Ranking the Tintin Comics Worst to First

A fascinating blend of satire, art, intrigue, and now a glimpse into the past, Herge’s Tintin comic books have delighted the world over from the character’s debut in 1929 to the present. The reporter, with his distinctive quiff and canine companion Snowy, skirted through 23 completed adventures by Herge’s death in 1983, with a 24^th volume left unfinished.

The books and the author’s perspectives both evolve significantly over the course of the series. At the beginning, the stories were loosely-plotted weekly comics, featuring an unrealistic amount of action and constant travel to new locations. Certain locations and cultures don’t come off particular well in this era, with some stereotypes that would seem well outdated by a modern reader abundant. Starting in black-and-white, all but one of the early stories are later recolored and edited.

The middle years marked greater dedication to plotting, with the books now having clear, pre-planned direction. Major new characters join the core group, most notably Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus. There is generally less political commentary during this era than others.

Herge’s home stretch marked a further evolution: the books were extensively planned out and researched, leading to greater lengths between editions. Politics were re-woven into the plots, which are in some cases extremely complex. Herge experiments more than ever: one book basically boils down to much ado about nothing, and another involves a futuristic extraterrestrial plot.

These rankings are entirely subjective, and come from a rough blend of plot, characters, comedy, locations, and art, with an explanation for each.

Unranked: Tintin and Alph-Art

Published: posthumously, 1986

Number in series: was to be 24

One sentence summary: A murder mystery, art forgery, and a suspected returning villain provide a tantalizing start to an unfinished work

Location: Brussels, Ischia

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock

The Castafiore Count: a classic effort: sends the heroes into danger without a clue. A fitting finale.

The Villains: Endaddine Akass (Roberto Rastapopolous?), Ramo Nash

The skinny: Herge’s intended final book in the series was nearing the halfway point to completion at the time of the author’s death. Thus, the true intended ending of the series is left a mystery, with Tintin and Snowy due to be essentially mummified in polyester and sold as art pieces by the nasty Endaddine Akass.

For what its worth, I thought the book looked promising and if the ending would have stuck the landing, this could easily have been a top 5 book in the series.

#23 – Tintin in the Congo

Number in series: 2

Published: 1931, colorized 1946, edited slightly 1975

One sentence summary: Tintin’s trip Belgian Congo is filled with plenty of narrow escapes, some stereotyping and artistic choices that have aged terribly, and a surprising criminal enterprise run by a very real Al Capone

Location: Belgian Congo

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, the soft-launching Thom(p)son twins, Coco

Castafiore Count: A long ways off yet

The Villains: Many wild animals, Muganga, Al Capone

The Skinny: Well, there really is no escaping the racial baggage when it comes to discussing this one, but I will try to provide some nuance to some very ugly history. Written at a time when the vast majority of Europeans supported the idea and practice of colonization, Herge’s take at the time is probably fairly accurate to how most Europeans saw cultures and people who differed in looks, languages, traditions, and beliefs: patronizing at best and, viewed through a lens almost 100 years later, horribly racist at worst.

That leads into a lengthy and difficult discussion that goes well beyond the scope of these books: how should commonly-held views at a certain time period be analyzed and seen through the ethics, laws, and morals of society today. My belief is this: one can be unconsciously prejudice while being an otherwise good, upstanding, and moral person, as Herge by all accounts was. People are complex, not wholly good or bad. Herge most likely harbored the sentiment that colonization was helpful, opening the eyes of those living in distant lands to a “better” way of life and thus being a good thing. He probably thought that his portrayal of skin color and local dialects were reflective of reality and accurate. Does one blind spot make or break how a person’s character is viewed? Not being unconscious of prejudice doesn’t make it an excuse either, and I think why it is important for me to question and reflect on the assumptions I make in my own life. Do you agree or disagree? It is a sensitive and difficult conversation, but one I think worth having – feel free to hit me up in the comments or otherwise.

Besides that, there really isn’t much to write home about. Tintin is oddly violent towards animals here. He once again escapes an inordinate amount of near-death-experiences. Al Capone provides the first ongoing plot thread, leading into the events of the next book.  

#22 – Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

Published: 1930, colorized 2017

Number in series: 1

One sentence summary: A much taller and black-and-white Tintin witnesses the effects of the Bolshevik Revolution, and comes away unimpressed.

Location: Soviet Russia

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy

Castafiore Count: Stay tuned

The Villains: Hella Bolsheviks and OGPU secret police

The Skinny: Tintin’s humble beginning, this story never got edited beyond its initial time as a weekly serial comic in a Belgian paper. Therefore, this one remains rough around the edges and fairly plotless, beyond Tintin getting involved in an endless array of deadly situations, only to narrowly stumble his way out as the next week’s edition came out.

