJK. What? No, that's absurd. Bad novels are still novels. By this logic Da Vinci Code isn't a novel because it's a pile of disposable trash with a clever marketing campaign.
Wow, just wow. I didn't know anything about Hugo Pratt, but now i want to read everything he did. Thak you for this amazing video, i would like to watch some more great stuff from you!
4:11. It’s absolutely true! Milton Caniff was Pratt’s main inspiration. Igort (another Italian comic book artist) once said that Pratt used to buy Caniff’s original drawings mainly to look at them backlit to see how he “built” his drawings and the schemes behind them!
Been reading Corto since 1991 when i was in graphic school. It's just a must to read this stunning work, both visually and literary and it influenced my own work and vision on life in general quite a lot. Thank you for this wonderful hommage.
The question of the first graphic novel always upsets me, because usually the answer (the one I see most often) is "Contract with God" by Will Eisner in 1978. It upsets me because the first adventure of Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt, titled "A ballad of the salt sea", was first published in 1967 (the first episode, at least. It was published on a comic magazine bit by bit until 1968 if I remeber correctly. I don't remeber when it was published in a whole volume for the first time). And this comic definitely is a graphic novel, because it's a complete story with many mature and meaninful topics. But because the world is USA-centric, the "invention" of graphic novel is uncorrectly attributed to Eisner.
I'd never heard of this artist or his work. Just looking at the panels sucked me in. Many of my favorite comics surely owe so much to this forerunner. Pratt's life is an incredible story, thank you for sharing it.
I was crazy for buying corto maltese comics when i was 16 but in Uruguay a small country there was only one comic shop that sold them and the owner wanted like probably 10 times the price it would cost on its original country.they were just too expensive to me with my so i had to cope with reading them on the internet in early 2000s
Awesome video as always. Great narrative and flow, awesome selection of prints and photos, this is fast becoming one of my favorite channels. Yes for Caniff, and the mustache goes hard!
I'm not familiar with Milton Caniff, but if you're excited about making a video, I'm sure it'll be great. I'm always so excited when I get a notification that you've posted a new video, they're my favorite.
"Pif gadget" was an institution as a children's magazine in France. There were gadgets (whoopee cushions, seeds and other things like that) and comics like Rahan, Vaillant, Léonard, Le Cucombre masque, Gai-Luron etc.
_Corto Maltese_ is available both in French and Italian (and it's been translated into other European languages too, not least Spanish) so it shouldn't be too hard to find it in a language you can read.
With Hugo Pratt's connection to Argentina, a lot of people love and appreciate Corto Maltese as if it was a comic of our own and I think that's beautiful. I have read some of it and am always amazed.
Please check out rocketmoney.com/matttt to take control of your finances and help support this channel!
there’s a typo in your thumbnail unless you meant to say solider but that’s not a word
Honestly though, now I want a video on Caniff!
Really Hérge’s Tintin wasn’t the first graphic novels?
you have a clever title but guess what video doesnt come up simply by searching corto maltese
"watchman" rofl in the 1980s you could walk into any book retailer chain in the u.s. and buy a copy of elfquest.
let me guess, history erased itself so you wouldn't have to see the ta-tas.
As a French comic book enthusiast, I just learned through this video that Corto Maltese is not famous outside Europe. In France, everyone slightly interested in comics knows about Hugo Pratt, especially in my father's generation. It's right there close to Asterix, Tintin or Spirou.
He is famous in Argentina. I remember reading his stories when I was a kid.
I even have a book that Clarin (a newspaper) published maaaaany years ago with some stories.
When I go to Italy I like to buy a book or two.
Corto Maltese is famous in France, but I'm not sure I'd put it on the same level as Astérix, Tintin and Spirou. Most people have read at least one album for each of these (or an issue for Spirou since it's mainly a magazine) and children to this day still read them. Corto Maltese is more along the line of Michel Valliant, Blake & Mortimer, or Largo Winch: if you're not a comic book enthusiast, you probably only know them by name (which is still a big achievement, don't get me wrong).
He is known in Brasil too, I think that most people that likes comics heard about Corto Maltese.
@@moonlightingjam yeah I agree, most people know it by name at least, and I was surprised to hear it wasn't true in North America. I said it was "close" to Tintin and the like, it's the tier right under it.
Frank Miller was afan and put references in his books, but they flew over peoples heads.
no wonder why the translations were "mediocre", Corto Maltese is simply hard to translate. even reading the italian version can be challenging at times, and Pratt loved to mix italian dialects to create fannuy gags and languages. for example, in the ballad of the salty sea the natives of some island are described as "they are savages that speak in an impossible language" and they are actually speakig venetian (wich is absolutelly hilarious for an italian once you realize it).
