World Famous Comics: The Adventures of Tintin in the Congo: Reporter for Le Petit Vingtieme
The Adventures of Tintin in the Congo: Reporter for Le Petit Vingtieme
By: Herge Publisher: Last Gasp Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 120 Publication Date: 2002-11 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Studio: Last Gasp
Amazon.com Review: In Tintin in the Congo, one of his earliest adventures, our intrepid reporter hunts down both criminals and wild game. The story was written in 1930 and first appeared in book form in 1931, and some of the parts are so dated that for years the book was unavailable in English. This edition reprints on black-and-white newsprint the original 1931 version. In one scene, Tintin tells a group of African children "Today, I'm going to talk to you about your country: Belgium!" When the story was updated and colorized (but not translated into English) in 1946, this became a simple lesson in addition. In addition to the colonial attitude, the Africans are portrayed as primitive, simple-minded folk ("He doesn't look very bright," Snowy opines about their guide), and Tintin reveals a brutal side by slaughtering half the wildlife on the continent (including blowing up a rhinoceros with dynamite!) and declaring while pursuing an enemy, "Sure as my name's Tintin, I'll get rid of him once and for all." Herge himself was embarrassed by much of Tintin in the Congo, and it's not a part of the regular canon, but fans who can accept it as a product of its time will enjoy seeing their hero in one more adventure, one that provides a jumping-off point for the much-better-known Tintin in America. --David Horiuchi
Product Description: Tintin goes to the Congo. Fascimile edition of the original.
Proto-Tintin still has not found his feet ^ Tintin sets sail for Africa, in this case the Belgian Congo. In the first panel we see Thomson and Thompson, although this is not really the first official appearance of the "twins" - the original 1930 version did not have them, what we're seeing is the redrawn version, which was made in 1946; the "twins" officially appeared the next year in the original Tintin in America of 1931. The book, like Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in America, is plotless and episodic, and allows Tintin to converse fully with Snowy (in later adventures, Snowy "speaks" intelligently, but nobody else besides the reader can understand him - this has great comic value in the final pages of Flight 714).
In the story, Snowy starts things off by discovering a nasty stowaway on the boat to the Congo who nearly kills him, but Tintin rescues him from the sea (Tintin and Snowy are always rescuing each other). Tintin spend a lot of time in various misadventures, setting about to bring down a corrupt witch doctor, while he also devotes some time to saving himself and Snowy from alligators, sharks, electric eels, snakes, mosquitos, lions, monkeys, elephants, rhinoceros, leopards, water buffalo and antelope. There's also plenty of vicious game hunting, with Tintin blasting to bits a herd of antelope, and slaying a chimpanzee for his skin. He survives another train wreck (see also Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in America, Prisoners of the Sun, etc), he spends some time teaching kids that 2+2=4, before busting up representatives of Al Capone's gang... which leads him to his next adventure, "Tintin in America".
its black and white ^ I haven't read it yet, however it is a Tintin comic, so I'm expecting it to be downright amazing. THe only problem i have with it is that it's BLACK AND WHITE. i was mistaken when I bought it, I thought it was simply a hardcover color. There is a color edition so if that's what you want be careful when you shop. The other thing is that the paper seems to similar to coloring book paper. I'm almost led to believe its a coloring book. in reality, im almost positive, its what the original looked like. or somethinglike that
Tintin Utterly Disgraced ^ I was utterly appalled by the horrid depictions of africans in this book. It was extremely racist and I severely disliked it. After I noticed this I sent it back as soon as possible. If you are considering buying this DON'T DO IT. It is very racist and a horrid book. I normally enjoy Tintin books, but this was a disgrace. I HATED THIS BOOK WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T BUY THIS BOOK.
unpolished early work ^ Unpolished but forgivable considering it was a newspaper comic series. Story kept jumping from one point to another- all over the place. Also may not be suitable for animal lovers and those averse to racism
Lost in the Congo... ^ "Tintin in the Congo" is Belgian artist and storyteller Herge's second adventure starring his cartoon hero, the youthful reporter Tintin. "Tintin in the Congo" was first serialized in a newspaper in 1930 and published in book form in 1931. This edition captures the original black and white newspaper drawings along with an English translation of the original story.
Tintin, fresh from his first adventure in the Land of the Soviets, sets out for the Belgian Congo. Tintin's exploration of Africa quickly turns into a series of frightful cliff-hangers, as he and his faithful dog Snowy battle wild beasts, angry natives, and a dangerous gang of American diamond smugglers.
"Tintin in the Congo", compared to "The Land of the Soviets", features Herge's improving artwork, his more confident handling of Tintin and Snowy, and a more detailed plot with multiple well-defined characters. Unfortunately, "Congo" has aged poorly. The natives are portrayed as mostly simple-minded dependents of the Europeans, while Tintin spends much of the story slaughtering wildlife. In real life, the end of Belgian colonialism was messy and chaotic. Herge updated and colorized the artwork and cleaned up the storyline for a 1946 edition, but he apparently was embarrassed by this early work. Nowadays, "Tintin in the Congo" is often not included in the standard collections of Tintin adventures.
"Tintin in the Congo" is a bit of a time capsule, reflective of the period in which Herge wrote it, but likely less acceptable on that account to a modern audience nearly 80 years on. However, it is recommended to fans of Tintin who are interested in his origins and his evolution into the lasting cartoon hero so much enjoyed today.
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