Of note is his less-than-friendly views towards communism and its effects on the Russian people, who are portrayed in a sympathetic manner, as people cowed by a brutal regime and corrupt system. This is arguably one view that, although reportedly only gleaned from one other source used as a reference, has stood the test of time as reasonably accurate to the situation in Stalinist Russia.

#21 – The Broken Ear

Number in series: 6

Published: 1937, colorized 1946

One sentence summary: A stolen fetish (what a name!) and a murder lead Tintin into Latin American revolutionary politics, leading to narrow escapes, a run-in with a native tribe, and the search for a rare diamond.

Location: Belgium, San Theodoros, Nuevo Rico

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, General Alcazar, Pablo

Castafiore Count: Still a ways in the future

The Villains: Alonzo, Ramon, the Gran Chapo company

The Skinny: A strange tale, for the first time Tintin ventures into a fictitious place, that being the island nation of San Theodoros, which is dealing with an extremely unstable political situation seemingly at all times.

The commentary on the continuous revolutions and role that overseas corporations played in politics was pretty solid: I think Herge does a decent and nuanced job of looking at all the factors that played into the situation.

The plot itself is pretty weak, and is what keeps Broken Ear down here. The search for the fetish and discovery of the diamond felt like afterthoughts at times, like Herge was more interested in creating and exploring his fictitious worlds than crafting a great plot (seems like George Lucas gets the same criticism with the prequels).

#20 – Cigars of the Pharoah

Number in series: 4

Published: 1934, colorized 1955

One sentence summary: Mysterious cigars take Tintin across the Africa and Asia in pursuit of a massive network of Opium smugglers.

Location: Egypt, Arabia, India

The Heroes: Tintin, Thom(p)sons playing both sides, Sophocles Sarcophagus, Maharaja of Gaipajama, Patrash Pasha

Castafiore Count: Zilch

The Villains: Roberto Rastapopoulos makes a resounding debut, Allan, the fakir

The Skinny: The first in a double-length feature with The Blue Lotus, Cigars is basically the worst of the best: far better than the ones lower in the ranking, but the worst of the good ones. Several long-serving characters make their proper debut here: the Thom(p)sons get in the way more than they help, and the Rastapopoulos/Allan dynamic duo makes their bow here too unless you count the similar looking character that appears in one frame of America as ole’ Rasty; Rastapopoulos is not yet unmasked as the Big Bad of the series.

I found everything to be kind of unengaging and tame compared to other books; what should be standout scenes in the tomb and the kidnapping scene in India just don’t pull much punch for me for some reason.

The best bit, for me, is how well it sets up the real payoff in this story, which is in The Blue Lotus, by hiding the true intentions of several key characters.

#19 – Tintin in America

Number in series: 3

Published: 1932, colorized 1945

One sentence summary: On the trail of Al Capone, then Bobby Smiles, and then several other gangsters, Tintin travels America in an heroic one-man crusade on organized crime

Location: Chicago, Blackfeet Indian Reservation (called ”Redskin City” by the author), New York City

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy

Castafiore Count: Give it a couple of years still

The Villains: Al Capone, Bobby Smiles, many other gangsters and capitalists

The Skinny: One of my guilty favorites, I enjoy this one a significant amount despite still having the same raw and unpolished feeling that Soviets and Congo do. The only time Tintin ventures into the United States, this is such a fun caper, with good coloring in the artwork and this time the constant danger feels somewhat connected and realistic compared to the first two books. I enjoy the depiction of Prohibiton-era Chicago and seeing how vast the underworld truly can be.

The commentary on the plight of Native Americans and their relationship with the US government is well ahead of its time, and the first time Herge goes against popular sentiments of his day with his views. Despite Tintin nearly dying at the hands of the Blackfeet, Herge still presents them as sympathetic victims in their conflict with the government and the popular desire to take natural resources from the land for profit. This is arguably the most interesting section in a Tintin book to this point chronologically, and remains both thought-provoking and sobering.

#18 – King Ottokar’s Sceptre

Number in series: 8

Published: 1939, colorized 1947

One sentence summary: With pre-World War II worries as a backdrop, Tintin prevents a revolution.

Location: Syldavia, Borduria

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, the surprisingly competent Thom(p)sons

Castafiore Count: SHE’S HERE! She pisses our hero off by singing none other than Gounod’s Faust, he leaves the car and then is almost killed all for his annoyance at dear Bianca

The Villains: Boris Jorgen, Musstler, Alembick’s twin

The Skinny: This is just one big political commentary on Hitler’s takeover of Austria, the Anschluss. A briefcase left behind by a professor, a Professor Calculus prototype named Alembick, launches the reporter into international intrigue filled with danger and corruption up to the highest levels.

