Hergé (1907–1983)

My review, as posted in Tintin Books

"Cigars of the Pharaoh" marks the dawn of a new era for Tintin, an era in which Hergé began dogged research, and sought to introduce plotting and pacing instead of simply regular cliffhangers. That is not to say things were completed: Herge was obviously obligated to give cliffhangers in the album's original serialised format, and some elements of the countries were less well-researched than his later works. But this album is certainly the next step in the great evolution of Tintin's stories.

This is certainly a thoroughly enjoyable, if somewhat peripatetic, work, and shows - with its addition of a bustling cast of recurring and guest characters, and a thrilling variety of atmospheres - just why Tintin was already taking off.… (lisätietoja)

My review, as published in Tintin Books:


"The Seven Crystal Balls" is a wonderfully atmospheric album, in which fears of the supernatural meld perfectly with the scientific discoveries of the time. Anyone who grew up with the animated TV series will probably recall this one in great detail, as there is so much good material here: particularly notable is the agonising wait in Tarragon's manor, and the marvelous frame of the seven victims waking up on cue in their hospital beds, and screaming.

Although Herge was remaining stoically apolitical, his series had acquired a wealth of recurring characters to enrich the story, and many of them - Thompson & Thomson, Bianca Castafiore, Nestor, General Alcazar, as well as the newcomer Cuthbert Calculus - appear here. There's some very good character work for a wide variety of the cast - including a welcome return for General Alcazar - and it's pleasant how quickly we care for Calculus. His disappearance, and Haddock's subsequent concern, are affecting even though we only met him in the last album! Among other evolutions in the series, Tintin appears to have left his Brussels flat in favour of living with Haddock at Marlinspike Hall. Their relationship with Calculus has also quickly deepened, as evidenced by Haddock's severe depression when the professor goes missing. Like Haddock before him, Calculus' popularity was a surprise for the artist - but a surprise he took in his stride.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning that a lot of time is spent on set-up. Very little actually happens for most of this album. This is partly a result of Herge's required output in the era, and partly because he himself was so fascinated by creating realism in his settings, characters and costumes, that he devoted himself to every scene and every supporting character. It's very clearly only the start of the story (which is why most adaptations take us to South America and the plot of [book:Prisoners of the Sun|96428 quite quickly).

However, what we have here is both creepy and amusing, and clearly demonstrate the mastery of his form which would soon lead Herge to start playing around with the established formula. I'd probably give it a high three-and-a-half stars, but I'm upgrading it to four for the sake of this review.… (lisätietoja)

"Destination New York" is the second of three "Jo, Zette and Jocko" albums published in English. (The first two albums have never been translated.) It follows on from [b:Mr. Pump's Legacy (The Stratoship H.22, Part One)|1285995|Mr. Pump's Legacy (The Stratoship H.22, Part One) (The Adventures Of Jo, Zette And Jocko)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327770403s/1285995.jpg|1275065] as our titular trio embark on a daring round-the-world flight.

Whereas "Mr. Pump's Legacy" had a "Famous Five" feel about it, this volume is far more fantastical, as the journey takes the kids from the equator to the North Pole. In spite of this, the story relies on Herge's trademark deflating humour (the kids explain their situation to an Eskimo in pidgin English, only for him to reveal he's learned the language years ago). The villains are more complex than in the first half, with a splinter through their group. One villain gives up the fight, not just because he's suddenly reformed, but because of the danger of the enterprise. It's quite a neat psychological moment, comparable even to few things in the 'Tintin' canon.

Even for such a fantastical story, there's only one annoyance: that one of the main villains just happens to be on the same beach where Jo and Zette unexpectedly land at one point! Apart from this, Herge gives us a surprisingly broad story. We follow Professor Legrand as much as his children, and Jocko gets his own story as he sets off for New York. They all tie in to one another toward the climax though, when Madame Legrand gets in on the action, as she gets to hear an important dying confession. Any character could've fulfilled this role, but clearly Herge wanted to give even his housewife character some fun.

There's a lot to love in this volume. It perhaps sacrifices some of the pure realism of "Mr. Pump's Legacy", but rewards us with non-stop action. Jocko is just adorable in his little hooded coat, and it's interesting to note the parallels to early Snowy in how he fights with walruses, polar bears, and the like. There are some lovely callbacks to the first volume (particularly on the last pages), and some great satire. My favourite frame has to be reporters besieging the triumphant children: "How did you feel during the flight? Do you like icecream? Do you play with dolls?" While the final plot twist seems like an unnecessary coda (complete with overly simple solution), it's the only moment in the album that reveals its original serialised format. Quite a step up from the chase-escape-chase format of "Mr. Pump".

If there is one interesting item of note, it's in the death of a poor stuntman - employed by the villains, yes, but not himself of malicious intent. He is killed in a rather brutal crash, in a death that would be rare in 'Tintin'. Perhaps "Coeurs Vailliants" - a magazine more involved with its 'traditional family values' - was happier to trade in black-and-white morality than Herge's usual approach. It's not a sour note, but certainly a noticeable one.

