The secret of Tristan Bantam: Tristan, who has inherited precious papers that tell of the lost kingdom of Mû, has a dream that portends an apparently incomprehensible fate. At Paramaribo, in the sultry heat of Dutch Guyana, Corto finds himself entangled in a sordid tale about a stolen inheritance, while surrounded by such strange characters as Kerster, an unscrupulous lawyer; Jeremiah Steiner, a former university professor, and Madame Java, “hotel” manager and expert knife...

With this book Pratt leaves behind the short story form he'd used for twenty-one interrelated tales and presents a truly epic graphic novel. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the First World War, Corto Maltese is engaged by the Red Lanterns--a Chinese secret society made up entirely of women--to find an armored train laden with gold that belonged to the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II. They aren't the only ones lusting after the treasure. The adventure, which shifts from the hi...

In this volume we find Criss and Mohena, the two heroes of the first story, heading back to Wheeling. But the War of Independence is still raging, and Criss will soon have to have to depart once more on a mission, leaving the girl Mohena alone again. Being a spy is not easy, and Criss often has to count on his old friends in order to succeed. “Pratt’s novels are not made to be read in small doses. By doing that, you would miss half or more of the richness of these books, because what makes...

The protagonist of this tale, actually, is not the 18-year-old Corto, but Rasputin, a deserter from a Siberian rifle regiment, and the writer Jack London, who was a war correspondent in the region at that time. London is already friends with Corto and introduces the sailor to the unpredictable Russian, who even as a young man kills with disconcerting ease and is ready to lie and betray without hesitation. It is, however, "the beginning of a beautiful friendship" that continues throughout t...

An adventure in the yellow sands of North Africa, following the coast of the blue sea toward Djibouti and Dire Dawa, Captain Koïnsky’s final destination. The journey features a colorful theater of characters in succession. The Polish officer starts out with two degenerate Indochinese riflemen that he ran into by pure chance. Next he bumps into the singular soldier Gallina, faithful to his Breda, a priceless armored vehicle which proves essential for continuing along the difficult way. At t...

Mushroom Heads begins and ends in Maracaibo, Venezuela, where the antiquarian Levi Colombia finances an expedition to the equatorial Amazon led by Corto Maltese and Professor Steiner, on the trail of the legendary Eldorado. Banana Conga is based on a story by American writer Art Buchwald, taken by Pratt and reworked to explore the idea of a foreign presence forced to leave Mosquito, a small town on the east coast of Honduras. The dangerous and lethal enemy...

Criss Kenton, a 17 year old who has fled Virginia after the massacre of his family by the Indians, and Patrick Fitzgerald, an English aristocrat who has immigrated to America, make each other’s acquaintance while participating in a series of organized raids on Indian tribes. During one of these raids they meet Mohena, a young woman who has been raised by the Shawnees. As their adventures unfold, the friendship between Criss and Pat grows stronger, but soon the War of Ind...