Of note here is that, after returning to real-world settings in The BlacK Island, Herge invents two European countries for this adventure, Borduria representing Nazi Germany, and Syldavia representing Austria. There is a little bit of revisionist history going on here, perhaps wishful thinking from the Belgian author, in that the attempted annexation fails due to Tintin’s heroics unlike in Austria in 1938.

The Thom(p)son twins have a really stellar outing here: they actually play a big role in helping Tintin survive and unravel the mystery. Bianca Castafiore expands the core group of characters by making her in-person debut, and what a debut it is. She is in vintage form, busting out the first of many renditions of Faust.

The parallels to the real world make this more interesting than if this was just straight fiction from Herge, as the pacing is a little odd and clunky to end up much higher than this on the list.

#17 – Flight 714 to Sydney

Number in series: 22

Published: 1968

One sentence summary: Rastapopoulos is back and nosier and most nefarious than ever, leading a kidnapping and extortion plot until extraterrestrials arrive and wreak havoc.

Location: Jakarta, Sondonesian island of Pulau-Pulau Bompa

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Skut, Mik Kanrokitoff

Castafiore Count: Living rent-free in Haddock’s head

The Villains: a cowboy-cosplaying Rastapopolous, Allan, Spalding, Dr. Krollspell

The Skinny: Talk about a wild ride! After a fairly straightforward and intriguing first half of the comic, Herge goes full acid trip in the back half, totally subverting audience expectations by adding some aliens to the mix.

Rastapopoulos’ final known scheme is actually pretty solid: infiltrate the inner circle of a 1 percenter to kidnap him and coerce him via drugs to give up his account information and take his money. This leads to a hilarious scene where, under the influence of a truth serum, the filthy rich Carreidas and Rastapopoulos take turns fighting about who has done more evil. I give it to ole’ Rasty, who unintentionally lets slip that he plans to kill everyone involved in the scheme once he has access to Carreidas’ account, to keep all the money for himself.

Snowy, who by the back half of the series was little more than a bystander with the ever-expanding cast, has one final moment of glory by rescuing the heroes at the crucial moment. Snowy, being a dog, is also the only person who doesn’t have their memory wiped by the end of the book, leading to an interesting R2-D2 scenario where Snowy is the only one who understands what happened.

So far, the aliens are the only one of Herge’s scenarios that hasn’t proved grounded in reality, apart from the Yeti in Tibet, as even his Moon exploration predictions came true within a decade of his book. The jarring transition that happens in the back half of the book puts it this low; otherwise the exceptional humor and neat artwork of the volcano scene would have pushed it higher.  

#16 – The Black Island

Number in series: 7

Published: 1938, colorized 1943, edited 1965

One sentence summary: A quack doctor who runs a forgery circle is hunted by Tintin across the British Isles, leading to a dramatic showdown involving a gorilla on an island off the coast of Scotland.

Location: Belgium, England, Scotland (primarily Kiltoch and Black Island)

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Thom(p)sons

Castafiore Count: Almost there…

The Villains: Dr. J.W. Muller and his forgery gang

The Skinny: The artwork always stood out to me here. It is much more detailed than the rest of the early adventures, and the reason why, I discovered, was a research trip and re-edit done by Herge and his team in the 1960’s led to a second, later revision that put the artistic detail in line with the later books.

Dr. Muller, who often gets slept on as a villain next to Rastapopolous, gets his first of three cracks at the reporter. Compared to the surrounding books, this is more of a detective story than one of political intrigue, but Muller’s German background does provide a sign of the times, with the unease developing over the situation in Germany throughout Europe in the 1930’s showing through. I think Muller has a shout as the best villain in the series: he is more mysterious than Rastapopolous, working more behind the scenes as a puppet master as opposed to being as big of a character and as front-and-center as Rastapopolous tends to be. 

Though the scenes on Black Island are a standout sequence; the trippy use of trained and menacing-looking gorilla as a henchman was certainly an interesting choice, and one I don’t really like. Although Ranko adds some spooky factor to the climax, I prefer the books grounded in realism, and a gorilla that understands English is a bit much for me.

#15 – The Crab with Golden Claws

Number in series: 9

Published: 1941, colorized 1943

One sentence summary: Opium is back, now in crab tins, as Tintin joins forces with one drunken sailor to take down a widely-spread and influential gang of criminals.

