The second Tintin album sees our hero in Africa, specifically the then Belgian colony of the Congo. Published between 1930 and 1931 this story is the most controversial of all Tintin's adventures.
The original version was colourised, edited and re-released in 1946. Herge removed some of the most paternalistic and racist references but there was no avoiding the racist stereotyping and colonial oppression. Equally shocking to modern sensibilities is the casual mass slaughter of African wildlife.
Apart from the post-war updating of the artwork to match the later albums there is little to recommend in this story. The plot is underdeveloped and there is a reliance on the same sort of gags as the first album. We are also still waiting for the appearance of any of the supporting cast. Whilst Land of the Soviets is interesting from an historical point of view and as the character's first appearance this album is for Tintin fanatics only.
 |
| Tintin in the Congo Art by Herge |
The original version was colourised, edited and re-released in 1946. Herge removed some of the most paternalistic and racist references but there was no avoiding the racist stereotyping and colonial oppression. Equally shocking to modern sensibilities is the casual mass slaughter of African wildlife.
 |
| Tintin in the Congo Art by Herge |
No comments:
Post a Comment