CATEGORY

Of the seven volumes that make up the "Adventures of Tintin," Volume 5 is my favorite. It includes both the first story by Herg that I ever read with "Land of Black Gold," and also my favorite two-part Tintin adventure when out young intrepid reporter, Snowy, and their friends head for the moon. I realize the science fiction aspects of that particular pair of tales makes them atypical Tintin adventures, but Herg's attention to detail makes the story stand out quite well, even in comparison to science fiction films that were putting men on the moon at that time.

Because "Land of Black Gold" was the first Adventure of Tintin I ever read it has a special place in my heart. It seems that all around the world cars (or lighters) using petrol are exploding. In a storyline eerily prescient of what would happen decades later with the rise of OPEC, the world is on the brink of an oil crisis. In the Middle East the evil Sheik Bab El Ehr tries to overthrow Sheik Ben Kalish Ezab, so Tintin heads to the Middle East to save the day. Throwing a monkey wrench into the proceedings, in addition to the omnipresent evil agents and hapless Thompson brothers, is Abdullah, son of Sheik ben Kalish Ezab, who pulls a constant string of practical jokes on everybody in sight (Historical Note: This is where the Thom(p)sons first develop their habit of becoming extremely hairy at inopportune moments).

I always think of Tintin as constituting "realistic absurdity," which reflects the way our hero plunges on despite the lunacy around him, which exists mainly in the characters rather than the situation. This delicate balance seems to be reflected even in Herge's artwork, where his "clear-line" style combines iconic characters with unusually realistic backgrounds, appeals to me. I also admire his remarkable restraint with Snowy, who "talks" less than any other "talking" dog in comic book history. These are truly timeless tales (More Historical Notes: "Tintin in the Land of Black Gold" was the adventure in progress in "Le Vingtieme Siecle" when German troops invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940. Herge suspended the story for eight years and actually began another adventure, "The Crab with the Golden Claws," in the interim, which was published in "Le Soir," one of the few newspapers authorized during the German occupation).

"Destination Moon" ("Objectif Lune") gives a detailed account on the preparation and the launching of the expedition to the Moon from the Sprodj Atomic Research Center in Syldavaia using the rocket designed by Professor Calculus. This involves the Thom(p)sons in what they think is Syldavian national dress and a whole bunch of bear clubs who love honey sandwiches. Of course the mission is in danger from enemy spies from Klow trying to thwart the mission, so there is some political intrigue and danger mixed in with the science fiction (and danger). This Tintin adventure has one of my favorite sequences in the entire series and it was not the cliffhanger ending with Tintin and the crew heading to the moon. It comes when Captain Haddock dismisses the preparations and accuses Calculus of "acting the goat." The normal placid professor goes off the deep end and drags the captain to show him the spaceship destined for the moon, demanding to know if that is what the good captain means by "acting the goat." The worm finally turning is one of those great moments you cherish in a series because it has been so long in coming.

What makes "Explorers on the Moon" ("On a Marche Sur La Lune") so fascinating is the documentary detail that Herge infuses into the story as Tintin walks on the moon (where he declares: "I've walked a few steps!...For the first time n the history of mankind there is an EXPLORER ON THE MOON!"). I cannot think of a 1950s science fiction film that predicts as accurately what happened when Apollo 11 went to the moon a decade and a half later. One of the chief charms of Herge's artwork has always been the way his caricature drawings of Tintin and friends are contrasted by the realistic backgrounds, and this artistic style achieves its apex when we see the spaceship approaching the moon. "Explorers on the Moon" would work as a straight-forward first man on the moon type story, but, of course, in Herge's hands it becomes so much more. Together these volumes constitute Tintin's greatest adventure if for no other reason than how can you top being the first man on the moon?