Location: Sahara Desert, Bagghar in Morocco

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Thom(p)sons, Haddocks glorious and boozy debut, Bunji Kuraki

Castafiore Count: Nothing here

The Villains: Allan’s back without his boss this time, Omar ben Salaad

The Skinny: Tintin travels back to the Arabic world in pursuit of opium dealers, this time hiding their goods inside Golden Claw crab tins aboard the Karaboudjan ship, helmed by the biggest addition to the cast yet: Captain Haddock, first seen nearing rock bottom as an alcoholic completely unaware that his ship is being used for running drugs. Haddock is an instantly iconic (and sympathetic) character whose loyalty to his friend and struggles with booze are very relatable qualities. Here, he is at his worst: ever-drunk, unpredictable, and a hindrance more than a help. His gradual evolution despite struggling for sobriety as the series progresses is among Herge’s finest achievements.

Written in Nazi-controlled Belgium, this story becomes the second to really have no political backdrop, joining Black Island. Instead, the plot is significantly more intricate, bringing to a new level a process begun the Cigars of the Pharoah to new heights. The double mystery at the beginning with a drowned sailor and the Japanese detective kidnapped are a good hook to set the plot in motion, and there are great further great scenes aboard Haddock’s ship, in the desert, and the chase in Bagghar. That said, this one is a little short: as critic Michael Farr points out, there are 4 pages with just one illustration to pad the runtime.¹ Despite being a fun, well thought out mystery, what isn’t present due to World War II is just as significant as what is.

#14 – Tintin in Tibet

Number in series: 20

Published: 1960

One sentence summary: A nightmare of a vision takes Tintin and Haddock into the Himalayas to nobly try to save a friend, with both learning some poignant truths about themselves along the journey.

Location: French Alps, Tibet

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Chang chong-Chen, briefly Calculus, Haddock, Tharkey

Castafiore Count: Only heard on the radio, to Haddock’s consternation

The Villains: None!

The Skinny: As I get older, the more this rises up my rankings. More than anything else, this outing is purely an ode to the power of friendship. It really is a beautiful piece of art and story. When I was younger, I was bored by the lack of adventure, subplots, and danger in Tibet, but more mature eyes reveal the power this story holds.

Lacking any true villain, the Thom(p)sons, and with just cameos from Calculus and Castafiore, this is a stripped down of an adventure as you get in the later part of the series. This is not a return to the helter-skelter pacing and lack of plot from the early days, despite the lack of series regulars and the return to naming the book using the Tintin in… formula. This is a piece that clearly had a lot of heart and thought put into it by its creator.

The character Chang, last seen in The Blue Lotus, is an interesting choice to bring back as the friend Tintin goes to save from the plane wreck. Digging deeper it makes sense: they had one of the most pure friendships in any of the books, and beyond that, Herge had a real-life friend named Zhang that he was out of touch with for many years and provided the inspiration for the character.

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the Yeti: his caring for and developing a friendship with Chang subverts the expectation of the beast being the villain; his desire to keep Chang is a desire to keep from losing a friend, and it is unexpectedly heartbreaking to hear him mourning as Chang and Tintin leave the mountain.

As a much deeper work than the rest of the series, Tibet stands apart. It actually hurts me to keep it this low, but I do miss the action and politicking that typically come with a Tintin adventure.

#13 – Red Rackham’s Treasure

Number in series: 12

Published: 1943

One sentence summary: With the information gained from the Unicorn, Tintin, Haddock, and a certain hard of hearing professor go deep-sea diving and island hopping in pursuit of treasure.

Location: West Indies, Marlinspike Hall

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Thom(p)sons, and that Calculus fellow joins the crew

Castafiore Count: Absent; presumably taking singing lessons

The Villains: Not really a major one; the Bird Brothers provide threat

The Skinny: Contrasting with Tibet, Red Rackham’s Treasure has no deeper layers to unravel; it is just a plain fun treasure hunt in which the core cast of characters is more or less together for the first time. Cuthbert Calculus, with his genius, money, and deafness, is the final major addition and a very welcome one: Haddock’s ribbing and Calculus’ failure to hear him properly provides a valuable source of comedy from this point on.

Marlinspike Hall, introduced last book, becomes the official homebase for the cast going forward here, as Calculus uses his money to purchase the property. With its forested grounds and huge space, this became a great space for Herge to play with and involve a good mystery.

The second half of a two-parter with Secret of the Unicorn, the gang now uses the coordinates from the scrolls to find the treasure. The big surprise is that it turns out neither to be with the sunken ship or on nearby land, but back in the home base. A find, mindless romp around with the whole gang for the first time.

#12 – Prisoners of the Sun

Number in series: 14

Published: 1948

One sentence summary: Looking to save the good Professor, Tintin and co. ascend the Andes and end up in trouble with the Incas – it’s a good thing solar eclipses exist!

