A Review By: Amelia
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| One of many comic covers |
Tintin is a huge part of comic history so it’s always a
shock to me when people have no idea who he is! I mean, it’s Tintin! He’s got
red hair and a little white dog named Snowy. He’s had comics, and radio shows,
and a cartoon, and a Steven Spielberg movie! He’s iconic and highly
entertaining. Recently I read every single Tintin comic there is so I’m here to
review it today and convince the rest of you to go and read every single Tintin
comic there is!
Now, I’ve known about Tintin since I was a kid as I watched
the cartoon series that YTV aired during the day in the 1990s, but if you’re
not privy to the knowledge of who the little red-headed, dot-eyed guy is, allow
me to fill you in.
Tintin is the ultimate adventurer. The character is an
ambitious, young, globetrotting reporter who is always ends up as part of the
story he’s attempting to cover. He’s surrounded by a cast of flamboyant,
colorful characters—most notably his faithful dog Snowy—who join him on his
many adventures as he tears across the globe fighting corrupt gangsters to
smugglers to kidnappers to even ending up on the Moon in a couple of issues!
Georges Prosper Remi, known more commonly by the pen name
Hergé, was a Belgian cartoonist best known for The Adventures of Tintin series, which are considered one of the
most popular European comics of the 20th century! He also wrote Quick & Flupke and Jo, Zette and Jocko. His works have been
widely acclaimed but have also been criticised for instances of anti-Semitism
and racism (Tintin’s creation dates
back to 1929). Despite this though, Hergé remains a strong influence on the
comic medium, particularly in Europe.
Aside from Tintin, there’s five other main characters.
There’s the bumbling Thompson and Thomson detectives that rush in and end up
hurt in ever ridiculous slapstick comedy kind of ways. There’s Professor
Calculus who invents things and is mostly deaf and gets into trouble for both
those reasons. There’s Captain Haddock who’s a crusty old sailor full of
ridiculous insults and the finest whiskey (provided he hasn’t gotten hurt and
dropped it); and, of course, my favourite character: Snowy the dog. He’s a
small, white dog that loyally follows Tintin everywhere the adventure takes him
and occasionally has a few hilarious inner monologue moments! Honestly, the
funniest bits throughout the whole series were when Snowy got drunk because
Haddock sloshed his booze on the ground!
The art style all through Tintin (excluding the very first one) is the distinct and
consistently adorable style that Hergé created: the ligne claire style. It’s
colourful, it’s simple, everyone has dot eyes and they see stars when they get
hit! What’s not to love about all that? Hergé was also a master of making his
comics emulate movie scenes by implying camera movement. He also went big or
went home (so to speak) by making each panel a full body shot of the characters
and showing action as it played out. As a whole, the art style is simplistic,
but that doesn’t mean it’s not also amazingly thought out! The ligne claire
style is emulated by artists all over the world because of Hergé!
My one criticism with the series is that some of the
drawings are offensive. Tintin is the
product of a gone-by era and it’s obvious in Tintin in the Congo and Tintin
in America. There might be others but those two immediately come to mind as
the most racist as far as the portrayal of people of colour goes. But, taken in
stride, it’s still highly enjoyable. I think, much like reading Gone With the Wind, you have to realize
it was written in a different time and adjust your mind set to that. Of course
if you’d prefer to skip right over those issues there’s still a tonne to choose
from.
My final thoughts on The
Adventures of Tintin are that they are a very entertaining reads and I
highly suggest them! It’s colourful and fun to look at, the characters are as
flamboyant and colourful as the art, and each comic’s frantic pace is sure to
please those looking for a thrilling story that’s also filled to the brim with
slapstick comedy.
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| By far my favourite moment! |
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