Since it's impossible to translate Italian curses against God and other religious figures into English, that also means it's also impossible to translate 90-95% of Venetian speech 😆
I grew up with Corto Maltese on my father's bookshelves, and the ballad of the salty sea always struck me as weirdly written. It took me years before I got to know it was initially written in Italian and that french was only a translation, and that it probably was the reason why it seems weird at times. Now that anecdote you're telling us about adds one more layer to this. It isn't unlikely that I'll learn Italian one day (for unrelated reasons), and I'll surely read it in its original version then, that'll give a whole new dimension to dig into.
A common practice in comics.
The oldest I can think of is Tintin, The Broken Ear(1937) where the natives speak the Brussels flemish dialect. Later in 1338-39, in King's Ottokar Scepter (1938-39), the Syldavian motos and expressions are also Brussel's flemish dialect. He uses again that trick with the picaros. Other writers have done the same with their local dialects (In different Natacha stories from Walthery, the natives speak Walloon from Liège)
@@ydela1961
Yeah, I was thinking the same.
@@guillaumesalmon7270 Nella traduzione francese come parlano al posto del veneziano?
I'm from Italy and I'm grateful you're talking about Hugo Pratt and his work. "La ballata del mare salato" it's in the bookshelves of every comicbook lover here. Pratt's storytelling and art style is evocative, poetic yet realistic. The comicbooks scene in Italy from the late 60s on has a strong literary value, it's tailored to a intellectual audience and it's less known that its French and Belgian counterpart. I would advice non-European and younger audience to have a look into it, its full of marvels, no pun intended.
Fwllow Italian here, I think everyone who has an interest in comics beyond super-heroes knows Hugo Pratt, even outside Italy (I own a Hungarian translation of "Corte Sconta detta Arcana" :) ).
But in the older generation it was not just considered something for intellectuals, the generation born in the '50s grew up reading it right next to Nembo Kid and Tex, I wouldn't say the split was too extreme.
I'm Swedish and I can verify the appreciation of Pratt and Corto Maltese here too.
My favorite one is "Corte Sconta detta Arcana".
While I'm part of the youth of Italy, because of my family I've read through lots of european comics, from very old to very "new" (comic artists in Italy still exist, but more of them are inspired to mangas and the like). Despite everything my favorite remains Dylan Dog, even tho I have a complex relationship with it (Some of the volumes are just perfect for me, some others are not that interesting imo). Regardless, I'm happy to know there are people out there who remember our comics' history
I'm from Argentina, grew up reading Corto, and when I had my daughter I was living in a smalll island in the Pacific, so of course her name is Pandora :)
I often visited the city of Angoulême in France, where the International Comics Festival takes place.
The city is built on a hill, and down this hill you’ll find a river separating the city in two.
But to join the two sides as one, you’ll find a bridge… with a statue of Corto Maltese on it.
That’s a testament to how much he’s loved, not just by France but the international community of comic-books enthusiasts in general. Corto is a bridge for all of us ❤
Coucou ermite :3
Much great Graphic Quality albums are printed in France are 3 biggest exporter of Graphic Literature are The Incal ,Metabaron , Lauffray and Dorisin stories Long John Silver ,The Book of Chaos(The Prophet ),Valerian done are Bryan Talbot and Jist say Sandman Neil Gaiman are from England Alan More same so just Druilett and just go on and on and on are Take time between books but When print over 10 000 otbsrtitmes s year so not like have other stuff read Spirou ,Smurf ,Tintin ,Gaston ,Asterix Belgium ,France also Spanish team do Blacksad printed in France are just Grandville , Millenium graphics from Book Swedish Stieg Larsson Trioligy from done 4 comic books from DC done they Black label also print Bryan Talbot's books done 👍
Europe are do best Com8c Album in World in my mind for are for all ages 👍🇸🇪
France has a long history of recognizing and valorizing Italian artists. This is one of the reasons why Italians love France so much. Even if we don't love the French quite as much because, well, they're a little too keen to underline its value and importance. However, Italians don't like Italians so much too, so it's not a big deal.
@@MicheleGardiniCan't agree with the statement, Italians and French are extremely hostile to each other for various reasons.
But take it as a great hate chivalrous rivalry.
We cooperate, we like each other in the very end, we compete relentlessly, we fight always.
@@DucaCremisi well, so you basically agree with my statement. Because that's what I meant. But you're totally right, there's more than one reason for our love-hate tradition. I only wrote one for brevity's sake.
Sweet. Also Corto cutting his palm was much more than just him not being happy with his fate. He was born without a fate line meaning he had no fate at all so he literally carved one of his own will, basically proclaiming to the universe that he would choose his own destiny which is especially audacious since magic and the supernatural is very real in Corto’s world.