Location: Peru – Callao, Jauga, the Andes, Temple of the Sun

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons, Zorrino

Castafiore Count: Sitting out the second half

The Villains: Chiquito, Huascar

The Skinny: The second of the two-part started by Crystal Balls, the Tintin, Snowy, and Haddock pursue Calculus and his captors, along with the Thom(p)sons, who take a rather more circuitous and hilarious route. Herge’s art here was top shelf – the vivid colors and designs native to Peru were well-researched also beautiful.

Tintin, and by extension the author, once again shows sympathy to indigenous Americans; the act of helping Zorrino from his Spanish bullies ends up helping save Zorrino yet again at the Temple. The cause of the voodoo-esque treatment of the explorers is revealed to be done to protect a culture and way of life, a twist worth pondering. He does portray them as separate from the modern world and lacking in scientific knowledge: they misunderstand a solar eclipse as a sign from the sun god.

While not the best adventure, it is solid and quite funny: Calculus being totally clueless to everything going on and the Thom(p)sons increasingly far-flung expedition for him provide some good laughs.

#11 – The Blue Lotus

Number in series: 5

Published: 1936, colorized 1946

One sentence summary: While navigating the Invasion of Manchuria, Tintin works with a Chinese orphan to break Cigars’ opium smugglers permanently.

Location: India, China (specifically, Hukow and Shanghai)

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Chang Chong-Chen, while the Thom(p)sons are around but don’t quite fit this category yet…

Castafiore Count: Nope

The Villains: Roberto Rastapopolous, Mitsuhirato, J.M. Dawson

The Skinny: This continuation of Cigars of the Pharaoh marks a huge evolution compared to its predecessors. Far more insightful, thoughtful, and dramatic, Blue Lotus is far and away the best of the pre-Haddock books. Herge continues a trend he started with Native Americans in America, portraying a civilization and culture denigrated at the time in Europe with respect and sympathy, this time being the Chinese during the time of Japanese invasion.

Chang, and his real-life inspiration Zhang, provide a Chinese-centric perspective not often seen in other media at the time. In addition, it is just a flat-out good story. Continuing the pursuit of mysterious opium smugglers from Cigars, Tintin falls into a much bigger situation developing in China, with several brutal enemies laying in wait.

Dawson is a dangerous and bigoted mercenary only interested in enriching himself, Mitsuhirato a murderous businessman using it is a cover for criminal activity, and the seemingly good and seemingly dead Rastapopolous providing the biggest reveal of all as the kingpin. They are all among the most interesting villains in the entire works, and add a lot to the story.

So to do the Thom(p)son twins, who are ironically hunting Tintin for most of this two-part set before ending up on the side of the reporter going forward. Needless to say, they are no better at trying to catch Tintin than they are any other criminal after.

#10 – The Seven Crystal Balls

Number in series: 13

Published: 1948

One sentence summary: A spooky run of incidents is putting members of group of famed explorers into deep comas, but when Calculus is kidnapped and taken abroad, Tintin and Haddock take off in pursuit.

Location: Belgium – Marlinspike Hall and Terragon’s home primarily

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons, General Alcazar

Castafiore Count: You best believe she is at the music hall, performing the “Jewel song” from Faust

The Villains: Chiquito, forces yet unknown

The Skinny: The first in a two-parter, for my money this is the eeriest book. Dealing with mysterious attacks from an unknown assailant and supernatural elements in the controlled-coma producing crystal balls. The entire book has a grim noir feel to it – no one and nothing ever feels safe; Herge puts on a masterclass in keeping his characters in suspense. The scene where Tintin goes and visits the explorers as they all wake up in an apparent panic simultaneously in nightmare fuel.

There is some fun character development taking place here: Haddock has a whole new lease on life, trading the maritime life for that of an estate owner. General Alcazar, we find out, has been disposed and exiled once more in San Theodoros, and Calculus gets to visit an old friend, an event that almost turns out tragically for the good professor.

This book is all about the setup, and leaves readers of a cliffhanger: Tintin and Haddock realize Calculus has been kidnapped and is aboard a ship heading for South America, and make plans to set off in pursuit. The fate of the explorers is also left up in the air; this feels less of a complete story than other “set-up” books Cigars, Unicorn, and Destination Moon. The intense atmosphere and wonderfully colored and detailed art bring it barely into the top 10.

#9 – The Shooting Star

Number in series: 10

Published: 1942

One sentence summary: The end of the world turns out not to be near, but a race to claim a meteor brings plenty of danger, especially when said meteor has unearthly powers.

