The Adventures of Tintin
Ranked #8,513 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #300,156 overall
Tintin remains one of the greatest creations of all time
On a more personal level, we had the entire collection in french in my house growing up, and I must have read each album over and over and over again until I knew the stories pretty much by heart.
To this day, as I draw my own comics, when I'm trying to visualize a particular character and how to draw him or her in the situation at hand, all I have to do is picture Tintin in my head and right away I get it; a simple case of "how would Tintin look in this case" and it makes sense.
This new movie is sooo exciting I can hardly contain myself. I have yet to see it as I am waiting for it to come to my local discount theater. It looks amazing from the trailer and I hope this will be the start of more movies in the future. These characters will come to life for a whole new generation.
*****
My sketchblog DancingBlender
Artist page on Facebook RiverbyNight
Author page on Amazon
Contents at a Glance
Herge
We cannot properly get into this lens without a salute to Tintin's author and creator:Belgium artist Georges Remi,
a.k.a. Herge (1907-1983) .
Herge is the French pronunciation of his initials in reverse: RG.
At age 17 Herge left school and got a job at the daily newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle to help create the children's page.
January 1929, in the 11th edition, the first panels of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets appears ... to an instant success. By the 1950s, Herge set up Herge Studios and acquired a handful of assistants to supply him with the in-debt research needed for his stories.
Often regarded as one of the most influencial European artists of all time, Herge's distinctive style is know as ligne claire, or "clear line."
Clear Line Style
"Ligne Claire" in French
The Clear Line style can be defined through certain specific characteristics:
- All lines have equal importance; none being emphasized over any other.
- There are no shadow, cross hatching, texture, or other forms of providing contrast.
- All elements of the panel are treated with the same amount of details and definition.
- Characters tend to have a simplified, cartoonish appearance.
- And lastly, colors have equal importance throughout, creating an overall "flat" feeling.
The beauty of this is, it works. Herge provides an incredible amount of details to his panels. The characters' movements and interractions, though obviously exagerated, come accross as very life like and real. This is no wonder that the ligne claire style has been copied by numerous artists since.
The best form of flattery I would think.
Herge
the man behind the genius
.
The Art of Herge
.
The Complete Tintin Collection
in order of publication
There are several reprint formats available, some even combining 3 stories together in one book, though they tend to be much smaller, making it harder to read. I much prefer the stories as they were intended, one at a time, in the bigger size.
The last, Tintin and Alpha Art was never completed by Herge and the sketches that would have led to the story were compiled into a book for publication.
Vote for your Favorite
Tintin adventure
How will you choose?...
Meet The Family
The whole gang is here.
Below I will introduce each main character along with the story in which they first appeared.
In parantheses I add their respective original name as chosen by Herge before being changed for the English version, a detail that has frankly always bothered me -after all, aren't translation supposed to respect an artist or author's work? Anyway, off my soap box ...
- Tintin, center, with his traditional blue shirt and his faithful dog Snowy (Milou) by his side.
- Thompson and Thomson (Dupont and Dupond), to the right, are the first to become recurring supporting characters, also providing comic relief. They meet Tintin in vol.7: The Black Island.-
Captain Haddock, to the left, is next to join, this time as a regular companion to Tintin in his adventures. He appears for the first time in vol.9: The Crab With The Golden Claws
- Nestor, the Captain's able butler, comes with Moulinsart, the castle inherited by Captain Haddock in vol.11: The Secret Of The Unicorn.
- Professor Calculus (Professor Tournesol), on the left in the green coat, shows up in vol.12: The Treasure of The Unicorn and is an endearing addition from the start.
- The Castafiore, in the fur coat on the right, and her hand-maid behind her make a brief appearance in vol.18 The Calculus Affair.
Tintin In Tibet
Tintin in Tibet
Amazon Price: $37.95 (as of 06/01/2012)
This is vol. 20 and my favorite of the series, in part because I've always been fascinated with the eastern cultures and monks of the Himalaya, which are featured in this story.
This is not your traditional Tintin story either, there are no villains here. Only Tintin and the Captain. Ultimately, this story is about loyalty and the power of friendship.
A Necessity for the
Tintin enthusiast
This book goes into some depth about Herge himself and the origins and evolution of Tintin.
It give more details about each story, with research done and images used to create the stories.
Tintin and the World of Herge: An Illustrated History
Amazon Price: $130.00 (as of 06/01/2012)
This is a great book.
Full of images, pictures, sketches and drawings, and other Tintin memorabilia.
Amazon Search
The Spielberg Movie
combined three Tintin adventures
The Secrets of the Unicorn explains about a potential treasure, and off course, in Red Rackham's Treasure, Tintin, the Captain, Thompson and Thomson, and the Professor go after that potential treasure. This is also where the Professor makes his first appearance.
Outfitting for a treasure hunt
New Movie adventures
out in Dec. 2012
More About Movie Magic
of bringing Tintin to the big screen
I plan on adding it to mine.
The Art of the Adventures of Tintin
Amazon Price: $20.99 (as of 06/01/2012)
From Amazon description:
It features early concept drawings, previs sequences, models, costume designs and final stills from the film
The book focuses on the creative process, showing the many designs that made it into the movie and others that didn't. It highlights the attention to detail, skill and creativity of all the artists involved in the making of the movie. The story is told by the artists themselves, who talk about their inspirations, techniques and experiences. Through them we gain a true insight into the creative thinking behind this groundbreaking feature film.
Secrets of the Unicorn
cartoon version
More to Explore
in the comic realm
Dancing Blender
a sketchblog journey
Here I post new and on-going evolution on various stories and illustrations in progress.
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Travel With Me
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Amazon Price: $7.75 (as of 06/01/2012)
I had so much fun participating in the Art House Co-Op Sketchbook Project 0212 that I scanned my sketchbook and made a book out of all the illustrations! This is the result. enjoy!