I've always taken that as a macabre irony, maybe because in the version I read, it was translated as the life line, which is one of the three main lines. (The sun line and fate line are much fainter and don't always appear.)
You see, if you lengthen your life line, you'll be cutting your wrist.
I'm an Argentinian comic book artist. When I was 15 years old, I want to read something diferent between Superheroes Comics and Manga.
That's when Corto Matese came and invites me to his adventure.
More later, I discover his creator: Hugo Pratt. I became a big fan of all their works.
Read the Hugo Pratt's comics is for me like enter in a world with an atmosphere of mistery, danger amd heroic adventures.
Hugo Pratt is a cultural hero for me.
You don't know how much I appreciate this video for make Justice to the great artist and legend that is Hugo Pratt.
Thanks a lot!!!!
😊❤🎉 New sub. Keep goin' :D I love Argentina.
¿A donde puedo comprar y leer su trabajo señor?
❤
Hugo Pratt trabajo mucho en Argentina, y en el corto maltes hay muchas referencias a nuestro pais
@@raulrivero3249 no estoy hablando de Hugo Pratt. De el comemtaristo original, que es un artista.
This man WILL put comics back on the media map.
Someone stop him
I had no idea that Hugo Pratt was not known in the US. He is such a legend here in Europe. We had a whole exhibition about his work here at the museum in Bordeaux. A big thank to introducing this major artist to American audience.
always assume Americans have no idea what is going on outside of the USA
Just Pratt? The US don't now Lucky Luke (which is set in American West) or Iznogood and many others
The only comic book artists we know in America are either North American or Japanese. We’ve heard of Asterix. The Tintin cartoon series is more famous in America than the comics (at least that’s how I knew him). Some millennial memelords may know HUMO. But other than that, it’s unheard of.
In Western Europe, you mean. It's only half of the continent.
@@Marta_z_DabrowyActually, Corto Maltese was very well known and respected in former Yugoslavia, also... so, not only west europe.
I don't think anyone would complain about another video from you, matttt. I don't know of Caniff, but I'd love to be educated. Beyond that, loved the video and I appreciate the awareness for European comics. Would love to see more like Uderzo, Goscinny, Morris or Hergé in the future
Could not agree more!!
Silvio cadelo
Yes exactly!
Even Will Eisner as such is overlooked almost to criminal extent, despite the award, while something like Bone is casually dubbed the LotR of comic books which seems excessive.
Speaking of being looked over, Valhalla by Peter Madsen is a bit of a curio, especially with the animated film accompanying it.
I was going to say, if Matttt makes it, I will watch it.
Old Belgian lady here! Yes, Hugo Pratt is a legend in Europe, especially French speaking Belgium….and France of course. Tintin, Corto Maltese, they inaugurated what we lovely call the 8th ART, comics and graphic novels.
It has even become very “ bourgeois” to collect them. Walk in a snooty cafe in Brussels, you might find display of the latest releases, special editions….
I had a big box with my collection on a cargo when I immigrated in the US decades ago. Didn’t want to leave them behind…
Luckily, nowadays, if you can pay for shipping, they come to your door!
Once a year, after eating pasta for 3 months, I indulge and get myself a big shipment…
Graphic novels are considered as 9th art, not 8th, at least at me here, and yes pratt is a superstar basically in all of europe.
Here in croatia and ex yu, all schools were popular, franco - belgian ofc, but italian was huge too, spanish was also appreciated as was northern european one.
Corto maltese, aster blistok, jeremiah, torpedo 1936, so many great comics from all over europe.
Merci
@@dannyboy-vtc5741 Croat here also. Corto Maltese was so popular here that it became irritating at some point.😄
@@imbrod indeed, jeremiah from hermann too to a degree, because they were published a lot, ffs i even watched an american tv series filmed from it, found it on internet, what a garbage that was, and ofc kurdy malloy was an afroamerican there, because ofc he was.
Corto Maltese is Italian comics that were ahead of time for 1967 compared to the 1980s graphic comics and the creator has finally got the treasure island for good
As a Italian guy, Pratt and his legacy is a National Treasure for my country. You are the only guy who finally recognize the works of this author. Thank you very much!
❤🇮🇹😊👍
Not really, the vast majority of Italians don't even know who Ugo Pratt is.
@@jojojo3521 true unfortunately, but if you say Corto Maltese it will ring a bell for most people, even though they might not know what it is...
Vabbè ormai in generale la gente conosce meno e meno autori e fumetti importanti. Ormai pochi conoscono, tra tik tok e cazzat varie sempre meno gente legge.
Although the wait is long, these videos are so worth it.