Location: Belgium, Iceland, the Arctic Ocean

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Thom(p)sons, Professor Phostle

Castafiore Count: Took a rain check

The Villains: Mr. Bohlwinkle, captain of the Peary, one giant spider (not Ron Weasley’s favorite Tintin book)

The Skinny: Speaking of eerie, the opening of Shooting Star is the only thing that can match Crystal Balls’ feeling of dread. An impending meteor crash has everyone panicking about the impending end of the world, down to prophets telling us to repent! Philippulus, the aforementioned prophet, is actually an astronomer who cracked under his belief in impending doom. He provides a nice warning of what mass panic can lead to in a crisis.

The book is otherwise a simple race-and-chase between competing expeditions and their sponsors, battling each other and the conditions to reach and claim the meteor first. Both sides score some blows, but at the end their feud nearly turns deadly when Tintin has to stay and guard the meteorite, nearly being taken by the ocean in the process.

Haddock has a wonderful outing here, with the whole plotline of being the head of the Society of Sober Sailors while secretly smuggling booze aboard and continuing to imbibe providing a consistently excellent source of comedy.

#8 – The Secret of the Unicorn

Number in series: 11

Published: 1943

One sentence summary: Scrolls hidden inside antique ship models pave the way to a family treasure, but the Brothers Bird, and their iconic estate, stand in the way of the heroes.

Location: Lots of fun in Brussels, Marlinspike Hall arrives on the scene

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Thom(p)sons

Castafiore Count: Nothing doing

The Villains: Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, the brother Bird, Aristides Silk’s klepto tendencies

The Skinny: Haddock tells and acts out a fantastic tale to Tintin of lost treasure. It turns out to be real when discovering hidden scrolls in models of the ship Haddock’s relative sailed on. Some of the more dangerous adversaries faced by our heroes keep the suspense up from beginning to end: this is a quality adventure, with no weak spots in the narrative. Although the first in the a two-parter, it stands just as well as an individual tale.

Marlinspike Hall, setting for so many adventure hereafter, makes an interesting debut not as the heroes’ home, but as the villains’ lair. This new setting, with its many rooms and sprawling grounds, provides quite the sandbox for Herge to play around with. The break out from the basement using the battering ram is one of the top scenes in the series as far as I’m concerned.

There is a real longing for adventure that seeps through these pages, an enduring quality that makes this a blast to read. Herge presents, through this book and its brother, a fantastic treasure hunt, but frames in a way that makes the journey more worth it than the destination. The characters are becoming more complex before our eyes, no longer the one-dimensional reporter or drunker sailor.

#7 – The Castafiore Emerald

Number in series: 21

Published: 1963

One sentence summary: All the major players converge on Marlinspike Hall to find Castafiore’s jewel, in what turns out to be Herge’s big rope-a-dope.

Location: Marlinspike Hall in all its glory

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons, Castafiore

Castafiore Count: Bianca Castafiore’s Magnum Opus. A cacophony of song, hysteria, and ignorance across a starring role in her namesake book. Oh, and her very presence leads to Haddock spraining an ankle

The Villains: A magpie

The Skinny: Upon first reading this jawn, I was irate. I felt played: Herge set up this wonderful mystery, only to make a mockery of the whole thing at the end. It felt he was laughing at his audience, and in researching, he was. He knew his formula was out, and he took pleasure in blowing it all up. Further reflection led to me to do a complete 180 on Emerald, and there are two main reasons why:

First, atmosphere. The author, by this point, had set up a rich, vibrant world complete with well-rounded characters that you want to spend time with. No book in the series leans into that more: this is essentially 62 pages to wallow in the Tintin universe and enjoy how the characters interact with each other. To that end, there is no comic in the series that provides that much simple enjoyment: with the series nearly at a close, you want to soak up every second with the heroes, and Emerald allows that in abundance.

Second, how ballsy it was. To make a comic where literally nothing happens after making a name for the series on action and satire took some serious juevos. It feels Herge is winking at the audience, trusting them to both be upset by the lack of anything but also understand and enjoy that he busted up his trusted formula for something new. A totally unique piece in the set, I understand both sides of the argument here. For me, this is a masterpiece.

#6 – Tintin and the Picaros

Number in series: 23

Published: 1976

One sentence summary: Herge subverts long-held characterizations as the squad returns to an old stomping ground still rife with revolutions to rescue Castafiore and company.  

Location: Marlinspike Hall, but mostly San Theodoros

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons, Castafiore, Pablo, General Alcazar, Arumbayas, Picaros

Castafiore Count: Imprisoned and in peak form; Gounod’s Faust makes an appearance, and her pasta is not Al Dente!

