The Adventures of Tintin is 24 albums between 1930 and 1986, more than 50 years of action comics, friendship, humor, intrigue, investigations, travels and conspiracies. It was not an easy task to classify them all and we decided to put the diptychs together for more coherence. Here we go!#20. Tintin in the Congo (1931) Obviously, the most difficult to defend because it is one of the oldest, it is retrograde, it is an ode to colonization and Catholic paternalism. There are also many slaughtered animals. In short, nothing is right, it’s very hard to reread, even historically. See also on Konbini#19. Tintin in the land of the Soviets (1930) This is the very first Tintin and it is worth especially for its relaxed, cartoonish and caricatural style of drawing, a real tour de force of the end of the 1920s. On the other hand, the very anti-communist story is still filled with clichés. Hergé did not want this adventure to be included in the list of Tintin albums, he never wanted to rework it. But it’s still better than the episode in Congo…#18. Tintin in America (1932) Same problem as the two previous ones, this adventure in America remains filled with clichés mixing Western and gangster à la Al Capone, while denting the American dream. In terms of drawing, some plates are interesting, but the story and the characters remain too clear-cut to be believable.#17. Tintin and Alph-Art (1986) It is difficult to judge this satirical album on the world of modern art, because it was not finished during Hergé’s lifetime. Released as is, we feel the author’s line and attraction for modern art, but the album is not finished and there is literally no end. Hard. But it’s still better than the episode in Congo.#16. Tintin and the Picaros (1976) Last album of Hergé’s lifetime and it feels a bit. We feel that satire and derision have become more important than the Tintin dynasty. There are good moments, but there’s also a sort of systematism in the destruction of certain characters that is a little annoying. There is also a new critical vision of the politics of the 1970s, particularly with the treatment of the South American dictatorships. We feel less enthusiasm, less desire. Hergé leaves. It’s a pretty sad album, in the end.#15. The Mysterious Star (1942) The first boards, it is surely among my favorites of Hergé. The apocalypse, the ultimate heat, the terror and finally a spider on a telescope. Some ideas taken up in his diptych on the Moon, but also some huge shots like his American villains of Jewish origin with catastrophic caricatures. We are still entitled to giant mushrooms, a race in the ocean, betrayals and conspiracies. It’s a pretty cool album, despite its huge mistakes.#14. Coke en stock (1958) It’s a very complex and quite meta album where we find a lot of characters from previous albums, in a coalition of dictators and bad guys who organize a huge arms and human trafficking. It is surely the most beautiful maritime adventure in its design of the boards and the overall narration. Some clichés persist, but the whole is very humanistic and has many facets. This is one of the most adult albums in the series, just before the more satirical period.#13. Tintin in the land of black gold (1950) A somewhat cursed album, its publication postponed many times, reworked following the regular political changes in the region of the Middle East that it deals with, this album refocuses some themes already dealt with in others from the series, while reuniting with an iconic villain (Müller) and introducing a cheeky friend (Abdallah). The treatment of power struggles around oil is interesting, although encrypted by its multiple re-readings. An in-between.#12. Flight 714 to Sydney (1968) Satirical and deconstruction album. It is difficult to approach him as one of the last in the series, when Hergé is in the midst of disruption following his personal life, but also with the growing success of Asterix which calls into question his hegemony. It remains a very liberated episode with critiques of progress and wealth, successful gags, villains turned puppets, and unexpected sci-fi. That’s a lot for a single album, but it’s still fun, it updates the Tintin universe by making it more parodic and cynical than usual. It’s one of the ones I read the most for breakfast when I was little.#11. The Broken Ear (1937) It marks a real change in the series with a more structured adventure, less erratic in serial mode. The search for treasure in the jungle and the accumulation of pretenses or traps has inspired many artists over time, in particular Philippe De Broca and his Man from Rio. It’s a pivotal work, the beginning of something else.