IDW Publishing; $49.99
The adventure of Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese continue in this fourth volume in the series as the title character arrives in the Middle East and Africa in 1918. As World War I plays out in Europe, the colonial powers continue fighting each other and the locals (and sometimes others) for power, territory, and influence. Events swirl around Corto Maltese and propel him into action, often in unexpected ways. Despite the changing stage on which the tales play out, Pratt’s storytelling is always insightful, human, and compelling. In the best sense, the reader is always left wanting more.
The stories comprising this edition include “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,” and each flows seamlessly into the next.
Like Under The Sign of Capricorn, Beyond The Windy Isles, and Celtic Tales before it, The Ethiopian transports the reader into a brilliantly crafted world, one in which Pratt continues his incredible blend of Ernest Hemmingway and Milton Caniff.
–J.C. Vaughn