A rating of Tintin albums from best to least goodOct 14 '08 (Updated Feb 21 '09) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Toys
The Bottom Line The Tintin albums are great fun for the whole family but especially for the children.
This entry is both a sweeping review of all Tintin albums and a personal best to least good list. Even though my ranking is obviously subjective, I believe that it closely resembles the way many other adults and teenagers would rate. However, in my experience children will place Tintin in Tibet a little bit further down and place "Flight 714", "Blue Lotus" or "The Crab with the Golden Claws" a little higher on the list. Many adults would also place "Flight 714" at the top. In addition the problems with "Tintin in America" and "Tintin in Congo" will not be as obvious to children as they are to adults. I should add that the Tintin albums are primary for a younger audience (7-15); however, adults enjoy reading them as well, so the Tintin albums are in my opinion for the whole family. The Tintin comic books were created by the Belgian comics writer and artist Georges Prosper Remi under the pen name Hergé. His first Tintin album "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" appeared in the pages of Le Petit Vingtième on January 10, 1929 and his last completed album was "Tintin and the Picaros" in 1975/1976. I've read all of the Tintin albums as a child, in Swedish, and today I am reading them again to my kids in English. The Tintin albums are very well known around the world but are unfortunately not as well known in the U.S. However, it is my experience that American kids will love these albums once they have been acquainted with them. My kids love them and their friends love them as well. In fact my American X-Box and Wii playing kids read them all the time and like them even more than I used to do. Tintin is a Belgian investigative journalist who gets drawn into all kinds of dangerous and eventful adventures around the world. Already in the very first album "Tintin in the Soviets" he is aided by his talking dog, a fox terrier called Snowy. In Swedish and in French Snowy is called Milou. In "The Crab with the Golden Claws" he meets the grumpy but hilarious Captain Haddock. A lot of the best comic situations arise from Captain Haddock's bad temper in combination with his bad luck and above all his creative use of words. As a sailor Captain Haddock is expected to swear a lot but all swear words have been replaced by expressions like "billions of blue blistering barnacles", "you Mameluke", "Macrocepahlic Baboon", "odd-toed ungulate", "and troglodyte "," Pithecantrophus", but never real swear words. Another source of many comic situations is the genial but hearing-impaired Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Kalkyl in Swedish, Tournesol in French). Other prominent supporting characters are the incompetent twin detectives Thomson and Thompson (Dupond and Dupont), the famous but obnoxious opera singer and Prima Donna Bianca Castafiore, and the former dictator and friend of Tintin General Alcazar. A few prominent antagonists are the film director and millionaire Rastapopolous, Captain Alan, and Dr. Müller. This is my list from the best album (1) to the least good album (25). When available, I have also added a link to my review for that item. I hope this list will help in deciding which album(s) you should buy first. (1) Tintin in Tibet (5 stars). It was published 1960. It is my favorite Tintin. Tintin's friend Tchang (from Blue Lotus) is lost in a plane crash in Tibet. Everyone thinks he is dead, but not Tintin, who sets out to find him against all odds. It contains adventure, humor, and mystery; however, it is also about the human spirit, and compassion. Therefore it is also a very inspiring and thought provoking adventure. (2) Blue Lotus (5 stars). This is Hergé's first master piece; it is one of my favorites. This Tintin adventure from 1934 takes place in 1931 but is still the second best Tintin (after Tintin in Tibet) as far as I am concerned. Tintin is fighting Opium gangs in China during the time when Japan invaded China. In this album Tintin meets his friend Tchang which he saves from drowning in a flood. For historical background I can say that the flood in question was the great flooding of the Huang He River in which four million Chinese died. This adventure is dark, scary, exciting and fun. It is also a good history lesson. (3) Flight 714 (5 stars). This book was published in 1968. Tintin and his friends are invited to fly in the private jet of the billionaire Lazlo Careidas. The private jet is hijacked and they are taken by the kidnappers to a very mysterious Island. This adventure is filled with surprises, humor, and touches on paranormal phenomena. It is fast paced and exciting adventure and it is therefore also one of my favorites. (4) The Crab with the Golden Claws (5 stars). This was the first Tintin that I read as a kid (in Swedish). The first Tintin movie I saw was also based on this album. This is the album where Tintin meet Captain Haddock for the first time. Just like the other later works by Hergé it is exciting, and well drawn, but this is one is also very funny. It will make you and your kids laugh out loud. (5) The seven Crystal Balls (5 stars). This Tintin album was published in 1948. It is eerie, mysterious, a little bit scary, and exciting. It is the first book of a series of two, the second one being "Prisoners of the Sun". In this adventure the members of an expedition that investigated the tomb of Rascar Capac, an Inca King, become sick with a strange horrible disease. The mummy taken from the tomb mysteriously vanishes during a severe thunderstorm. (6) Prisoners of the Sun (5 stars). This is the second book in a series of two. In this album Tintin and company goes to Peru to solve the mysteries encountered in "The seven Crystal Balls". They save a boy Zorrino from Peruvian racists. Zorrino guides them to the Inca Empire which still exists underground in the Jungle. Towards the end Tintin saves himself and his company by using his knowledge of a coming solar eclipse. It was later plagiarized by Mel Gibson in Apocalypto. Yes, it is actually true; Mel Gibson snatched that from this comic book. (7) The Castafiore Emerald (5 stars). This adventure was published 1963. It is absolutely the funniest of them all. It is filled with a lot of good humor. However, to get all the jokes you need to be familiar with Tintin