Keskustelujen arkisto

I feel fortunate to be a comics fan in this age of availability! Classic newspaper strips? European classics? Japanese manga beyond the typical genres or teen-oriented stuff that's been popular stateside for the last 30 years? It's an embarrassment of riches, and one of those riches is IDW's recent decision to publish a complete set of iconic European (Italian author, most of the stories originally published in France) adventure comic, Corto Maltese. I just sat down with the first volume and was swept away by the bohemian, seafaring adventure of Corto, and digging the way author/artist Hugo Pratt conjured up such a lush world with such deliberately sparse art, full of gestural brushwork. What a master!
... but imagine my surprise when one of the stories, "So Much for Gentleman of Fortune," trots out some of the iconic features from one of Carl Bark's greatest stories, "The Ghost of the Grotto!" Both stories feature a coral reef encrusted treasure-ship only uncovered by the tide during certain times of the day, and a delusional old man in ancient armor protecting the treasure. The stories are in many ways different (the uneasy alliance Corto has with two unsavory treasure hunters forms the core of the drama), but those plot points where so distinctive to Barks' story that I couldn't get it out of my mind for the duration of the story. I know that Barks was/is widely read in Europe, but I wonder if this was a deliberate, or even unconscious, homage?

Quote from user: sirtaoMost likely, both were referring to the same legend
Nope. According to this 3-page article (the link only shows the first one), Barks' "The Ghost of the Grotto!" inspired at least three works:

*An untitled story (1958-1959) written by Héctor Oesterheld and drawn by Hugo Pratt as part of the "Sgt. Kirk" series.
*"... E riparleremo dei gentiluomini di fortuna", written and drawn by Hugo Pratt as part of the "Corto Maltese" series, first published in France in Pif-Gadget #1320 (18 September, 1970).
*A "Zagor" story written by Alfredo Castell and drawn by Segna Pini, published in the issues "Missione compiuta!" (March 1978) and "Fantasmi!" (April 1978).

There's also this Simpson cover based on the cover of the story:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKrk46U_gOQPXbSYYP0GVvqNAD9UvTTC3lhuOCpTADleai8QQU

Quote from user: clinton cootNope. According to this 3-page article (the link only shows the first one), Barks' "The Ghost of the Grotto!" inspired at least three works:
I surely would like to have a scan of that article. Could someone help me with that?

Timo

Thanks, Clinton!
I think I'll get the hang of it by using Google translate.
No hurry though, whenever you have the time.

Timo