The Villains: Colonel Sponsz, General Tapioca

The Skinny: The end of an era. Despite not being the intended end of the series, it feels Herge was preparing us all to say goodbye to his beloved creation, as the characters themselves seem to be moving on. Tintin has ditched his outdated knickers, Haddock can no longer drink, and the uber-alpha Alcazar is revealed to be submissive to his wife.

The adventure itself is a solid one: once you get past the fact that not everyone gets to say farewell, being that Alph-Art was intended to be the real close, it’s a lot of fun. The beginning, with the arrest of several main characters and the decision to attempt a rescue, and the end, with the General usurping power using guerrillas disguised as clowns, are wonderfully crafted. Keeping this one from clawing further up the list is the middle: despite looks in on the Arumbayas and Ridgewell, not seen since Broken Ear, it slows up the narrative, with too much time spent in the camp without much going on. Other recurring characters get a swansong: Pablo, Sponsz, and Jollyon Wagg of note. A solid, if unspectacular, conclusion and a good adventure on its own.

#5 – Explorers on the Moon

Number in series: 17

Published: 1954

One sentence summary: An outer space epic sees Tintin and company make incredibly lunar discoveries while battling forces that cause one character to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Location: the Moon

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Thom(p)sons, Frank Wolff’s sacrifice

Castafiore Count: Not on the Moon

The Villains: Colonel Jorgen, Frank Wolff prior to his sacrifice

The Skinny: I’ll cut right to the chase: no moment in the rest of Tintin is as moving and powerful as the final 20 pages here. Frank Wolff, the engineer partnering Calculus and along for the lunar landing, is revealed to have been compromised and smuggled Colonel Jorgen aboard to hijack the rocket. Wracked with guilt and having put all their lives in danger, he makes the ultimate sacrifice in a desperate attempt at redemption and through his desire to save the lives of those he has come to consider friends. The writing is so brilliant and heartbreaking it gives me chills typing about it.

After that, reality sinks in that with oxygen levels severely depleted from having 3 unexpected passengers on board, they might still not make it. Watching the heroes contemplate the possibility that this is the end for them is another masterfully written scene. Although it should be obvious the main characters survive given there are additional volumes, Herge expertly dials up the tension to just the right amount.

The exploration on the moon was groundbreaking for its accuracy and was a decade ahead of its time. That said, some of the luster has worn off over time, as technology and space exploration has surpassed Tintin’s achievements in the 1950’s. Explorers is worthy of a top-5 slot, but for that reason I can’t put it higher.

#4 – Destination Moon

Number in series: 16

Published: 1953

One sentence summary: Calculus and Syldavia partner to lead mankind to outer space a decade early; others seek to hijack mission, “acting the goat” for their own gain.

Location: Syldavia

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons

Castafiore Count: Not involved in building a rocket

The Villains: foreign spies and a mole on the inside

The Skinny: The prequel to Explorers, Destination Moon is just an absolute blast. If I had to pick one book to read over and over, Destination would certainly be a candidate just for the sheer enjoyment factor. Calculus takes center stage here, as the scientific genius beats real-world science by a decade and has created a spaceship capable of taking humans to the Moon.

Haddock and Calculus’ ongoing communication struggles reach their comedic peak here: Calculus flying into a rage upon being told he is “acting the goat” among the series’ best scenes. Speaking of peaks: the tense scene in the middle with the mysterious foreign paratroopers trying to infiltrate the plaza during the power shutoff is Tintin at its absolute best: vivid, detailed illustrations, palpable tension, and real stakes involving beloved characters.

Those two scenes are so good they almost carry the book on their own, but the wonder-and-awe scenes at the beginning, where the crew learns what Calculus is planning, and the end, where the spaceship is finally unveiled and the fate of the launch is left on a cliffhanger, are immensely enjoyable in their own right. You can immediately sense Herge did his homework when it came to rocket science: so many details, from the intricacies of the ship to the equipment by the crew, are shockingly on point given the time.  

#3 – The Calculus Affair

Number in series: 18

Published: 1956

One sentence summary: The Cold War is in full swing, as Calculus’ knowledge of nuclear physics puts him in the middle of a tug-of-war between countries looking to boost their weapons programs while a Jollyon fellow takes over the home front.

Location: Marlinspike Hall, Geneva and Nyon in Switzerland, Syldavia, Borduria

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Calculus, Haddock, Thom(p)sons, Professor Topolino

Castafiore Count: Performing none other than classic “Jewel Song” from Faust in the Eastern Bloc this time, but clutching up to save Tintin and Haddock in perhaps her finest moment

The Villains: Colonel Sponsz, Bordurian secret police, Jollyon Wagg

The Skinny: A James Bond-esque espionage caper set in the Iron Curtain, Calculus gets caught up in the scientific arms race between East and West. In lieu of using real-world examples, Herge goes back to his old standbys: Syldavia repping the West, and Borduria the East. A great mystery, wild action sequences, and some of the funniest moments in the series make this topsy-turvy adventure worthy of the bronze medal spot.

