Tag: Tintin

Tintin: The Red Sea Sharks

Tintin: The Red Sea Sharks

by Hergé (Tintin Magazine, 1956-1958)

English Edition trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper (Methuen, 1960)

Book cover: “Tintin: The Red Sea Sharks” by Hergé (Tintin Magazine, 1956-1958); English Edition trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper (Methuen, 1960)

A curious volume. Hergé oscillates between depicting Tintin in the early adventuring style, condemning the modern slave trade (perhaps the most serious theme in the entire Tintin canon), and revelling in a broad-cast comedy of slapstick. These threads remain disparate and unwoven.

The Valley of the Cobras

The Valley of the Cobras

by Hergé; trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Casterman, 1957)

Book cover: “The Valley of the Cobras” by Hergé; trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Casterman, 1957)

In this final book of the series, Hergé at last strikes the right balance, giving free reign to slapstick antics while more or less side-lining Jo and Zette (though still depicting them as adventurous mini Tintins; Jocko serves as a surrogate Snowy).

Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald

Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald

by Hergé, trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1963)

Book cover: “Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald” by Hergé, trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1963)

A truly delightful instalment. Hergé casts aside Tintin’s usual action-adventuring in favour of a manor house mystery full of playful misdirection. Even while humour and slapstick abound, he gives his fans a knowing wink (note the front cover) and subverts their expectations.

Tintin: The Black Island

Tintin: The Black Island

by Hergé (Methuen, 1966); trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner

Tintin_Black Island

The Boy’s Own adventuring kicks in on page one and doesn’t let up. Typical of the early volumes, Tintin tangles repeatedly with armed crooks and survives only through incredible luck and bravery, albeit that Hergé also pens a joyous outpouring of slapstick.

 

 

The Seven Crystal Balls

The Seven Crystal Balls

by Hergé (Casterman, 1948); trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1962)

Herge_Seven Crystal Balls

Working during the German occupation of Belgium, Hergé steered clear of political commentary and showcased instead his developing mastery of action adventure, leavened here with an abundance of slapstick (and not a little Fortean mysticism). Part one of a classic two-story arc.

 

 

Tintin in Tibet

Tintin in Tibet

by Hergé; trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1962)

Herge_Tintin in Tibet

A straightforward travel adventure with a touch of mysticism and, unusually for Tintin, no antagonist (and no guns!). Although Hergé plays with reader expectations and includes plenty of slapstick, this volume carries a bleakness that appears reflective of his own inner turmoil.

 

 

Tintin and the Picaros

Tintin and the Picaros

by Hergé (Methuen, 1976)

Herge_Tintin Picaros

The most mature of Hergé’s Tintin adventures, Picaros is a neatly plotted political commentary on South American despotism, serious in tone and light on improbable escapades. Hergé remains committed to background detail but cuts back (perhaps too far) on the physical comedy.

 

 

The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin

dir. Steven Spielberg (2011)

Spielberg_Adventures of Tintin

Hergé’s comic strips bubble with background detail and distilled moments of pure comedy and adventure. Of necessity, Spielberg’s film adaptation mixes and dilutes Hergé’s work. Though doing limited justice to the source material, it does capture much of the spirit of Tintin.

 

 

Tintin: Red Rackham’s Treasure

Tintin: Red Rackham’s Treasure

by Hergé (Le Soir, 1943); trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1959)

Herge_Red Rackham's Treasure

A Tintin adventure with no villain! Hergé plays on readers’ expectations of peril but casts aside the usual death-defying storylines, netting instead a string of uncommonly dégagé Caribbean escapades. Red Rackham’s Treasure, though undemanding, gleams yet with well-plotted, vivaciously rendered humour. Exemplary.

 

 

Derelict Space Sheep