ADVENTURES OF TINTIN IN THE CONGO - Hardcover

Last, First

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0867199024 ISBN 13: 9780867199024

Publisher: Last Gasp, 2015

Synopsis

Tintin the boy reporter is sent to the Congo with his dog, Snowy, to report on the people, animals, and survival in the jungle.

About this title

Review

In Tintin in the Congo, one of his earliest adventures, our intrepid reporter hunts down both criminals and wild game. The story was written in 1930 and first appeared in book form in 1931, and some of the parts are so dated that for years the book was unavailable in English. This edition reprints on black-and-white newsprint the original 1931 version. In one scene, Tintin tells a group of African children "Today, I'm going to talk to you about your country: Belgium!" When the story was updated and colorized (but not translated into English) in 1946, this became a simple lesson in addition. In addition to the colonial attitude, the Africans are portrayed as primitive, simple-minded folk ("He doesn't look very bright," Snowy opines about their guide), and Tintin reveals a brutal side by slaughtering half the wildlife on the continent (including blowing up a rhinoceros with dynamite!) and declaring while pursuing an enemy, "Sure as my name's Tintin, I'll get rid of him once and for all." Herge himself was embarrassed by much of Tintin in the Congo, and it's not a part of the regular canon, but fans who can accept it as a product of its time will enjoy seeing their hero in one more adventure, one that provides a jumping-off point for the much-better-known Tintin in America. --David Horiuchi

About the Author

Herge (Georges Remi) was born in Brussels in 1907. His pseudonym comes from his initials backwards (R.G., as pronounced in French). Over the course of 54 years he completed 23 albums of The Adventures of Tintin series, which is now considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comics series of all time. With translations published in over 80 languages, more than 230 million copies sold worldwide and a Hollywood movie to its name, Tintin dominates the Comics and Graphic Novels chart even today. Sadly, Herge died in 1983, leaving his 24th album, Tintin and Alph-Art, unfinished, but his hero continues to be one of the most iconic characters in both adult and children's fiction.

Edition details

• Publisher: Last Gasp
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0867199024
• ISBN 13: 9780867199024
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 100