Tintin comics are not yet well known in the United States, but they are very popular in other parts of the world. Belgian artist Hergé wrote and produced the art for these brilliant stories of a young reporter who travels to distant lands on amazing adventures.

However TinTin is about to be introduced to America in 2011, through Steven Spielberg’s movie, named The Secret of the Unicorn. You and your family can get a jumpstart on TinTin and his lovable crew of characters and their adventures in this timely article.

About The Adventures of TinTin

The Adventures of TinTin is a comic strip series by Belgian artist, Hergé. With over 200 million copies sold in over 50 countries, TinTin comics are among the most popular in the world.

TinTin comics are set in the 20th century.  Each comic is an adventure that takes TinTin to far-off lands.   The plots weave in elements of fantasy, mystery, thrillers, and science fiction.  There is a strong undercurrent of slapstick humor in these stories as well.

What really sets these comics apart are the brilliant drawings of Hergé.

The Characters

Lovable, and memorable characters are a core appeal in TinTin comics:

  • TinTin, the main character of these stories is a young Belgian reporter.  He is a true hero and his actions save the day in every story.
  • Snowy, a fox terrier, is TinTin’s companion.  TinTin and Snowy end up saving each other’s lives often in these adventures.
  • Captain Haddock, a sea captain is TinTin’s best friend.  His colorful insults and curses, like “billions of blue blistering barnacles”, “troglodyte”, “freshwater swabs” etc. are delightful, but don’t cross over into being swear words.
  • Professor Calculus, a half-deaf, absent-minded genius is a strong supporting character in many adventures.
  • Thomson and Thompson are bumbling detective twins who supply the comic relief in these stories.
  • Bianca Castafiore, an opera singer, is a talkative yet comical character who mixes up names, calling Captain Haddock such names as “Paddock”, “Hammock”, Padlock” etc., much to his annoyance.
  • A cast of villains flit through various comics, notably Rastapopoulous, a criminal mastermind who goes against TinTin, unsuccessfully of course.

The Locations

Hergé has used a number of fictitious places like Syldavia, Borduria, San Theodoros, San Paolo, Gaipajama, and Khemed. Another thing that makes the stories fascinating is the use of actual nations and locations such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, Congo, Peru, India, Egypt, Sahara Desert, Indonesia, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan.

Beyond this, two of TinTin’s adventures are set on the Moon – at a time when human space travel wasn’t a reality yet. 

Hergé invested a lot into research for his stories, something he has been since known for.  This kind research resulted in very believable settings and more realistic adventures.   For example, Hergé was able to come up with a design for the human space suit to be used to travel to the moon, which was nearly identical to what was used in human space exploration in later years.

The complete list of TinTin comics

Here’s a complete list of TinTin comics in chronological order of their publication :

    1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929–1930)
    2. Tintin in the Congo (1930–1931; 1946, 1975)
    3. Tintin in America (1931–1932; 1945)
    4. Cigars of the Pharaoh (1932–1934; 1955)
    5. The Blue Lotus (1934–1935; 1946)
    6. The Broken Ear (1935–1937; 1943)
    7. The Black Island (1937–1938; 1943, 1966)
    8. King Ottokar’s Sceptre (1938–1939; 1947)
    9. The Crab with the Golden Claws (1940–1941; 1943)
    10. The Shooting Star (1941; 1942)
    11. The Secret of the Unicorn (1942–1943)
    12. Red Rackham’s Treasure (1943–1944)
    13. The Seven Crystal Balls (1943–1948)
    14. Prisoners of the Sun (1946–1949)
    15. Land of Black Gold (1948–1950; 1972)
    16. Destination Moon (1950–1953)
    17. Explorers on the Moon (1950–1954)
    18. The Calculus Affair (1954–1956)
    19. The Red Sea Sharks (1958)
    20. Tintin in Tibet (1960)
    21. The Castafiore Emerald (1963)
    22. Flight 714 (1968)
    23. Tintin and the Picaros (1976)
    24. Tintin and Alph-Art (1986, 2004)

TinTin’s Adventures in Asia and Australia

Asia and Australia were the location for some of TinTin’s adventures:

  • Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
  • The Blue Lotus
  • Land of Black Gold
  • The Red Sea Sharks
  • Tintin in Tibet
  • Flight 714

TinTin’s Adventures in Africa

Here are TinTin’s Adventures in Africa:

  • Tintin in the Congo
  • Cigars of the Pharoah
  • The Crab with the Golden Claws

TinTin’s Adventures in the Americas

TinTin had a set of adventures in both North and South America:

  • Tintin in America
  • The Broken Ear
  • The Seven Crystal Balls
  • Prisoners of the Sun
  • Tintin and the Picaros

TinTin Adventures in Europe

Not surprisingly, many of TinTin’s adventures were in Europe:

  • The Black Island
  • King Ottokar’s Sceptre
  • The Shooting Star
  • The Secret of the Unicorn
  • Red Rackham’s Treasure
  • The Calculus Affair
  • The Castafiore Emerald

TinTin’s Adventures on The Moon

Two great science fiction adventures of TinTin were on the Moon:

  • Destination Moon
  • Explorers on the Moon

Other TinTin Comics

One notable TinTin comic is a must-have for TinTin lovers. Tintin and Alph-Art, which was published posthumously, is the final TinTin comic which plays out in the world of modern art.

Where can you buy TinTin comics

TinTin comics are available from many online stores, including Amazon.com.

Now that you know more about TinTin, go forth and enjoy TinTin’s adventures.  You and your family won’t regret it.