Herge is in peak form for all 62 pages. In what may be the funniest installment, the standout moments include: the running jokes of Calculus being oblivious to being kidnapped and in a tug of war between two nations, Haddock getting peeved at a piece of plaster, Jollyon Wagg the insurance salesman, Cutts the Butcher, all the Bordurian’s having mustaches similar to their leader, Kurvi-Tasch, and the hilarious sequence in the tank as the heroes are ducking and weaving their way to safety like Keystone Cops.

Tintin and Haddock return to the roots in a way, doing solid investigative work that hadn’t really been seen since the early days of the series, Black Gold nonwithstanding. Most major members of the “cast” get some piece of the action, making this feel like a well-rounded and complete story in the Tintin universe.

#2 – Land of Black Gold

Number in series: 15

Published: 1950, edited 1971

One sentence summary: Explosive tablets, kidnapping of royalty, and an attempted coup all lead to a wild desert showdown with international consequences.

Location: Marlinspike Hall, fictional Khemed and its capital, Wadesdah

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Thom(p)sons, Calculus, Castafiore, Emir Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab, Oliveira da Figuera

Castafiore Count: Heard over the airwaves, singing the song she knows and loves best (yes, the Jewel Song from Faust)

The Villains: Dr. J.W. Muller, Bab El Ehr, the annoying snot Prince Abdullah

The Skinny: Exploding oil! Backstabbing bureaucrats! Rainbow beards! Things get wild in the desert as Tintin and the Thom(p)sons investigate. The action rarely lets up from start to finish. The second half of the book is the money-maker: Tintin discovering his old nemesis Dr. Muller is man behind the plot is a wild moment for readers who haven’t really seen many recurring villains in this series. The sequence with the Prince, who hilariously sabotages his own rescue, and the subsequent chase in the desert is peak Tintin. The cherry on top is a classic, and increasingly rare, Thom(p)son moment with the “aspirin” that changes makes their beards trip out.

Almost as fascinating as what is on the page is the backstory. This was supposed to follow Ottokar’s Scepter in 1939, but the political overtones forced the author to abandon the story when Belgium was taken over by Germany in World War II. Only a decade later would Herge return to the tale, and instead of suffering from it, I think it becomes the finest example of blending older and newer styles. Certain characters and places, namely Haddock, Calculus, and Marlinspike Hall, all barely appear as they were not in the original story. When they do, however, they fit seamlessly into the story like they were always there; Calculus researches the explosions; Haddock is drafted for war. They both show up in time for the big climax.

There is such a rich world presented here: Herge’s desert books are my favorite for that reason. There are so many complexities; so many moving pieces that fall into place at critical moments. The new characters are extremely memorable, and the recurring ones both add to the story and tie what could have been a real outlier in with the rest of the series.

#1 – The Red Sea Sharks

Number in series: 19

Published: 1958

One sentence summary: Old acquaintances in new places lead Tintin into a web of modern day slave traders and weapons mercenaries that will stop at nothing to achieve their twisted aims.

Location: Marlinspike Hall, Khemed and its capital Wadesdah, Red Sea

The Heroes: Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Calculus, Thom(p)sons, Castafiore, Oliveira da Figuera, Skut, General Alcazar

Castafiore Count: Loud and present, as she should be, singing her opera without a care in the world

The Villains: Oh boy what a blend: old friends Rastapopolous, Allan, Dr. Muller, J.M. Dawson, and Bab El Ehr

The Skinny: Herge’s masterpiece. The best adventure, with so many characters pulled from across other books, poignant moments interspersed with great action and fantastic artwork. The plot seems to be about arms dealings, but Herge pulls the bait-and-switch midgame and puts human trafficking front and center. Tintin and company are forced to overcome a language barrier and the eleventh-hour appearance of Roberto Rastapopulous and his torpedoes to escape alive. The climax is an epic maritime chess match that goes back and forth until the US military shows up to turn the tide.

What makes this adventure have so much depth, putting it above all others, is the attention to detail surrounding returning characters. Several characters, going all the way back to Cigars of the Pharaoh, are given at least a small scene that gives the reader an update on what they’ve been up to. In several cases, these serve as a launching pad for future installments.

This is a story grounded in realism, dealing with real-world issues, the motives of powerful individuals, and the plight of the poor. The stakes are high and they feel realistic. It is Herge’s finest piece of art.

Notes

1. Farr, Michael. “Tintin : the complete companion.” San Francisco, CA : Last Gasp, 2011. ↩︎