All in all, I've enjoyed "Jo, Zette and Jocko" thus far. They don't have the durability of Tintin, certainly: there are no delightful secondary characters, and undoubtedly the agency of these children would've faltered if they continued to have adventures (ten-year-olds can't get away with quite as much as reporters), but they're worth a look nonetheless.… (lisätietoja)

My review, as published at Tintin Books:

Mention Tintin to any fan over 20, and chances are they'll recall [b:Red Rackham's Treasure|146109|Red Rackham's Treasure (The Adventures of Tintin)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172178127s/146109.jpg|729618], and then "Tintin in Tibet". The first - filled with adventure, science, excitement and a tale of pirates - is obvious; the second, not so much.

As everyone knows, one of the forces that led to this album's creation was Herge's own personal problems, and haunting dreams of an expanse of never-ending white. Determined to take the series in a new direction, Herge ended up with this work - surely his most emotional and mature. From the very start, Tintin's face is more expressive than we've ever seen him before - whether in joy, fear or anger. And Haddock is allowed to be more mature and stoic at times, befitting the sober side of his character, which works very well.

As is constantly touted, this work features no villain nor many recurring characters. It is instead, an emotional - almost spiritual - journey for Tintin. Every single person he meets, from kind sherpa to humble monk, attempts to convince him that his quest is worthless, that his good friend Chang must surely be dead from the plane crash in the Himalayas. Yet he presses on, forcing himself through the endless mountain expanses of Tibet. As things get more isolated, Herge's drawing gets more lush, and he does seem to have revelled in the minimalist opportunities afforded him on this occasion. The early frames - capturing true-to-life shots of Nepal, for instance - are equally well done, but the cap must surely be Haddock's surreal dream sequence of playing chess with a nappy-wearing Calculus!

One of the tropes that defines Herge's later work is his willingness to be realistic about the consequences of the adventures. The teddy bear found at the plane crash site is not Chang's, but it doesn't matter: even if Chang survived, no one else did. As the Abbot says, the mountains keep those they take. As a result, Chang's safety seems more uncertain here than Tintin's safety in the previous 19 works combined.

Snowy also gets a fair amount to do, which is atypical of the later albums. His fantasy sequences, in which Snowy is taunted by angel and devil versions of himself, are again a stylistic experiment but manage to be a success due to Herge's more mannered use of Tintin's loyal dog. Snowy's actions - be they risking his life, or attempting to save his friends - are as intimately connected to the story as everything else here. This hasn't always been the case, as in many stories he functions as light comic relief, so it is nice to see the dog being used as a plot point but without losing his sprightly characterisation.

Other successes include the well-balanced portrayals of the Tibetan monks - humorous and yet earnest in turn; the hilarious shots of Haddock gradually falling behind the explorer's party; - and the frames with Tintin and Chang together at the end. It's popular these days to associate the two as a 'couple' even though we're aware that this was far from Herge's intention. But whether platonic or otherwise, their friendship resonates off the page, again belying Herge's own feelings of lost friendship toward the original 'Chang'.

Less successful elements:

* Haddock losing faith and then turning back at the last second, happens maybe twice too often. It's very satisfying to see Tintin being the 'irrational' person, for once, but it seems as if - in such a differently-structured adventure - Herge was out of ideas for how to introduce dramatic tension.

* Again, Herge's biggest downfall may be one of his biggest strengths: his desire to impart knowledge. Whilst waiting for their transport, Haddock and Tintin go sight-seeing. But when it's time to catch the plane, Tintin seems reluctant to leave the architecture behind. Which is a bit frustrating, since earlier he was determined to find his missing-possibly-dead friend as soon as possible!

One final thought: Herge seems to be reluctant to ascribe an age to Tintin. He starts out on holiday with the Captain, still as the earnest reporter. By album's end, he is constantly being referred to as a young boy and the scenes in the cave - see page 57 - show him at the most boyish he has ever looked!

All in all, "Tintin in Tibet" is surely a four-and-a-half star work. In keeping with his humanist philosophy, Herge rightly draws the Yeti as a figure of pathos : a lonely being unable to truly help his ward. The artist experiments further with his surrealist dream sequences, and manages finally to produce emotion from a character who has been an audience cipher for nineteen albums now. On top of this, distanced from the wide cast of characters who have populated the last half-dozen albums, Herge creates something decidedly different. I'll concede it is not my favourite - possibly it is number 5 or 6 in my estimation. After all, the first quarter is the inevitable build-up, and in terms of plot, Herge is reduced to recycling through two or three different beats. (To his credit, they seem realistic every time). But as an emotional exercise, and as a work of art, this is surely a contender for Tintin's most human adventure. (And any story that can end with Haddock being given the nickname "Rumbling Thunderblessings" must be given some credit!)… (lisätietoja)