Totally agree with you, the quality has been so impressive since his first video
The last one was literally three weeks ago my wigga
Matttt needs a millionaire donor to continue this series
The wait isn’t that long but still it’s always good
Agreed quality over quantity any day
Love these videos
The influence Pratt has had in latin American and Europe is immense. I thank him for giving me my passion for history. My personal favorite would be corto maltese in Siberia.
Corto in Siberia is my favorite to , you ever saw the animated version if not watch it on the tube or order the dvd its worthed .
@@jonaswhale6451 thnx will definitely check it out. I also know Guy Delises Pyongyang comic talks about how parts if the film were animated in North Korea so definitely worth also a read
@AlejoToro-f3w For a while Corto in Siberia was the only volume in my collection. I read it twice a year. There was just something about it. My cat's name is Corto in fact, probably from that connection
Yes to a Milton Caniff vid!
If there’s one thing I love about your videos, it’s talking about great artists and writers of comics that aren’t from the mainstream big two.
Every time I think about Italian comic book artists, The big one I always think of is Benito Jacovitti, who when he was 16, was drawing and creating comics in 1939 fascist Italy, and never shied away from political satire even under the regime, but added this weird, bizarre, but lovingly Italian style of cartooning that is some of the loosest I have ever seen in my life, and I personally think would at least be something interesting to look into, at least I think
Hell yes for a Caniff vid. Your channel is amazing for drawing attention to forgotten creators, and I’d love a primer on Terry & the Pirates.
Love your work Matt.
As italian, i'm happy to see that someone spreads our high-quality comic tradition in the world: european comics are so underrated.
just wait until they discover Manara
@@swisswildpicsswp3095 Ooooh i'm looking forward to that 😏
only in the US!! In Argentina, Uruguay, Brasil, we looooove Pratt!
@@oogabooga6346 That make sense! He spent a lot of time in those regions, that's why he chose them as setting for his stories!
underrated...only in the US
Two weeks ago, I had a very vivid argument with the owner of a local comic book store that tried to pitch me Bastien's iteration of Corto Maltese. Seeing that the character has been taken out of its original chronological context I saw it as a travesty (like taking Asterix into a Space Opera setting), but the comic book store owner wouldn't understand my outrage saying that original Corto Maltese was "rancid and in need of modernization" to survive.
There are dumb takes and then there is that, wow!
As Hugo Pratt told in "The Scorpions of the Desert" (also a pretty recommendable graphic novel), Corto died at Spanish Civil War, period)
@@pexobestia In the introduction letter of the ballad, Corto is depicted as an old, embittered man living out his old age in Viña del Mar, Chile.
It's always puzzling, isn't it? A fellow enthusiast implores you to try some ill-fated reboot, and their first argument is that the old stuff was secretly bad all along. This is always a sign that the new product will be horrible. After all, if it distances itself from the original, why should it need the name of the original? If it's better than a time tested classic, why can it not stand on its own?
I think it's interesting to create a new and modern Corto Maltese, but also unnecessary... My biggest problem here is how that owner insulted Pratt's work like that.
I'm from Brazil, and Ballad of the Salt Sea is me favorite comic book of all time. This video of yours is a delight. Congratulations
The original US graphic novel, the one that used the term to desvribe itself, was Camelot 3000 (conceived in 1975), although it took a while to sell it to the US market. Then there was WIll EIsner's A Contract WIth God (1978). But, yes, many do not realize the rich foreign comic market full of books like Corto Maltese, Valerian (which influenced the movie Star Wars), ans so many others by amazingly talented artists and writers.
The graphic artist of Valerian was also the graphic designer for The 5th Element.
one of the best things about this channel is how much you go after other countrys aproach to comics, makes for a richer understanding of the media.
As an Italian i'm really happy that in America,Italian Comics have been recognised even from other countries even from the fact that Europan/Italian comics are really underrated.
There's no greater day than getting a Matttt notification! Hope to see a Jim Lee video someday
I remember you wanted to make one and, if possible, get an interview. Hope it happens someday
YES, PLEASE make a Milton Cniff video! Your videos covering the obscure comic artists are your BEST videos. We enjoy learning about old creators that we don't know about and their influences on today's comic landscape.
funny thing is, I consider Corto the greatest comic book ever created but I realized people in the US never heard of it. It kinda blew my mind when I learned that
Yeah, as a french reader it's weird how we know all of american comic books but american people seem to live in a cave
@@chaboudo3915 US people are so self centered. European comic book world is so rich, diversified and vast. Americans readers seams still only interested in they unoriginal reboot, sequels, prequels of superheros that have already been done a million times. The will eisner awards nominations are always about of the same 3/4 franchises... seriusly? those are the best you have to offer to the comic book world?
The scattered remains of your mind should come to understand, how absolute and still intact the US iron curtain and media blockade is.
