What do you think?
Rate this book
War Picture Library
Night of the Devil: War Picture Library
Night of the Devil by comics legend Hugo Pratt is the fourth in a major series of new collections - joining the War Picture Library’ s mission to bring all of the long-lost UK of war comics master artists back into print.
In Night of the Devil , take a hallucinatory trip through the oppressive heat of the Burmese jungle along with British soldiers engaged in desperate skirmishes with the enemy. In Bayonet Jungle , Private Jack Green’s presence is seen as an omen of bad luck but he struggles to prove himself to the experienced soldiers of Third Platoon as they fight against the Japanese army that surrounds them.
Two exciting and explosive war stories lushly illustrated by Hugo Pratt, comics legend and creator of iconic character, Corto Maltese.
In Night of the Devil , take a hallucinatory trip through the oppressive heat of the Burmese jungle along with British soldiers engaged in desperate skirmishes with the enemy. In Bayonet Jungle , Private Jack Green’s presence is seen as an omen of bad luck but he struggles to prove himself to the experienced soldiers of Third Platoon as they fight against the Japanese army that surrounds them.
Two exciting and explosive war stories lushly illustrated by Hugo Pratt, comics legend and creator of iconic character, Corto Maltese.
- GenresComics
144 pages, Hardcover
Published February 16, 2021
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Hugo Pratt
725 books418 followersHugo Pratt, born Ugo Eugenio Prat (1927–1995), was an Italian comic book writer and artist. Internationally known for Corto Maltese, a series of adventure comics first published in Italy and France between 1967 and 1991, Pratt is regarded as a pioneer of the literary graphic novel.
Born in Rimini, Italy, Pratt spent his childhood in Venice in a cosmopolitan family environment. In 1937, ten-years old Hugo moved with his parents to Ethiopia, East Africa, following the Italian occupation of the country. Pratt's father eventually died as a prisoner of war in 1942. Hugo himself and his mother spent some time in a British prison camp in Africa, before being sent back to Venice. This childhood experiences shaped Pratt's fascination with military uniforms, machineries and settings, a visual constant in most of his adult works.
As a young artist in post-war Italy, Pratt was part of the so-called 'Venice Group', which also included cartoonists Alberto Ongaro, Mario Faustinelli. Their magazine Asso di Picche, launched in 1945, mostly featured adventure comics.
In 1949 Pratt moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he worked for various local publishers and interacted with well-known Argentine cartoonists, most notably Alberto Breccia and Solano López, while also teaching at the Escuela Panamericana de Arte. During this period he produced his first notable comic books: Sgt. Kirk and Ernie Pike, written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld; Anna nella jungla, Capitan Cormorant and Wheeling, as a complete author.
From the summer of 1959 to the summer of 1960, Pratt lived in London drawing war comics by British scriptwriters for Fleetway Publications. He returned to Argentina for a couple more years, then moved back to Italy in 1962. Here he started collaborating with the comics magazine Il Corriere dei Piccoli, for which he adapted several classics, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson.
In 1967, Hugo Pratt and entrepreneur Florenzo Ivaldi created the comics magazine Il Sergente Kirk, named after one of Pratt's original characters. Pratt's most famous work, Una ballata del mare salato (1967, The Ballad of the Salty Sea) was serialised in the pages of this magazine. The story can be seen as one of the first modern graphic novels. It also introduced Pratt's best known character, mariner and adventurer Corto Maltese. Corto became the protagonist of its own series three years later in the French comics magazine Pif gadget. Pratt would continue releasing new Corto Maltese books every few years until 1991. Corto's stories are set in various parts of the world, in a given moment in the first three decades of the 20th century. They often tangently deal with real historical events or real historical figures. The series gave Pratt international notoriety, being eventually translated into fifteen languages.
Pratt's other works include Gli scorpioni del deserto (1969-1992), a series of military adventures set in East Africa during WWII, and a few one-shots published for Bonelli's comic magazine Un Uomo Un'Avventura ('One Man One Adventure'), most notably the short story Jesuit Joe (1980, The Man from the Great North). He also scripted a couple of stories for his pupil Milo Manara.
Pratt lived in France from 1970 to 1984, then in Switzerland till his death from bowel cancer in 1995.
Born in Rimini, Italy, Pratt spent his childhood in Venice in a cosmopolitan family environment. In 1937, ten-years old Hugo moved with his parents to Ethiopia, East Africa, following the Italian occupation of the country. Pratt's father eventually died as a prisoner of war in 1942. Hugo himself and his mother spent some time in a British prison camp in Africa, before being sent back to Venice. This childhood experiences shaped Pratt's fascination with military uniforms, machineries and settings, a visual constant in most of his adult works.
As a young artist in post-war Italy, Pratt was part of the so-called 'Venice Group', which also included cartoonists Alberto Ongaro, Mario Faustinelli. Their magazine Asso di Picche, launched in 1945, mostly featured adventure comics.
