The Adventures of Tintin: Europe's Greatest Adventure Comic Strip

The Adventures of Tintin, as created by Belgian cartoonist, Herge, is, in my estimation, the greatest adventure comic strip to ever come out of Europe. First appearing in a 1929 issue of Le Petit Vingtième (a French magazine called The Little Twentieth), the character of Tintin and his supporting cast, would go on to become a legendary myth in Europe. The series spans 24 albums (or volumes) and was originally published between 1929 and 1976. 

The early stories feature colonialist attitudes and give off negative stereotypes and connotations in regards to The (former) Soviet Union, Africa and its people, and early twentieth century American life. They were written by a very young man (Herge was only 23 when he began Tintin) who was politically motivated in his early years; very Euro-centric and perhaps even xenophobic. As he matured however, he began to tell some amazing adventure stories. 

Today, the Tintin strip is regarded by comics aficionados as probably the greatest children's comic of all time (to European audiences anyway) but during it's heyday it was read by both children and their parents. In America, this strip's greatest rival is probably Carl Barks' Duck comics (Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck etc.). Now, what makes them great is not just the deliciously detailed art by Herge, but also the brisk pacing and sprawling sense of adventure that the character and his supporting cast always seem to go on. 

Tintin is a young Belgian reporter who, along with his dog, Snowy,  a white Fox Terrier, becomes embroiled in dangerous cases in which he helps solve crimes, recovers lost treasure or generally just saves the day. Throughout many of his adventures he is aided by Captain Archibald Haddock, a drunk fishing boat captain, the absent-minded Professor Calculus, and the incompetent detectives known as Thomson and Thompson, who provide much of the comic relief in the series. Herge also used real life events and real people to influence and enhance his stories. Famous figures sometimes appear in the strip (such as Al Capone in Tintin in America). World War II also served as an infuence during the war years. 

The series twenty-four volumes are listed below. My favorites, the ones I feel tell the best stories, are in bold.

1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets - (Tintin au pays des Soviets) (1929–1930)
2. Tintin in the Congo - (Tintin au Congo) (1930–1931)
3. Tintin in America - (Tintin en Amérique) (1931–1932)
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh - (Les Cigares du Pharaon) (1932–1934)
5. The Blue Lotus - (Le Lotus bleu) (1934–1935)
6. The Broken Ear - (L'Oreille cassée) (1935–1937)
7. The Black Island - (L'Ile noire) (1937–1938)
8. King Ottokar's Sceptre - (Le Sceptre d'Ottokar) (1938–1939)
9. The Crab with the Golden Claws - (Le Crabe aux pinces d'or) (1940–1941)
10. The Shooting Star - (L'Etoile mystérieuse) (1941–1942)
11. The Secret of the Unicorn - (Le Secret de la Licorne) (1942–1943)
12. Red Rackham's Treasure - (Le Trésor de Rackam le Rouge) (1943)
13. The Seven Crystal Balls - (Les Sept boules de cristal) (1943–1946)
14. Prisoners of the Sun - (Le Temple du soleil) (1946–1948)
15. Land of Black Gold - (Tintin au pays de l'or noir) (1948–1950) ¹
16. Destination Moon - (Objectif Lune) (1950–1953)
17. Explorers on the Moon - (On a marché sur la Lune) (1950–1953)
18. The Calculus Affair - (L'Affaire Tournesol) (1954–1956)
19. The Red Sea Sharks - (Coke en stock) (1956–1958)
20. Tintin in Tibet - (Tintin au Tibet) (1958–1959)
21. The Castafiore Emerald - (Les Bijoux de la Castafiore) (1961–1962)
22. Flight 714 to Sydney - (Vol 714 pour Sydney) (1966–1967)
23. Tintin and the Picaros - (Tintin et les Picaros) (1975–1976)
24. Tintin and Alph-Art - (Tintin et l'Alph-Art): Unfinished work, published posthumously in 1986, and republished with more material in 2004.

The legacy of Tintin can most obviously be seen in the Indiana Jones films. In fact, in 2011, a very entertaining film adaptation was released that Steven Spielberg himself directed. The Adventures of Tintin, adapted bits and pieces from The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackam's Treasure.  Before that, in the 1990's, Nelvana, a Canadian animation house, produced a Tintin cartoon. Throughout the 1960's, 70's and into the 1980's, there were also other adaptations including cartoons, stage plays, and even live action features that were done in Europe.   

In Belgium (and perhaps France to a degree) Tintin holds his greatest influence and Herge is something of a national hero. Tintin might not be everyone's cup of tea today, as the stories are presented in a very early to mid 20th century European framework, but I would hope, if the readers of this blog have young children, that they are at least exposed to the wonder and adventure that Tintin offers. And maybe, if you're an adult who's young at heart, and want a globetrotting adventure series, maybe you can enjoy these too. Fans of American golden-age superhero comics or comic strips may also enjoy these stories.