Book Description

"Tintin in America" (wyd. polskie Tintin w Ameryce)

This is the third volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle for its children's supplement Le Petit Vingtième, it was serialised weekly from September 1931 to October 1932. The story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his fox terrier Snowy who travel to the United States, where Tintin reports on organized crime in Chicago. Pursuing a gangster across the country, he encounters a tribe of Blackfoot Natives before defeating the Chicago crime syndicate.

Following the publication of Tintin in the Congo and bolstered by a publicity stunt, Tintin in America was a commercial success, appearing in book form shortly after the final installment concluded. Hergé continued The Adventures of Tintin with Cigars of the Pharaoh, and the series became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. In 1945, Tintin in America was re-drawn and coloured in Hergé's ligne-claire style for republication by Casterman, and further alterations were made for a 1973 edition. The story was adapted for a 1991 episode of the Ellipse/Nelvana animated series The Adventures of Tintin.

"Cigars of the Pharaoh" (wyd. polskie Cygara Faraona)

This is the fourth volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle for its children's supplement Le Petit Vingtième, it was serialised weekly from December 1932 to February 1934. The story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy, who are travelling in Egypt when they discover a pharaoh's tomb filled with dead Egyptologists and boxes of cigars. Pursuing the mystery of these cigars, they travel across Arabia and India, and reveal the secrets of an international drug smuggling enterprise.

Following on from Tintin in America, Cigars was a commercial success, and was published in book form shortly after its conclusion. Hergé continued The Adventures of Tintin with The Blue Lotus, the plot of which followed on from Cigars. The series itself became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. In 1955, it was re-drawn and coloured in Hergé's distinctive ligne-claire style for republication by Casterman. Critical analysis of the story has focused on its innovation, and the Adventure introduces the recurring characters of detectives Thomson and Thompson and villain Rastapopoulos. The comic was adapted for a 1991 episode of the Ellipse/Nelvana animated series The Adventures of Tintin.

"The Blue Lotus" (wyd. polskie Błękitny Lotos)

This is the fifth volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle for its children's supplement Le Petit Vingtième, it was serialised weekly from August 1934 to October 1935. Continuing where the plot of the previous story, Cigars of the Pharaoh, left off, the story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy, who are invited to China in the midst of the 1931 Japanese invasion, where he reveals the machinations of Japanese spies and uncovers a drug-smuggling ring.

The Blue Lotus was a commercial success and was published in book form shortly after its conclusion. Hergé continued The Adventures of Tintin with The Broken Ear. In 1945, The Blue Lotus was coloured and re-drawn in Hergé's distinctive ligne-claire style for republication by Casterman. The Adventure introduces the recurring characters Dawson and Chang Chong-Chen. The story was adapted for a 1991 episode of the Ellipse/Nelvana animated series The Adventures of Tintin. Critical analysis has argued that The Blue Lotus is Hergé's "first masterpiece". The series itself became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. The book was included on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century list.

About the Author

Georges Prosper Remi (22 May 1907 - 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian cartoonist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he made from 1929 until his death in 1983. He was also responsible for two other well-known series, Quick & Flupke (1930-40) and Jo, Zette and Jocko (1936-57). His works were executed in his distinct ligne claire drawing style.