Saving the Day is EASY

            I can remember the nights I spent under the covers reading the second edition of Tintin and thinking his life was extraordinary. My brother and I, by some stroke of luck, were in possession of the second novel in the Tintin series. How strange it is now to revisit the book with a sharpened literary awareness. After watching “Superheroes Unmasked” and looking more closely at the way comics are written, I’ve managed to pick up on some interesting aspects of Tintin I had previously brushed off as a child. Situations that looked ‘funny’ or unrealistic were lost along with my mind into the world of Tintin and his seemingly indestructible and incredibly intelligent dog. I was jealous by the way the two traveled the world at ease, crossed oceans in a few seconds and solved mysteries everywhere they went. The way Tintin was living, he had the whole ‘hero’ gist easy. I was too transfixed on this factor that I was blind to some obvious underlying themes and implicit messages.

The character Tintin himself seems to hold the perfect balance between adult and child. He is short and unbecoming, yet able to beat up groups of men with ease.  Tintin slips through his world easily. His baby face, soft contours contrast with other characters in the world; villains are all portrayed with menacing looks, wrinkly faces and furrowed brows. All other adults seem to be incompetent in one way or another; either outsmarted by Tintin and his companions or making obvious mistakes. Tintin’s role as both a visually childlike protagonist dealing with adult situations caters to both young and old audiences. Children can enjoy all the excitement and action as Tintin rounds up his enemies, while adults can pick up on implicit humor, ‘adult’ themes and a compelling mystery.

Now that I’m personally older, I can now see what I have blatantly missed. Despite Tintin’s young appearance, Hergé has given his character the responsibilities of a legal adult. He is constantly thrown in jail, running from the law, hiding, stealing, and trespassing onto government properties. His massive ‘spirit’, optimism and desire to bring those hurt to justice are his main motivators that get him into such sticky situations. His ability to never die, even at the face of certain death is astounding. Even his travel companions, a small dog, and at one time, a young orphan boy seem to escape situations with minor injuries that heal perfectly. Crime is running rampant and I was a bit surprised to see adult themes such as drug use, executions and death depicted in the story. Hergé even drew opium dens complete with passed out patrons in the Blue Lotus.

And yet the situations Tintin encounters, both internationally and socially, have underlying themes which affected Hergé’s reality at that time. Cartoonish and stereotypical depictions of races, Native Americans, Arabia, and the Chinese and Japanese comment on international relations at that time without saying a single word. The Chinese and Japanese were depicted with rickshaws, buck teeth, squinty eyes and horribly alliterative names such as Chang Chong-Chen. I was pleasantly surprised about the important dialogue between Tintin and his young companion trying to overcome obstacles between Chinese-Euro relations. Hergé’s attempt to overcome obstacles, despite a seemingly limited sense of the outside world hopefully can spark a dialogue with young readers at that time and get them familiarized with the outside world and the potential adventures they could have within it.