TINTIN, The Complete Companion by Michael Farr - 2002

Last Gasp, 2002. Hardcover in Dustjacket. Near Fine. TINTIN Georges Remi, alias Herge, shared a blessing and a curse with Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. He created a popular fictional character and spent most of his adult life filling the demand for additional stories. As Michael Farr makes clear in ""Tintin: The Complete Companion"", Herge lavished great creativity and attention to detail on the stories of Tintin, his adventurous young reporter, but the workload threatened at times to crush him. Tintin fans are the beneficiaries of his dedication.""Tintin: The Complete Companion"" opens with a short introduction on Herge before recounting the creation of each of the 24 cartoon adventures, beginning with the rather primitive ""Tintin in the Land of the Soviets in 1929 and ending with ""Tintin and Alph-Art"", left incomplete at Herge's death in 1983. Farr identifies the background of each story, especially the meticulous research into person and place that produced such richly detailed art and plot.Farr also notes the progression of the cartoon itself, as Herge masters his craft and his character. This progession includes the growth of Tintin's unofficial family over time: his faithful dog Snowy, his seafaring friend Captain Haddock, the bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson, and the hilariously deaf Professor Calculus. Farr documents the recurring characters, especially the villainous Rastapopoulus and his henchman Allan Thompson, but including the opera singer Castafiore.Inevitably, when writing over such a huge swath of the 20th century, some storylines become archaic or politically incorrect. Farr documents the changes as stories were edited and redrawn when republished over the years. The improvements are generally for the good. The first three adventures featuring Tintin in the Soviet Union, the Congo, and 1930's America contained the most stereotypes. Many later stories contain allusions to the Second World War or the Cold War that may be less apparent to the modern reader.Behind the stories is Herge himself, who suffered the misfortune of living in twice-occupied Belgium, and of being the target of critics over the years for various real and imagined faults in the Tintin adventures. Nevertheless, the stories have held up well and continue to be popular among fans of all ages. ""Tintin"" The Complete Companion"" is highly recommended to those fans.1st American Edition pp. 205 #101123 SCARCE  Elizabeth's Bookshops have been one of Australia's premier independent book dealers since 1973. Elizabeth's family-owned business operates four branches in Perth CBD, Fremantle (WA), and Newtown (NSW). All orders are dispatched within 24 hours from our Fremantle Warehouse. All items can be viewed at Elizabeth's Bookshop Warehouse, 23 Queen Victoria Street\, Fremantle WA. Hardcover in Dustjacket Near Fine