@@lucapepito Doublespeak took root there. TMNT 1987 is Japanese animation but not anime, because idiomatically it's not AN animation from Japan, only the animation, adverb, is from Japan. But the noun is deemed property of the commissioner. Batman's inspiration Zorro is dead in some alleyway, while fans cry when they feel mockery targets their own idols.
NINJA turtles can only be appropriated from Eastman and Laird, but not from japan who don't own ninjas at all. Not from Kurosawa whose Seven Samurai is only adapted in USA, not from Confucious while Jedis and Trekkies make up their own neopagan religions.
Everything made anywhere just belongs to the oligarchs who "paid" for it, but that's usually by fixing GDP and strongarming productive countries and flyover states into a place of servitude, work given no value to exchange big money for. Starvation is irrelevant and big immigration of labor force only stresses the amount of imports they can take, to feed their mouths, human capital becomes an expense. Intellectual Property becomes free usury money.
@@lucapepito After Vertigo shut down even the American stuff outside of superhero comics has become sort of formulaic. Half the time it feels like I'm reading someone's high-concept pitch for a Netflix show.
They used to give several Corto Maltese comics in schools, because they were THAT important in the literary field (before Argentina forgot everything and only cared about mafalda).
The edition that I have is issue number 1 in which Corto travels to Argentina to help the daughter of a friend of his, but the most interesting thing about this is that despite having a reputation for being someone who studies a lot to make his comics, Pratt in this case did not rely on anything to illustrate the country, neither books nor photos, only his memories.
El Puente de la Estación Borges... en mis épocas, en otro siglo, era un paraíso escondido, lleno de enredaderas y pájaros y luz de luna. Los trenes eran una memoria, y las vías eran para los exploradores en bicicleta. Yo me escapaba allá en mi bici con mi perra a leer y a dibujar e imaginarme viajes en el tiempo, cuentos de brujas y duendes en la neblina. Y un día en las páginas del Corto, ahí estaba él, sentado en el andén, en la mismísima estación de Borges!!!! Cómo no enamorarse de un personaje así.
Hugo Pratt a dreamer, he dreamt while he was awake. His talent was so big that his dream transcended reality and was placed on Corto, Corto lived all of Hugo's dreams, he would feel as we do, he was real and he knew it, he embraced it.
Me2🎉
I am Brazilian, born and living in Brasil. I discovered Corto Maltese by pure chance in the early 2000s due to the French animation; it was love at first sight.
Today, I have three different editions of "The Ballad of the Salt Sea," two of "Under the Sign of Capricorn," among the various other volumes published by Hugo Pratt.
Corto Maltese is a work of art. The reader experiences the world through the character's eyes, embarks on adventures with him, and engages with themes like colonialism, racism, and other social issues.
A brilliant work.
Ah, I believe that movie was quite interesting for many Latin Americans. Definitely a good starting point.
Outside italy the best is unknown: *Andrea Pazienza "Zanardi" and "Pompeo"* . Two masterpieces
True, but it's a very different kind of stories. Pazienza was a genius, but doesn't share anything with Pratt. Anyway, Zanardi is more a collection of shorts. Pmpeo could have been a real novel, but Pazienza died leaving it incomplete.
I really appreciate Hugo Pratt’s back story.Right now Centre Pompidou has a museum-wide exhibit of comic book artists including 1 floor on Hugo Pratt. All the early American greats including Caniff are on another floor etc. It’s on till November 4th and spectacular.
I can't get over how amazingly researched and produced these videos are. Blows my mind every upload ❤
"It Rymes with Lust" and "Mansion of Evil" both were published in 1950. Each had a complete comic art story targeting an adult audience that were printed and distributed with other paperbacks rather than comics. Depending on your definition of "graphic novel", there are even earlier candidates for the "first".
He said that's why he doesn't really like the definition of "graphic novel"
Do the Caniff video. Every video you do is a wonderful gift of peering into comics history. Well researched, beautifully executed, perfect.
Many thanks for this video! I've been into Corto Maltese for close to 30 years, but had little idea about Hugo Pratt's life.
By the time of 18 years old this man had served in 3 different counties military … I’ve never heard of anything like that before … crazy
Make whatever video with whatever topic you choose, and I will watch it. I have watched each of your videos and have shared them with friends and family. I love the passion, and the professionalism of each video is top notch. Thank you for the comic education.
Would love to see a Milton Caniff video.
Also love the spotlight you’ve given to creators from outside the American industry.
Thank you for educating us about hugo pratt and his work
I am just amazed at how this channel just appeared and met success on the get go.