and Captain Haddock. So I would not recommend this as your first Tintin. (8) The Red Sea Sharks (5 stars). This adventure was written in 1958. Tintin stumbles into an organization selling African slaves (slavery still existed in the Middle East and Africa in 1958). A lot of old crooks from other books show up here, including Captain Allan, Rastapopolous, Dr. Muller, etc. This book is intensely exciting and full of action and is therefore one of my favorites. (9) Tintin and the Picaros (5 stars). This adventure published 1976 is full of fun and adventure. Castafiore is being held by General Tapioca and innocently accused of plotting against him. Well if you know Castafiore you will feel sorry for the poor old dictator. (10) Explorers of the Moon (5 stars). Written 1954 this is the second book in a series of two. This book is a lot more exciting and fun compared to the first (Destination moon). The movie is, however, better than the comic book (they are the same but this comic makes a good movie). However, reading this science fiction style comic book is a lot of fun. (11) Land of the Black Gold (4 stars). This book was published in 1950 (original version 1948). It takes place in the middle east and is about oil, war, and the fight against criminals like Dr. Muller (German villains were no longer taboo). Prince Abdullah the son of the Emir of the Arab Emirate of Khemed is kidnapped and Tintin and company sets out to rescue him. (12) Red Rackham's Treasure (4 stars). This is the second book in a series of two, the first one being "The secret of the Unicorn". In this adventure Tintin and Captain Haddock goes on an expedition to find the treasure of Sir Francis Haddock. It is in this book we meet Professor Calculus for the first time. His underwater machine turns out to be invaluable, even though Tintin and Captain Haddock at first reject it. (13) The Secret of the Unicorn (4 stars). This adventure was published in French 1943. This is the first book in a series of two (the second being Red Rackhams treasure). In this adventure it is discovered that Captain Haddocks forefather was a feisty sea captain who fought pirates and left a treasure behind. It is not as fast paced as many other Tintin adventures and contains a considerable amount of detective work. (14) The Calculus Affair (4 stars). In this adventure Professor Calculus is kidnapped in Geneva and Tintin and Captain Haddock set out to save him. It turns out that Professor calculus is working on a secret weapon that the fictional country of Borduria is after. It is an exciting adventure but not as humor filled and exhilarating as some of the other adventures. It was written 1956. (15) The Cigars of the Pharaoh (4 stars). The Cigars of the Pharaoh (1934) is the first of the better Tintin books. In this adventure Tintin is on a holiday cruise but ends up traveling to Egypt and India on a dangerous adventure. It is an exciting and mysterious adventure that is not objectionable (unlike the three first ones). (16) The broken ear (4 stars). This story from 1937 takes place in South America. Tintin fights dangerous crooks, gets caught up in political turmoil, is nearly executed, travels through the rain forest, encounters piranhas, and lives among the Arumbaya Indians. This is where Tintin meets General Alcazar for the first time. Lots of action but it is still not a top quality Tintin. (17) King Ottokar's Sceptre (4 stars). Published in 1939 this book is an allegory for fascist aggression. In this adventure Tintin visits the mythical Kingdom of Syldavia. The leaders of Borduria, a neighboring country, plot to unseat King Muskar. They attempt to seize the symbol of the Syldavian monarchy, which is "King Ottokar's Scepter". This adventure was exciting but still not a favorite of mine. (18) The Black Island (4 stars). This album was written in 1937. It takes place in England and Scotland. I saw the movie version, and I've read the book in Swedish, French, German, and English. In this adventure Tintin is hunting down a gang of forgers. The drawings have a higher quality than in "The broken ear" and the story flows more smoothly. However, I find the story to be somewhat tedious and too British in style for me, so this is not one my favorites. (19) Destination Moon (4 stars). First published 1953, this is the first book in a series of two (the second being Explorers of the moon). It is a very good concept, a sort of Tintin science fiction. However, it is not fast paced and at times tedious. (20) Tintin and the lake of the sharks (4 stars). Published 1974 and based on a film from 1972, it is a little different than the other Tintin adventures. It is not directly written by Hergé, but Hergé supervised the creation of the film. The drawings are not typical either; they look like still pictures from the movie. It is also a little shorter. However, it is still a good adventure and my kids like it, so I give it four stars. (21) The shooting star (4 stars). In this adventure (from 1941) the world comes close to annihilation when earth almost collides with a star. Tintin and Captain Haddock sets out on an expedition together with a team of international scientists to find a piece that broke off and landed in the Ocean. Well, stars are not solid and pieces don't brake off stars, but there are a lot more oddities in this unlikely story. (22) Tintin in America (3 stars). Tintin in America" portrays America with an old fashioned European prejudice that is unrealistic and unflattering. His portrayal of the Indians is borderline racist, and the plot is essentially "gangster tries to kill Tintin, Tintin miraculously escapes" repeated a couple of dozen times. Having said that, the book is still entertaining, in its own way. (23) The adventures of Tintin in the land of the Soviets (3 stars). This is anti-communist propaganda, which I don't mind; however, it does not make a good comic book. The drawings are also not that good. However, this comic book shows that people knew about the Soviet horrors back in the 1920's. (24) Tintin in the Congo (3 stars). It was an exciting adventure with some interesting and fun twists. However, the quality is very far from that of the more modern Tintin books, and it is borderline racists. (25) Tintin and Alph Art (2 stars). This is an unfinished album from which was published posthumously 1986. It is only a collector's item. It is not recommended!  |
| Read all comments (11)|Write your own comment |
Write an essay on this topic.
- Top 500