In 1949 Pratt moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he worked for various local publishers and interacted with well-known Argentine cartoonists, most notably Alberto Breccia and Solano López, while also teaching at the Escuela Panamericana de Arte. During this period he produced his first notable comic books: Sgt. Kirk and Ernie Pike, written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld; Anna nella jungla, Capitan Cormorant and Wheeling, as a complete author.
From the summer of 1959 to the summer of 1960, Pratt lived in London drawing war comics by British scriptwriters for Fleetway Publications. He returned to Argentina for a couple more years, then moved back to Italy in 1962. Here he started collaborating with the comics magazine Il Corriere dei Piccoli, for which he adapted several classics, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson.
In 1967, Hugo Pratt and entrepreneur Florenzo Ivaldi created the comics magazine Il Sergente Kirk, named after one of Pratt's original characters. Pratt's most famous work, Una ballata del mare salato (1967, The Ballad of the Salty Sea) was serialised in the pages of this magazine. The story can be seen as one of the first modern graphic novels. It also introduced Pratt's best known character, mariner and adventurer Corto Maltese. Corto became the protagonist of its own series three years later in the French comics magazine Pif gadget. Pratt would continue releasing new Corto Maltese books every few years until 1991. Corto's stories are set in various parts of the world, in a given moment in the first three decades of the 20th century. They often tangently deal with real historical events or real historical figures. The series gave Pratt international notoriety, being eventually translated into fifteen languages.
Pratt's other works include Gli scorpioni del deserto (1969-1992), a series of military adventures set in East Africa during WWII, and a few one-shots published for Bonelli's comic magazine Un Uomo Un'Avventura ('One Man One Adventure'), most notably the short story Jesuit Joe (1980, The Man from the Great North). He also scripted a couple of stories for his pupil Milo Manara.
Pratt lived in France from 1970 to 1984, then in Switzerland till his death from bowel cancer in 1995.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 21, 2021
I haven't had read much Pratt apart from Corto Maltese (and his collaborations with Manara but there Pratt provided the story and Manara provided the art) therefore this was a nice opportunity to look at the master before his most famous creation.
There are two stories in this volume: the first one "Night Of The Devil" is a masterpiece - everything from character expressions, impenetrable jungle, menacing idols, fierce Japanese warriors to the magnificent story that could easily belong in The Twilight Zone>. The second one "The Bayonet Jungle", is a big let-down, unfortunately, starting from the uninspired story and resulting in the characters blending with each other, hardly recognizable. It could easily have been a rushed job, for all its worth.
The edition itself is quite elegant, with an adequate foreword tailored as much for novices as for the long-term fans of Hugo Pratt. Very well worth reading.
There are two stories in this volume: the first one "Night Of The Devil" is a masterpiece - everything from character expressions, impenetrable jungle, menacing idols, fierce Japanese warriors to the magnificent story that could easily belong in The Twilight Zone>. The second one "The Bayonet Jungle", is a big let-down, unfortunately, starting from the uninspired story and resulting in the characters blending with each other, hardly recognizable. It could easily have been a rushed job, for all its worth.
The edition itself is quite elegant, with an adequate foreword tailored as much for novices as for the long-term fans of Hugo Pratt. Very well worth reading.
May 21, 2021
Pretty pictures and stories that were surprisingly entertaining.
May 13, 2024
Kuvathan on rumia, kuin p-reikä, mutta tapahtumapaikka antaa paljon anteeksi. Nyt ollaan viidakossa ja kuvissa on enemmän vaihtelua. Prattkin kykenee hyvään jälkeen,kun on tarpeen. Edelleen suurin osa kuvista on tuherrusta, mutta välittävät tunnelmsn hyvin. Tarinathan ovat erinomaisia ja ensimmäinen on jopa seikkailullinen, eikä pelkkää sotaa. Jälkimmäinen onkin sitten enemmän tapa tao tule tapetuksi kissa ja hiirileikkiä.
Aikaahan nämä tarinat eivät ole kestäneet ja olleet vanhahtavia jo 60-luvulla, mutta sehän sopii hyvin näihin sodasta kertoviin tarinoihin. Ei näitä värillisinä ja moderneilla ruutujaoilla lukisi. Ruutujen pitää olla ojennuksessa, kuin pinkka ja punkka. Aikaa ei ole häröilyyn.
Aikaahan nämä tarinat eivät ole kestäneet ja olleet vanhahtavia jo 60-luvulla, mutta sehän sopii hyvin näihin sodasta kertoviin tarinoihin. Ei näitä värillisinä ja moderneilla ruutujaoilla lukisi. Ruutujen pitää olla ojennuksessa, kuin pinkka ja punkka. Aikaa ei ole häröilyyn.
August 21, 2021
Um Hugo Pratt incomum, a trabalhar como ilustrador de histórias de guerra para o mercado inglês. As histórias em si não são nada de especial, banais aventuras de combate, mas mesmo dentro do espartilho realista deste tipo de publicações, o traço de Pratt revela-se. Especialmente na história que dá título ao livro, passada na selva birmanesa, com soldados britânicos encurralados por japoneses num antigo templo khmer.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews