Well, it's about time.  Ballad of the Salt Sea is the original Corto Maltese adventure, written and drawn by Hugo Pratt, perhaps the premiere practitioner of European adventure comics of his generation, way back between1967 and 1969.  This edition is of a new English translation by Hall Powell, that has been colored by Pratt collaborator, Patrizia Zanotti.  This is a fascinating work from an artistic standpoint, as you can see Pratt's style evolve before your eyes over the course of the book.  Ballad was originally  produced for black and white reproduction, so it's appearance here in color, on glossy stock, is less than ideal; but it's certainly a quite welcome development to have this back in print after such a long hiatus, and we certainlyl hope that it presages the North American (re)issuance of the subsequent volumes in this classic and entertaining series featuring the adventures of this appealing rogue plying his trade on land and sea during the opening decades of the twentieth century.