For the first time, Pratt has the time and space to fully investigate the complicated and competing motivations of his cast that includes the return of Rasputin and the introduction of the cold and dangerous Duchess Marina Seminova. The adventure, which shifts from the hidden courts of Venice to the mysterious alleys of Hong Kong, from Shanghai to Manchuria and Mongolia to Siberia, also attracts regular and irregular armies, as well as revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries. Handsome Japan-style softcover with cover flaps, color double-page endpaper maps, and a long bio of Pratt. “Corto Maltese was the first European Strip to advance a mature, artistically serious sensibility within the traditional adventure format.” -Kim Thompson. But they aren’t the only ones lusting after the treasure. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the First World War, our young adventurer 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. With this book Hugo Pratt leaves behind the short story form he’d used for 21 interrelated tales and presents a truly epic graphic novel. Pin-Up & Adult –You must be 18 or older.

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