11 JAN 2024
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The Calculus Affair perfectly captures the cold war tensions of the 1950s. An espionage thriller, it couples the fast-paced action of early Tintin stories with the sophistication of later adventures, creating the best Tintin book.
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Tintin in Tibet was inspired by whiteout dreams that Hergé was experiencing during a time of personal crisis. It’s essentially a sequel to The Blue Lotus, the book that marked the series’ artistic breakthrough. It lacks a lot of the usual Tintin elements – no guns, no bad guys, no Thompsons – but there’s a lot of emotional depth for a comic, making it a fan favourite.
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Following the terse mystery of Seven Crystal Balls, Prisoners of the Sun travels through jungles and mountains. The deus ex machina at the plot climax is a brilliant mix of serendipity and ingenuity, while the sub-plot, where the Thompsons take up dowsing to locate their missing companions, is hilarious.
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Tintin returns to the fictional Arabian kingdom of Khemed, introduced in the Land of Black Gold. Lots of old favourites are back, including Rastapopoulos, Bianca Castafiore, Oliveira da Figueira, and Captain Allan, which alone makes it a fun adventure for dedicated fans. The climactic submarine attack is both hilarious and thrilling.
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Tintin travels to the fictional Eastern European country of Syldavia for the first time. It also marks the first appearance of opera singer Bianca Castafiore. It’s my favourite of the early Tintin books. It gently ramps up the tension, as Tintin finds himself in the midst of a fascist plot that mirrors the German annexation of Austria in 1938.
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Herge’s painstaking research into spaceflight means that Explorers on the Moon, released fifteen years before the Apollo 11 mission, has aged well. While there’s a lot of scientific information, there are enough unexpected events to make Explorers on the Moon a thrilling Tintin escapade.
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The Land of Black Gold started serialisation in 1939, after King Ottokar’s Sceptre, but was interrupted by the Second World War, and wasn’t completed until 1950. This explains both the gathering clouds of war and the diminished roles of Calculus and Haddock. Despite the muddled origins, it’s a great story with some of the Thompsons’ best hi-jinks.
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Inspired by the curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the syndication of Seven Crystal Balls was interrupted by the Nazi occupation of Belgium. The addition of paranormal elements to a classic Tintin mystery is effective, and the story ends on a cliffhanger to be resolved in Prisoners of the Sun.
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Calculus becomes the focal character for the pair of moon books – his use of an ear trumpet temporarily displaces him from his usual comic role. On Destination Moon, Tintin and his friends prepare for a moon journey, while dealing with the rivalry between Syldavia and Borduria. The story barely shifts from outside the Syldavian scientific compound, but it’s action-packed regardless.
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Tintin visits Scotland on his seventh adventure. The Black Island is one of the best early Tintin books, as Hergé squeezes a lot of great moments from the still small supporting cast. Snowy shows a burgeoning interest in alcohol, while the Thompsons inadvertently enter an aeronautical contest.
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WITH INPUTS FROM Aphoristic Album Reviews