#10. The Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (1934-1936) The first is still quite dated, but it contains real dazzling scripts in Egypt and then in India. The second is on the other hand a true classic of the genre, the first where Hergé becomes critical of a regime, a dictatorship by denouncing the oppression of the Japanese over China. Some boards are among Hergé’s most successful at this time. Almost faultless despite a few caricatures.#9. The Crab with the Golden Claws (1941) The meeting with Haddock, psychedelic delirium in the desert, addiction and alcoholism, canned goods trafficking, humor, Alan and Karaboudjan, many cult moments that deserve this album is in the top 10. Could some scenes have inspired David Lean and his Lawrence of Arabia? We’d like to think so, but it’s still unlikely.#8. Objectif Lune / We walked on the Moon (1953-1954) These two very detailed albums on the conquest of the Moon made an impression thanks to their visionary and pop side, more than 15 years before the real first moon landing. It is this time Tournesol who becomes a dominating character, far from his usual blunders. There is Jules Verne, but also a great spy story in the middle of these two inseparable albums. It is a great moment of pop culture of the 1950s which will influence music, cinema, art. We could have put this diptych even higher.#7. King Ottokar’s Scepter (1939) This is one of Hergé’s finest creations, but this rivalry between Syldavia and Borduria remains, two fictitious countries very well documented with their habits and customs, their flags, their folklore, their and their villains very close to the world conflict approaching at the time. The resulting political conspiracy, espionage and very Rouletabillian investigation in Mystery mode of the yellow room make it a special album.#6. The Secret of The Unicorn / The Treasure of Rackham the Red (1943) This is surely the best possible adventure story, mixing old-fashioned piracy, search for buried treasure, multiple false leads and iconic shark submarine. The multiple clues and maps mixing archeology and adventure will be obvious starting points for Carl Barks and his Scrooge, Spielberg and his Indiana Jones, even Pirates of the Caribbean, why not! We can even go as far as Uncharted, the impact is so enormous. Mythical on all levels.#5. The Black Island (1938) In its fairly classic aspects, this album is one of the most striking thanks to Dr Müller, an emblematic and ruthless villain, but also thanks to the deep landscapes of Scotland. It’s also one of the albums that has had the most different versions, including the arrival of the firefighters, reworked at least three times, which adds to the legend of the detail. It’s surely one of the simplest albums, but also the most pleasant to read again and again.#4. L’Affaire Tournesol (1956) A real thriller behind the kidnapping of Tournesol, this more adult album is a real tour de force in terms of graphics and narration. With the return of the Syldavia/Bordurie war, Hergé and his team tackle the totalitarianisms of all persuasions that have shaken the world for 20 years. True culmination in terms and structure, this album is one of the most successful of the series.#3. Les Bijoux de la Castafiore (1963) Atypical album, surely the most human of Hergé with Tibet. By completely contradicting the clichés and settings of the adventures of Tintin, the Belgian author has created a real whodunit à la Hitchcock or Agatha Christie. The result is halfway between very good comedy theater and an episode of Columbo. While keeping humor and derision. Tintin’s jewel.#2. The Seven Crystal Balls / The Temple of the Sun (1948-1949) Supported on the narration and the sets by the author of Blake & Mortimer, EP Jacobs, Hergé writes a fantastic and horrifying tale with this very successful diptych. With more conciseness and breath than on his previous ones, the author really develops the best of the adventure in two parts, one more theoretical and mysterious, the other more in the action in the heart of the Andes. The duo of albums that I really have the most pleasure to read again. An inspiration for Dragonball? Nothing is less certain.#1. Tintin in Tibet (1960) It’s hard to really choose a number 1 album, but Tintin in Tibet has several arguments to become it. It is first and foremost Hergé’s most personal album, an ode to hope, humanism and unchanging friendship. Almost the only adventure without antagonist or villain, this album is also a definitive success of the clear line that Hergé then brought to paroxysm, despite coming out of a severe depression. This album is the sum of everything, the ultimate adventure, the initiatory story with small touches of paranormal, the search for its true purpose and its self through the pitfalls. It also offers more space to a Tintin who is always behind. Everything is beautiful, different and successful.
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