Review: Tintin in the Congo

Tintin in the Congo
Written by Herge'
Art by Herge'
Published by Casterman. $19.95? USD

I barely remember ordering this book. This would be my second misadventure in trying to read Tintin. The first wasn't my fault--my father gave me Frederic Tuten's Tintin in the New World, a novel featuring Herge's character somewhat ironically: it wasn't an adventure novel, per se--at least not in Herge's style--and it also featured settings and characters from Kafka's story, "The Magic Mountain." In comics terms, it wasn't canon.

And now there's this, which is one of the very first Tintin books, and though I have only my memories of a few skimmed pages of Tintin's later adventures, I think this one is rather below the standards of the usual stories. At least, I hope it is, because otherwise I can't imagine how the series got to be as popular as it is.

Although the book is large and with a sturdy cloth binding, the inside paper is pretty cheap and the art blurry. Reading a little more about publisher Casterman, they don't have the greatest reputation for quality, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps this is the best the art is able to look. It should be noted, though, that the art is not in color like other Tintin stories.

As the title may suggest, this is a story created in a simpler, perhaps more hateful time. Some would argue that it's a valuable addition to the Tintin legacy, warts and all, but I don't think so. Aside from the constant racism (Congo natives are portrayed as superstitious, lazy, stupid or conniving--also Belgian, and Tintin has no problem describing them as such out loud), the story moves quickly but without rhythm, just incident after unpleasant, unenlightened and uninvolving incident. The drawing is fine but Herge's clear line style would evolve greatly later. With its smudgy look and risible content, this reads more like a Tijuana Bible version of a Tintin story. Avoid.