The Adventures of Tintin

 A few years ago I was in France visiting Château Cheverny which had a wing dedicated to an exhibit of the Belgian character Tintin, a boy reporter, created by Belgian cartoonist Herge. I knew of Tintin  but had never read any of the books even though I faintly remember that I was supposed to read them in my high school French class.. oh dear.

Château Cheverny was used in many of the stories as the model for "Château de Moulinsart" in the Tintin books.













Tintin travels the world with his dog Snowy and they find themselves in all sorts of adventures and mysteries. With his sharp intellect and quick thinking he always helps to solve the mystery and capture the criminal!

I grabbed a copy of  The Black Island while touring the exhibit, mostly because I loved that Tintin was wearing a tam and tartan and in Scotland.


But what a fun read! Tintin stumbles upon a mysterious plane crash and soon is off on the chase of criminals through Scotland.

These comic books are really wonderful and I continue to add to my stash whenever I see one.

I just read Land of Black Gold  where the scene is looming war in Europe and saboteurs have tampered with the oil supply.  Tintin and Snowy head out to expose and help catch the guilty party.



The big comics like this (about 11 x 17) are the most enjoyable because the drawings aren't all squished. There are books out now that contain 3 comics in one, and I've still purchased them, but they are squished and not as enjoyable to look at.

I always make sure there are Tintin comics in the reading basket at my house so whenever a niece or nephew visits they often run right to the basket to see what book is available to read (or look at the pictures).


Hergé was a Belgian comics writer and artist. He wrote and drew 23 Tintin stories.
Tintin was the most famous and popular comics in Europe for quite some time. His style of drawing is called Ligne claire  (clear line) and he was the pioneer of this style and there are all sorts of wonderful things out there you can read about him and his art if you are inclined.

Or just pick up a Tintin comic and enjoy it!
Some of my favorites are


Happy Reading!