Herge’s defenders tend to claim that all comic book characters are painted with broad strokes. It’s dangerous, they argue, to find fault with the treatment of one figure or group of figures because then you’ll have to find fault with them all. For example, Asterix’s Roman opponents are uniformly arrogant and inept. If Herge is a racist because he depicts blacks as being ape-like in “Tintin in the Congo” then Goscinny is a racist for depicting Romans (Italians) as being arrogant and inept. The difference is that Herge stereotypes a group at the bottom, a group that is typically the underdog while Goscinny is engaging in classical ridicule of the victors.

bmeisen,

  opines on February 8 at 11:17 am #

  that in ” Tintin in the congo” It’s hard to imagine a better example of (not-so)
latent racism. Not one of the countless blacks depicted in the book appears to
have advanced more than slightly beyond the chimpanzee”

  As a portrait analyzer, bmeisen could do us all a favor by also noting how far
the “whites” (excluding those with hooked noses and black hair) depicted have
advanced further than “slightly beyond the chimpanzee”.

To Bmeisen,

Its real difficult for me, to say to you without using big words, G… L… .

We just removed “Tintin in the Congo” from the shelves of the kids’ library I volunteer at. It’s hard to imagine a better example of (not-so) latent racism. Not one of the countless blacks depicted in the book appears to have advanced more than slightly beyond the chimpanzee - they appear uniformly like apes wearing funny hats.  How a discussion here of Herge can avoid this and other examples of his (ir)rational bias calls for an explanation. Many of his bad guys have greasy black hair, hooked noses and bulging lips, and in “The Mysterious Star” the author had no qualms sucking up to the occupying Germans and their dogmatic antisemitism. Also of note is the captain’s constant drinking which Herge seems to want to trivialize. There are many examples in both high and low culture of drunkards providing a humorous interlude, but I struggle to find similarly unsuccessful instances. There really is something disturbing about the captain’s obsession -  with reason children ask, “What is wrong with that man?” Of course those who live with drunks consider it normal.

The best Européen, is Hugo Pratt his hero is an world apart, Corto Maltese, Hugo Pratt himself is an figur you will never forget, like some other Venetiènes and Italien like Umberto Eco, to give you the atmosphere, an café in Montevideo, in the 1930, with the wild music of an Argentine Tango, beautiful ladys and sailers, and plenty of rum an cigaret smoke.

Tintin and Asterix two European classics.

i loved tintin as a kid and now hearing about speilberg’s plans, i feel sick to my
stomach. and very sad. tintin deserves better.

I read Tintin as a child my children read Tintin. This attempt to tie people trying to make a living, to greater evils is abhorrent. It is worth noting that many of his stories are anti totalitarian, both left and right. For example the Calculus Affair, the undercurrent of the Silvanian and Bordurian emnity, is a thinly veiled criticism of both Stalinism and Fascism. The Blue Lotus is an attack on Japanese imperialism in China.
All written and illustrated to capture Generations of young readers, who like me still love to read and enjoy

If Truthdigs intent is to pre-promote Speilberg’s movie it should work out an
arrangement with the publisher;s of Tintin’s comic books and run one or more of
his adventures ie, going to the moon etc,.

( bet Trudhdigs’ readers will increase by the hundreds )

As a Tintin fan who owns six of his adventures I can safely state that I will not be
a viewer of Spielberg’s movie.

Never the less thanks to Truthdigs editors for introducing its readers to Tintin.

Is it realy necesaire to start now to psychoanalyse, and change these so beloved and dear books, of my youth, let them alone let them be as they are in our thinking and feeling.