As an Italian I'm glad that someone finally gives some love and shed some light on our glorious comics tradition
This comic gem deserved the recognition and the comic is very unique❤❤❤
I'm from Argentina, where Corto Maltese is huge, and I always thought Hugo Pratt was Argentinian too! XD it was very interesting to learn about his life 🤍
Yo tambien pensaba que era argentino jaja. Yo soy uruguayo, y aca no es muy conocido :(
Thanks for making this! I remember reading the ballad as a kid, along with my dad, back when it was first published weekly on Corriere Dei Piccoli. It was a blast, so scary and mysterious!
It’s so strange and sad how us Americans never got exposed to these types of international masterpieces. It’s cool to see their influence still seeped through to some creators. Just as manga is now widely read in the U.S., hopefully European and South American comics can one day find a wide audience.
We were definitely exposed, you just weren't alive. Remember heavy metal magazine?
the u.s. is very very managed, it's not strange. i'm here posting that elfquest was available in u.s. malls in the 1980s before watchmen existed.
Because in the US cartoons and movies where used to decheive the massese and create stereotypes , Hollowwood productions screwed alot of souls .
@@jonaswhale6451It has nothing to do with it, the reason is that European cinema like European comics is culturally far from the Americans, It's the same reason why Japanese products have taken so long to gain fame outside Japan, moreover, it must be taken into account that our European authors are not only culturally ideologically distant from the American public but are now also generationally distant from the modern public.
I wonder how known "El Eternauta" is in the US.
Your videos are amazing and frankly I’d watch a video on ANY comic book related topic
Yo its k6
It makes sense that the first graphic novel has such an interesting author!
I do wonder how many later ones drew direct inspiration from this rather than from its more famed successors...
You do know that a bunch of European graphic novels predate it.
Frank Miller was very famously influenced by Pratt among others. That's why there is a nod to Corto Maltese in the dark knight returns.
I need to add that both Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were serialised in the monthly Corto Maltese anthology magazine in Italy shortly after being published. The same goes for Ronin and V fo Vendetta. Why are these being referred to as graphic novels btw? They were all presented as a miniseries, in the same way as Secret Wars at the time! Nobody calls that a graphic novel! Both Watchmen a V thrive on their episodic nature.
@@smog9814 I think a lot of people use "Graphic Novel" interchangably, and sometimes use it to refer to collected paperbacks, and sometimes just comics in general.
th-cam.com/video/460SWZjXBJ0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=g3FRfSTE7NUhxKBe interesting documentary on Pratt
Pratt wasn't born in Venice (Italy).
He was borni in Rimini (Italy).
How can one be so wrong, you only need to make a Wikipedia search to get the right city
He didn't even look up how to pronunciate "Maltese" decently...
@@molotovmutt3365 "Sacrificar un mundo para pulir un verso", is a saying we have a Spanish. I imagine there is something similar in Italian.
Exactly what I need right now, matttt, throwing new content at my happy face.
Man, these videos are so good. You can tell that you actually love what you're talking about and have for a long time. Makes you a great person to learn from.
1:16 actually he was born in Rimini. Both his parents are from Venice and he lived there many years btw
There was a novel in print in Mexico in the 1970's called Lagrimas y Risas that was printed in a brown ink. The Artist was fantastic, I learned to read with that comic book. I think his drawings were so refined and smooth.
I grew up in Europe reading Corto. This visual essay is a worthy tribute to Hugo Pratt. Just an awesome job Matt! Thank You.
Regards,
Denis
I read the Corto Maltese comics when I was a kid in the seventies. Probably too advanced for me at the time, but now I get them. European comics are very off the radar in the States. There is so much to discover. Thank you for this video.
Your’s has become my absolute FAVORITE comics channel.
Thanks for this insight into one of early graphic novels. I hadn't heard of Pratt, so I learned a lot.
The earliest American "graphic novel" I was aware of is _The First Kingdom_ by Jack Katz. It is made up of 24 issues, began publishing in 1974, and took 24 years to complete. It is a black&white work, but with extremely dense yet intriguing imagery. It combines science fiction and fantasy and aimed at mature readers.
Ah Corto! My beloved character, so happy that you made a video about Hugo Pratt!
Corto Maltés is on my top 3 favourite comic characters!
I was just talking about him and Hugo Pratt with my arts professor today.
Hey man, you should try using youtubes inbuilt chapters feature on your vids it would be cool to skip back and forth and know where to skip to. Love your videos btw!
Italian comic books are so good. We need episodes about Italian Disney comics, Dino Battaglia, Sergio Toppi, Bonvi...
As an italian comic book creator myself, i'm so very happy that you did this video. Italia has a GREAT comic books history
When I was in my teens, (I am 65 now), I had a graphic novel of some of Ray Bradbury's stories. The one that really sticks in head was titled, 'And Soft Rains Shall Fall' about the aftermath of a nuclear war.
PRATT had a truly unigue and interesting life as a young man,most definitely different than most people. But,being in prison was not fun I'm sure,so glad you did this feature on PRATT,never heard of him till now. GOOD stuff,learned a lot too. Would like to see a video on Caniff also.
What a time to be alive. Nice to see Pratt and Corto finally getting some love in youtube. We needed a video like this for so long. Awesome job man
Dear Matttt: you can do a video on Canif or the summer paperboy who sorted fanmail in an obscure comic publisher and WE WILL WATCH because the care and effort you put in each video is inspiring.
I am an Argentinian who grew up with the local comics and from the very first minute this video shares a wealth of new information for myself, about the great Hugo Pratt. Thank you.
Corto Maltese is an amazing character and comic... Hugo Pratt is a legend... For anyone interested in comics, just read ANY of Corto Maltese stories... I cannot imagine anyone not being mesmerised by Corto Maltese...
i love this channel, so many stories that are practically unheard of, at least to me! its a joy to hear them every time you put out a new video.
Weird to talk about the history of graphic novels and not mention A Contract with God, by Eisner. Corto Maltese is still earlier, but if you're going to talk about what lots of Americans think of as the first graphic novel I would mention A Contract with God before I mentioned Watchmen or Dark Knight.
Dude... It's shown right there in the video. Watch attentively before making such comments, okay?
It is referenced in the article he cited.
@@thecandlemaker1329 Come on, man, be real. The article mentioning Eisner was onscreen for three seconds and the majority of that segment found @matttt discussing and showing the covers of "Maus," "Watchmen" and "Dark Knight," the latter two of which he then referenced a second time later in the video.
Eisner was a giant, one of the most influential creators in the history of the medium, and this video does him a serious disservice.
It Rhymes With Lust came out waaaay before any of these
This isn’t the flex you think it is, because it’s not about the history of graphic novels.
Thanks Mattt! As always, informative, inspiring, and motivating. Please keep'em coming
In 1985, Juan Sasturain organized here in Buenos Aires a series of lectures called "El Domicilio de la Aventura". I remember attending three of those: one with Francisco Solano López, another with Alberto Breccia, and the last one with Hugo Pratt. ¡What a time for the culture of my country! A friend of mine asked Pratt to draw him a Corto Maltese. He did it with a marker in almost one stroke, as if he were signing an autograph.
😃😍
Matttt before your channel I never would have watched a video on caniff but if you do it I’ll watch it cause I now care about the history of comics
I for one would absolutely LOVE a Caniff video. One if my favorite Cartoonist Kayfabe videos (among many I loved) was the one focused on Milt. I’ve been a fan of his for decades. (One of his ghosts Bill Overgard drew Steve Roper & Mike Nomad, my favorite adventure daily strip and his earliest work on the strip showed off the Caniff influence.)
I will translate this episode, include it in the curriculum and present it to my students in the next term. Huogo Pratt was a major turn im my life and art.
Thank you for all the episode you present, especially this one ☝. Keep the great job up!
As a HUGE fan of Hugo Pratt and specially of Corto Maltese, I want to thank you for telling this story in detail. Corto is the epitome of the "romantic hero", and much more. He brings magic into everyday life, without believing in it. There's an exchange between him and another "side character", Levi Colombia, in one of the "short stories" located in South America... He asks Levi Colombia how comes he keeps believing in such dreams as the Eldorado and the other legends about the Amazon misteries, and Levi Colombia just answers: "Dreams are made of gold, reality is made of lead". This permeates all and every one of CM stories. Yet they're somehow as magic as it gets.
I just happen to love that character... 🙂
@matttt as a lover of history and biographies these videos are incredible im not much of a comic book reader but am always facinated of peoples lives and success and these videos are a joy to watch. honestly your in the top with my favorite youtubers alongside thoughty2 and mrballen. love it!
thanks for making this video.
cortomaltese was my dads favorite comic. that he spent quite some of his money to buy them when they were translated to danish.
sadly my aunt stole them them from him and sold for a good profit with little retaliation because she was in a relasionship with a rocker ( a gang member of denmark).
I know very little since my father hated talking anything about his past.
So thanks again for making this video so i have a better understanding of this why my dad liked this Author.
AMAZING - as ever - whatever you decide to focus on I will ALWAYS tune in.
I mean, It Rhymes With Lust was released in 1950, 17 years before "Ballad". It was also one of many attempts at a serious crime comics directed at adults released around that time, like EC Comics "Shock Illustrated" in their "Picto Fiction" line. Which would eventually lead to stuff like Steranko's "Chandler".
Aimed at adults is not typically a bigger literary merit than aimed at edgy teenagers. It obfuscates a lot and narrows the scope. The potential in a reader to growth versus the potential, even drive, towards stagnancy.
Carl Barks from mid-fifties reaches at least the merit of Hobbit, next to more serious novels that might go up in scope to something like Lord of the Rings.
@@sboinkthelegday3892 The point isn't literary merit at all. I was only referring to target demographic as an actual fact. Some of my favorite graphic novels are the ones aimed at kids (e.g. Bone, or Giants Beware).
@@sboinkthelegday3892 My point is that these comics were aimed at adults, because the goal was trying to find a way to market these comics specifically to adult audience and distance them from 'kids' comics, and that's where innovation of a graphic novel came from - attempt to create a pulp paperback as a comics.
That's why I mentioned these examples - EC doesn't call them comics but "Picto fiction" and uses a different format than regular comics of the time. The same is true of Steranko's "Chandler", which also distances itself from regular comics by a different visual language.
In contrast It Rhymes With Lust is relatively conservative, since it works mostly like regular comics, though it has some differences, like decompressed storytelling (most pages have up to 3 panels and splash pages are common, which is very unsual for 1950s) and the art being black and white.
It's not the target, neither the long format that qualifies a narrative product as literature. It's the depth of the characters, the themes, the writing, the ability to leave quesions in the mind of the readers. That's what makes Corto's books a novel. And the craftmanship of the comic adds the adjective "graphic" in front of it.
@@UTJK. What? No, that's absurd. Bad novels are still novels. By this logic Da Vinci Code isn't a novel because it's a pile of disposable trash with a clever marketing campaign.
Wow, just wow. I didn't know anything about Hugo Pratt, but now i want to read everything he did. Thak you for this amazing video, i would like to watch some more great stuff from you!
4:11. It’s absolutely true! Milton Caniff was Pratt’s main inspiration. Igort (another Italian comic book artist) once said that Pratt used to buy Caniff’s original drawings mainly to look at them backlit to see how he “built” his drawings and the schemes behind them!
Very nice to know that.
Been reading Corto since 1991 when i was in graphic school. It's just a must to read this stunning work, both visually and literary and it influenced my own work and vision on life in general quite a lot. Thank you for this wonderful hommage.
The question of the first graphic novel always upsets me, because usually the answer (the one I see most often) is "Contract with God" by Will Eisner in 1978. It upsets me because the first adventure of Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt, titled "A ballad of the salt sea", was first published in 1967 (the first episode, at least. It was published on a comic magazine bit by bit until 1968 if I remeber correctly. I don't remeber when it was published in a whole volume for the first time). And this comic definitely is a graphic novel, because it's a complete story with many mature and meaninful topics. But because the world is USA-centric, the "invention" of graphic novel is uncorrectly attributed to Eisner.
I'd never heard of this artist or his work. Just looking at the panels sucked me in. Many of my favorite comics surely owe so much to this forerunner. Pratt's life is an incredible story, thank you for sharing it.
I was crazy for buying corto maltese comics when i was 16 but in Uruguay a small country there was only one comic shop that sold them and the owner wanted like probably 10 times the price it would cost on its original country.they were just too expensive to me with my so i had to cope with reading them on the internet in early 2000s
Awesome video as always. Great narrative and flow, awesome selection of prints and photos, this is fast becoming one of my favorite channels. Yes for Caniff, and the mustache goes hard!
Anyone who is willing to watch a Pratt video would also watch a Caniff video. Amazing work by the way ❤
Thank you sir for keeping on putting out such a high value content I’ve learned so much!
I was in corto maltese exhibition in pompidou in previous week. What a coincidence watching your video. I also uploaded a video about corto maltese. 😅
I'm not familiar with Milton Caniff, but if you're excited about making a video, I'm sure it'll be great. I'm always so excited when I get a notification that you've posted a new video, they're my favorite.
"Pif gadget" was an institution as a children's magazine in France. There were gadgets (whoopee cushions, seeds and other things like that) and comics like Rahan, Vaillant, Léonard, Le Cucombre masque, Gai-Luron etc.
Pretty happy you used Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt as intro image. Thank you
Very nice to see Pratt recognized in the anglosphere
_Corto Maltese_ is available both in French and Italian (and it's been translated into other European languages too, not least Spanish) so it shouldn't be too hard to find it in a language you can read.
Thank you for talking about one of our national treasures 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
i really loved this! the flickering textured back grounds made it so hard to watch tho - it took me a couple of attempts.
A video on Caniff would be amazing. At this point I’d watch any video you make on comics history you think is important.
you're one of about 3 creators I have the bell on for :) amazing, inspiring work!
With Hugo Pratt's connection to Argentina, a lot of people love and appreciate Corto Maltese as if it was a comic of our own and I think that's beautiful. I have read some of it and am always amazed.