The treasure of the Black Swan

In 2007, Frank Stern and Ithaca Deep Sea, an American marine salvaging company, discover the long sought-after wreckage of the Black Swan. At the same time, Alex Ventura, a Spanish diplomat, has just begun a job with the ministry of culture in Madrid. Alex receives a call from the embassy in the U.S., alerting him to the news. What transpires is a vicious legal battle over the ownership of the treasure pulled from the wreckage, with clearly defined heroes (the Spanish government, which just wants its property returned) and villains (the greedy, rich American businessman). While the muted illustrations are detailed and panels are easy to follow, the highlight is the section depicting the history and origin of the ship Mercy, which appears as full pages on yellowed paper in a watercolor medium. Based on actual events and written by a Spanish diplomat, the story is enthralling and will be attractive to fans of legal thrillers, which are not commonly seen in graphic novel format.

Career diplomat-turned-author Corral debuts with a gripping account of one of the most dramatic cases of his career, offering readers an insider's look at the classified meetings, painstaking research, and backdoor deals that shape international law. In the Strait of Gibraltar in 2007, American salvage ship The Ithaca's discovery of a "Black Swan," a sunken galleon with its treasure intact, grabs headlines--and the attention of the Spanish government, which believes the sunken vessel and its contents belong to Spain. Low-level Spanish diplomat Álex Ventura navigates international salvage law and foreign policy, and even finds time for a romance, all while engaged in swirling, high-stakes seafaring action and courtroom intrigue. In a political and legal firestorm, bureaucrats, politicians, and corporate lawyers battle against the clock to secure ownership of the vessel and its hundreds of millions of dollars in sunken treasure and cultural artifacts before the Ithaca can stake its finders claim. Artist Roca's charming, Tintin-influenced artwork finds the drama and humanity in even the most mundane of clerical duties. This tale makes "true legal" drama feel like it could be the next frontier for graphic narratives. (May)