Art For Art’s Sake #136 – Celebrating Hugo Pratt’s ‘Corto Maltese’

by Richard Bruton

It’s Art For Art’s Sake – your weekly celebration of the beauty of the comic art form. And this week, we’re ending with the brilliance of the genius that was Hugo Pratt. But first, these…

Amanda Conner –

Bob Oskner – damn, those Angel and the Ape covers were so good

The legendary Ramona Fradon – Aquaman

Batman Vs Azrael – Daniel Warren Johnson

David Aja – Black Panther cover

Cliff Chiang – Black Canary

Couple of beauts from Dave Johnson –

Disney’s Moby Dick with Donald Duck – Paolo Mottura and Mirka Andolfo

A couple from Dustin Nguyen – Beasts of Burden and Lil’ Gotham

Jeaux Janovsky – The Question vs Rorschach

Giannis Milonogiannis – Neo –

The Marvel Comics Limited Edition Print Series Portfolio, presented by Marvel and Graphic Collectibles.

Adam Warlock – Craig Hamilton

Dr. Strange – P. Craig Russell

Alpha Flight – Mike Mignola

The New Mutants – Arthur Adams

Loki, Thor, and Beta Ray Bill – Walt Simonson

And to end this week…

The genius of Hugo Pratt and the enduring tale of Corto Maltese.

Born in 1927, Ugo Eugenio Prat, known throughout his artistic life as Hugo Pratt was a genius of the art, his beautiful storytelling lines immediately recognisable, as is his greatest creation, Corto Maltese.

The comic tells tales of high adventure and fantasy, created by Pratt in 1967, featuring his character Corto Maltese. Pratt died in 1995, but his character and his art lives on, recognised as one of the high points of the artform.

First, a few of Pratt’s unmistakable images…