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   Tintin by Mary Huber
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There is a joke that the world's most famous Belgian is a cartoon character called Tintin. However, with this joke, the Belgians have the last laugh because they are very proud of their much-loved fictional character. The first Tintin book appeared in 1929. Since then, the Tintin books have sold over 250 million copies in over 70 languages. Today, the Tintin comic books continue to be massively popular across the world. Millions of readers of all ages enjoy the adventures of Tintin as much now as when they first appeared. The plucky young reporter, Tintin, and his trusted fox terrier, Snowy, have an enduring and timeless appeal.
Tintin was created by Georges Rémi, who wrote under the pen name of Hergé. In 1928, Hergé became the designer, illustrator and writer-in-chief of a new weekly supplement called Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth) to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century). The comic supplement was aimed at young readers. Tintin and Snowy officially made their debut in the supplement on 10 January 1929.

The immediate success of Tintin and his trusted dog was a surprise for Hergé. Part of the appeal lays in the way Hergé used speech bubbles – a feature from American cartoons that was entirely new to Europe at that time. Hergé’s speech bubbles brought Tintin’s adventures to immediate life on the page. Readers loved the slapstick humour of the vividly drawn stories which took Tintin and Snowy to far-flung places. Although Hergé himself rarely travelled outside Belgium, he carefully researched and drew all his locations with remarkable flair and amazing attention to details. The adventures of Tintin were an instant hit.

The 1930s were perhaps the happiest time for Hergé. He published a number of his best works, including Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in America, The Blue Lotus and King Ottokar's Sceptre. However, all this changed in the Second World War when the Nazis occupied Belgium. The Belgian King asked Hergé to continue working, even though this meant working under the censorship of the occupying forces. Although Hergé remained politically neutral throughout the war years, writers and journalists later accused him of being a collaborator. Hergé defended himself by saying that he simply continued to do his job – just like any plumber or carpenter who continued to ply their trade during that time. However, the allegations of collaboration stayed with Hergé for the rest of his life.

 

 

 

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Glossary

Fictional
imaginary; invented for a book or play.

Plucky
brave and determined.

Debut
first public performance or appearance.

Slapstick
humour that is based on physical actions rather than the play of words and language.

Neutral
not involved; not taking sides in a war or an argument.

Collaboration
help that someone secretly gives to an enemy or opponent.
  Last Updated ( Friday, 25 June 2010 19:21 )