Tintin: The Complete Companion

Tintin: The Complete Companion
by Michael Farr, Herge

Tintin: The Complete Companion
List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $17.00
You Save: $12.95 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Herge, Michael Farr
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-03
ISBN: 0867199016
Number of pages: 200
Publisher: Last Gasp

Book Reviews of Tintin: The Complete Companion

Book Review: May spark your interest
Summary: 3 Stars

I read some orginal Tintin books when I was a child, but they were in French, which I could not understand. Nevertheless, we "read" them until the bindings came apart.

This "companion" has some excellent history on Herge and Tintin and the roots of the series, and it unabashedly addresses some of the controversies, including right-wing ideology and racism, as evident in the first two books, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, and Tintin in the Congo.

What is fascinating is that Herge himeself "censored" the stories from the time they were first printed in Black and White in the Belgian Catholic (right-wing) newspaper and when they appeared as color books on their own. He even later tweaked the color books further, when they appeared even too much for the political sensiblites of the 1950's.

The author documents all of these changes on a frame-by-frame basis, and also shows the source photos Herge used for many of his backgrounds and items (cars, ships, buildings, etc.). Perhaps one reason these "comics" were so compelling was that Herge took these details seriously, and knew that even young readers would recognize fanciful details as made-up and thus detracting from the "realism" of the story.

The book also documents and makes a good case for the Tintin books being the precurser of today's "Graphic Novels" (of which I have no personal interst in).

The only major fault I can find in this book is that the author perhaps is too much of an unnecessary apolgist for Herge, particularly with regard to "Land of the Soviets". Today we know that Herge was basically right about the Soviet Union at the time. Commmunism was a fraud, and Stalin killed millions of his own people. Herge has nothing to apologize for with regard to "Land of the Soviets."

If you plan on revisting the Tintin series, this book can be a good place to start. It is a bit too much of a read, as each chapter summarizes the plotline of a different book ad nauseum. But the photos and commentary on the details of the making of each book make it worthwhile.

Summary of Tintin: The Complete Companion

An overview of the life of Herge, Tintin's creator.

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Books I'm considering for when my son approaches middle school.
Rules (Newbery Honor Book) ImageRules (Newbery Honor Book)
by Cynthia Lord
Scholastic Press; Published: 2006-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $15.99
Tintin: The Complete Companion ImageTintin: The Complete Companion
by Michael Farr, Herge
Last Gasp; Published: 2002-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.48
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth ImageThe Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1994-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.01
Price in other shops: $17.99
Hatchet ImageHatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Aladdin; Published: 2006-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.48
Price in other shops: $6.99
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Mark Twain Library) ImageA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Mark Twain Library)
by Mark Twain
University of California Press; Published: 1984-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Samurai's Tale ImageThe Samurai's Tale
by Erik C. Haugaard
Sandpiper; Published: 2005-09-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.12
Price in other shops: $6.95
The Great and Terrible Quest ImageThe Great and Terrible Quest
by Margaret Lovett
Avyx; Published: 2001-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops: $10.50
The Shakespeare Stealer ImageThe Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary Blackwood
Puffin; Published: 2000-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.25
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal ImageThe Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal
by G. A. Henty
Lost Classics Book Company; Published: 2001-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.22
Price in other shops: $16.95
Holes ImageHoles
by Louis Sachar
INGRAM BOOK & DISTRIBUTOR; Yearling; Published: 2000-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.41
Price in other shops: $6.99
Similar Books and other products
The Adventures of Tintin - Red Rackham's Treasure / The Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun  (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 4) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin - Red Rackham's Treasure / The Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 4)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1995-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $45.89
Adventures of Tintin: Land of Black Gold / Destination Moon / Explorers on the Moon (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 5) ImageAdventures of Tintin: Land of Black Gold / Destination Moon / Explorers on the Moon (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 5)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1995-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.91
The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1994-05-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $45.89
The Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear / The Black Island / King Ottokar's Sceptre (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 2) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear / The Black Island / King Ottokar's Sceptre (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 2)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1994-05-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.33
Price in other shops: $18.99
The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair / The Red Sea Sharks / Tintin in Tibet (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 6) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair / The Red Sea Sharks / Tintin in Tibet (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 6)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1997-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $46.89
The Adventures of Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714, Tintin and the Picaros (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 7) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714, Tintin and the Picaros (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 7)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1997-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.36
Price in other shops: $18.99
The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (3 Complete Adventures in One Volume, Vol. 1) ImageThe Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (3 Complete Adventures in One Volume, Vol. 1)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 1994-05-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.40
Price in other shops: $18.99
Tintin in the Congo ImageTintin in the Congo
by Herge
EGMONT CHILDREN'S; Published: 2005-09-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.54
Tintin and Alph-Art (The Adventures of Tintin) ImageTintin and Alph-Art (The Adventures of Tintin)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.97
Price in other shops: $10.99
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (The Adventures of Tintin) ImageTintin in the Land of the Soviets (The Adventures of Tintin)
by Herge
Little, Brown Young Readers; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.30
Price in other shops: $10.99
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories