A ranking by Brooks Rich
In order to expand the blog a little, we'll sometimes cover other media besides films. Film will still be our bread and butter but the blog will also cover tv, music, comics, books, and other forms of media. To start it off I will be ranking all 21 main comics in a beloved series of books form my childhood, The Adventures of Tintin. Created by Belgian cartoonist Herge, Tintin, who has literature's greatest cowlick, is a reporter who travels the world with his faithful dog Snowy, the best fictional dog of all time, chasing bad guys and sticking his nose in other's affairs. Tintin is often joined on his quests by Captain Haddock, his most trust human sidekick. I credit Tintin and the Hardy Boys for my current love of mystery novels. Ranking the 21 main Tintin comics is far more doable than ranking the original Hardy Boys runs.
As a quick note I will not be counting the unfinished Tintin and Alph Art or Tintin in the Land of the Soviets or Tintin in the Congo. They were never readily available in the United States. Also there won't be a lot of negativity as I adore these books. These won't be the most in depth breakdowns of the books. Just quick notes on my feeling about them. Eventually I'll do a deeper dive into the series as a whole.
21. Tintin and the Picaros
The last full Tintin adventure sadly is in my opinion the least of the series. Tintin disappears for a good fifteen pages and this one has always felt odd to me. I think the final showdown with General Tapioca, the villainous dictator of the fictional country of San Theodoros, is a letdown. The play on Brazil's Carnivale comes across as silly to me and doesn't jibe with the rather serious story being told.
20. Flight 714 aka Flight 714 to Sydney
Another one that doesn't work for me. Tintin and aliens are not a good mix. This isn't Tintin's only book to dabble in science fiction and it rings false to me. If not for Tintin being absent for a stretch of the previous entry, this would be my least favorite. The character who is arguably Tintin's greatest nemesis, Rastapopulous, has a completely unsatisfying departure from the series and never gets the comeuppance he deserves in my opinion. Plus the story is kind of weak and not that interesting, about the abduction of an eccentric billionaire. Tintin and Captain Haddock's involvement in the whole plot feels forced.
19. The Shooting Star
One of two Tintin books I consider the slightest of the series. Nothing inherently wrong with that just the stories don't have the weight of the others. Like I said with Flight 714 Tintin and science fiction don't mix. I like the adventure feel of this book at times but it's not one that sticks out to me.
18. Prisoners of the Sun
A lackluster conclusion to a two part series. The story of an ancient curse dooming a group of explorers is interesting but much more compelling in the story before this one, The Seven Crystal Balls. The adventure aspect is fine and there's a funny running gag of llamas spitting on Captian Haddock but the cursed expedition storyline deserved a better ending than this only ok Tintin adventure. Also Tintin goes full on Tomb Raider and murders a lot of animals in this one.
17. Tintin in America
Yeah the caricatures of the Native Americans is racist and Tintin solely taking down the Chicago mob is ridiculous. But I read this one all the time as a kid. The early Tintin books always have him escaping death by luck or his wits. This is the weakest of the early Tintin books but it's still fun and has an episodic feel to it. Tintin beats one mobster and moves on to the next.
16. The Seven Crystal Balls
The first part of the cursed expedition story mentioned in Prisoners of the Sun. This one freaked me out as a kid and for awhile I never had the Prisoners of the Sun so I never knew what happened. Scary shit for a seven-year-old kid. Mummies coming back to life and cursing people with eternal sleep. Now I find this an enjoyable enough read. I love all the humor with Captain Haddock in this one.
15. Destination Moon
Controversial putting these next two pretty low. Not really science fiction but still based around space. This one is all build up to Tintin and his friends going to the moon. It's fine and interesting to read but it does feel like the first two acts of a longer story. Slightly unrelated there was a show on Nickelodeon based on the series. I swear every other time I tuned in this was the episode that played. Without fail.
14. Explorers on the Moon
Part two of the moon series. Far more interesting than the previous entry and pretty dark for a Tintin book. It has a body count. One dude goes out into space willingly. Damn Herge! Dark. As for the book itself, it's fun. I read this one a lot as a kid. It doesn't hold up as well as some of the other ones but it's a classic Tintin book.
13. The Secret of the Unicorn
Another first entry in a two parter. I really like this one. Its a great mystery and I love the inclusion of the history of the Haddock family. Herge tells a great treasure hunt story here and unlike most other part ones in the series, there is a sense of closure at the end of this one. The crime aspect is wrapped up and the only thing left up in the air is finding the treasure. Speaking of treasure...
12. Red Rackham's Treasure
A true treasure hunt! I love this book. I find it exciting, funny, and a great adventure. The humor mixes well with the story here and it's also the book that introduced the lovable Professor Cuthbert Calculus. I love when Captain Haddock gets to command a vessel and this is one of the more fun examples of that.
11. The Castafiore Emerald
Maybe the slightest Tintin adventure but it's a lot of fun. The opera singer Bianca Castafiore is a great recurring character and she has her most prominent appearance in this book. There isn't much of a story going on and it's more just character interaction but it all works and it's probably the funniest of all the books, especially since the next two after this are the last ones in the main series.
10. The Red Sea Sharks
Entering the top ten Tintin books with a bang. The Red Sea Sharks is an epic story about Tintin and Captain Haddock getting caught in the middle of a conflict between two middle eastern countries. The story feels big in this one and flows naturally between the different environments and situations. It's a little problematic with it's tackling of the modern slave trade, Herge's heart is in the right place but it's not the most progressive take. Still it's not nearly as bad as some of the lost books like Tintin in the Congo. The Red Sea Sharks was the final book in the main series to deal with the Middle East and it's a worthy end.
9. The Broken Ear
Early Tintin has a different feel from the rest of the series. There's a demarcation between the start of the series and when Tintin meets Captain Haddock. Tintin works solo where later he would work with people, most prominently Captain Haddock. The Broken Ear is the best South American set Tintin story and has him searching for a stolen idol with the title broken ear. It's a fun and exciting story and worthy of the top ten.
8. The Black Island
Total coincidence but Black Island is the next book in the series after The Broken Ear. This one is another one with an episodic feel, at times the events don't feel connected to a main story, but it does eventually come together. The odds are stacked against Tintin and he comes out on top. It's a fun ride throughout and everything pays off in a great third act on the titular island.
7. Land of Black Gold
Back in the Middle East with the fantastic Land of Black Gold. Tintin is on the trail of saboteurs trying to cause a war by messing with the world's oil supply. It's just simply a great story and a fun ride throughout. It also feels like an early Tintin story as he's mostly solo through this one. Love the inclusion of his nemesis from The Black Island Dr. Muller in this. Sometimes Tintin's villains are like Batman villains. Could we try to keep them in jail?
6. The Crab With the Golden Claws
The introduction of Captain Haddock and a turning point in the series. The series shifted a little after this one and the adventures began to take on a grander scale. Captain Haddock became a mainstay of the series and would often go along with Tintin on his adventures. I would rank this one higher if not for Herge writing Haddock like a buffoon. But besides that this is a fun read and a seminal Tintin book.
5. Cigars of the Pharaoh
The first part of the best two part story has Tintin on the trail of opium dealers. This was another one that kind of freaked me out as a kid. I'm not sure why. This story introduces Tintin's greatest nemesis in Rastapopolous and also introduces the Thompson twins, who at the start of their run were comedic antagonists, always after Tintin for a crime he didn't commit. I love the mystery of this one and the progression of events. Out of all the part ones it also has the most closure as the second part feels like a standalone.
4. The Blue Lotus
Speaking of the second part we have the fantastic the Blue Lotus as the follow up to Cigars of the Pharaoh and the number four spot on the list. Tintin takes one one of his most devious villains in this one with the treacherous Mr. Mitsuhirato and their cat and mouse game drives the story. Tintin not only deals with the opium dealers but also a brewing war between China and Japan.
3. The Calculus Affair
An underrated Tintin book for how good it is. Tintin and Captain Haddock race to save Calculus who has been captured for his work. There's some great comedy in this one and the story is excellent. The action flows nicely in this book and the story develops at a perfect pace. I love the banter between Tintin and Haddock in this one. A worthy book for the third spot.
2. Tintin in Tibet
The only Tintin story without a villain. Tintin travels to Tibet to save his friend Chang, who he believes has survived a plane crash in the mountains. Two of the books in the top two come from the later books in the series. I give the edge to Tibet over the Calculus Affair as there's an emotional weight to the story. There are times where even we as a reader feels as if Tintin's attempt to save Chang is hopeless. This is a fantastic book and my favorite one featuring Captain Haddock.
1. King Ottokar's Sceptre
There's no question in my mind what number one is. If someone asked me what my favorite comic of all time is I would say it's a tie between Allan Moore's Watchmen and Herge's King Ottokar's Sceptre. I'm not being hyperbolic. This is Tintin at his best, stumbling into a story and sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. In this one Tintin attempts to stop a coup against the king of the fictional nation of Syldavia, which became a mainstay in the series. If someone wanted to get into the series, this is the book I'd recommend. My love of the series starts with this book.
In order to expand the blog a little, we'll sometimes cover other media besides films. Film will still be our bread and butter but the blog will also cover tv, music, comics, books, and other forms of media. To start it off I will be ranking all 21 main comics in a beloved series of books form my childhood, The Adventures of Tintin. Created by Belgian cartoonist Herge, Tintin, who has literature's greatest cowlick, is a reporter who travels the world with his faithful dog Snowy, the best fictional dog of all time, chasing bad guys and sticking his nose in other's affairs. Tintin is often joined on his quests by Captain Haddock, his most trust human sidekick. I credit Tintin and the Hardy Boys for my current love of mystery novels. Ranking the 21 main Tintin comics is far more doable than ranking the original Hardy Boys runs.
As a quick note I will not be counting the unfinished Tintin and Alph Art or Tintin in the Land of the Soviets or Tintin in the Congo. They were never readily available in the United States. Also there won't be a lot of negativity as I adore these books. These won't be the most in depth breakdowns of the books. Just quick notes on my feeling about them. Eventually I'll do a deeper dive into the series as a whole.
21. Tintin and the Picaros
The last full Tintin adventure sadly is in my opinion the least of the series. Tintin disappears for a good fifteen pages and this one has always felt odd to me. I think the final showdown with General Tapioca, the villainous dictator of the fictional country of San Theodoros, is a letdown. The play on Brazil's Carnivale comes across as silly to me and doesn't jibe with the rather serious story being told.
Another one that doesn't work for me. Tintin and aliens are not a good mix. This isn't Tintin's only book to dabble in science fiction and it rings false to me. If not for Tintin being absent for a stretch of the previous entry, this would be my least favorite. The character who is arguably Tintin's greatest nemesis, Rastapopulous, has a completely unsatisfying departure from the series and never gets the comeuppance he deserves in my opinion. Plus the story is kind of weak and not that interesting, about the abduction of an eccentric billionaire. Tintin and Captain Haddock's involvement in the whole plot feels forced.
19. The Shooting Star
One of two Tintin books I consider the slightest of the series. Nothing inherently wrong with that just the stories don't have the weight of the others. Like I said with Flight 714 Tintin and science fiction don't mix. I like the adventure feel of this book at times but it's not one that sticks out to me.
18. Prisoners of the Sun
A lackluster conclusion to a two part series. The story of an ancient curse dooming a group of explorers is interesting but much more compelling in the story before this one, The Seven Crystal Balls. The adventure aspect is fine and there's a funny running gag of llamas spitting on Captian Haddock but the cursed expedition storyline deserved a better ending than this only ok Tintin adventure. Also Tintin goes full on Tomb Raider and murders a lot of animals in this one.
17. Tintin in America
Yeah the caricatures of the Native Americans is racist and Tintin solely taking down the Chicago mob is ridiculous. But I read this one all the time as a kid. The early Tintin books always have him escaping death by luck or his wits. This is the weakest of the early Tintin books but it's still fun and has an episodic feel to it. Tintin beats one mobster and moves on to the next.
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16. The Seven Crystal Balls
The first part of the cursed expedition story mentioned in Prisoners of the Sun. This one freaked me out as a kid and for awhile I never had the Prisoners of the Sun so I never knew what happened. Scary shit for a seven-year-old kid. Mummies coming back to life and cursing people with eternal sleep. Now I find this an enjoyable enough read. I love all the humor with Captain Haddock in this one.
15. Destination Moon
Controversial putting these next two pretty low. Not really science fiction but still based around space. This one is all build up to Tintin and his friends going to the moon. It's fine and interesting to read but it does feel like the first two acts of a longer story. Slightly unrelated there was a show on Nickelodeon based on the series. I swear every other time I tuned in this was the episode that played. Without fail.
14. Explorers on the Moon
Part two of the moon series. Far more interesting than the previous entry and pretty dark for a Tintin book. It has a body count. One dude goes out into space willingly. Damn Herge! Dark. As for the book itself, it's fun. I read this one a lot as a kid. It doesn't hold up as well as some of the other ones but it's a classic Tintin book.
13. The Secret of the Unicorn
Another first entry in a two parter. I really like this one. Its a great mystery and I love the inclusion of the history of the Haddock family. Herge tells a great treasure hunt story here and unlike most other part ones in the series, there is a sense of closure at the end of this one. The crime aspect is wrapped up and the only thing left up in the air is finding the treasure. Speaking of treasure...
12. Red Rackham's Treasure
A true treasure hunt! I love this book. I find it exciting, funny, and a great adventure. The humor mixes well with the story here and it's also the book that introduced the lovable Professor Cuthbert Calculus. I love when Captain Haddock gets to command a vessel and this is one of the more fun examples of that.
11. The Castafiore Emerald
Maybe the slightest Tintin adventure but it's a lot of fun. The opera singer Bianca Castafiore is a great recurring character and she has her most prominent appearance in this book. There isn't much of a story going on and it's more just character interaction but it all works and it's probably the funniest of all the books, especially since the next two after this are the last ones in the main series.
10. The Red Sea Sharks
Entering the top ten Tintin books with a bang. The Red Sea Sharks is an epic story about Tintin and Captain Haddock getting caught in the middle of a conflict between two middle eastern countries. The story feels big in this one and flows naturally between the different environments and situations. It's a little problematic with it's tackling of the modern slave trade, Herge's heart is in the right place but it's not the most progressive take. Still it's not nearly as bad as some of the lost books like Tintin in the Congo. The Red Sea Sharks was the final book in the main series to deal with the Middle East and it's a worthy end.
9. The Broken Ear
Early Tintin has a different feel from the rest of the series. There's a demarcation between the start of the series and when Tintin meets Captain Haddock. Tintin works solo where later he would work with people, most prominently Captain Haddock. The Broken Ear is the best South American set Tintin story and has him searching for a stolen idol with the title broken ear. It's a fun and exciting story and worthy of the top ten.
8. The Black Island
Total coincidence but Black Island is the next book in the series after The Broken Ear. This one is another one with an episodic feel, at times the events don't feel connected to a main story, but it does eventually come together. The odds are stacked against Tintin and he comes out on top. It's a fun ride throughout and everything pays off in a great third act on the titular island.
7. Land of Black Gold
Back in the Middle East with the fantastic Land of Black Gold. Tintin is on the trail of saboteurs trying to cause a war by messing with the world's oil supply. It's just simply a great story and a fun ride throughout. It also feels like an early Tintin story as he's mostly solo through this one. Love the inclusion of his nemesis from The Black Island Dr. Muller in this. Sometimes Tintin's villains are like Batman villains. Could we try to keep them in jail?
6. The Crab With the Golden Claws
The introduction of Captain Haddock and a turning point in the series. The series shifted a little after this one and the adventures began to take on a grander scale. Captain Haddock became a mainstay of the series and would often go along with Tintin on his adventures. I would rank this one higher if not for Herge writing Haddock like a buffoon. But besides that this is a fun read and a seminal Tintin book.
5. Cigars of the Pharaoh
The first part of the best two part story has Tintin on the trail of opium dealers. This was another one that kind of freaked me out as a kid. I'm not sure why. This story introduces Tintin's greatest nemesis in Rastapopolous and also introduces the Thompson twins, who at the start of their run were comedic antagonists, always after Tintin for a crime he didn't commit. I love the mystery of this one and the progression of events. Out of all the part ones it also has the most closure as the second part feels like a standalone.
4. The Blue Lotus
Speaking of the second part we have the fantastic the Blue Lotus as the follow up to Cigars of the Pharaoh and the number four spot on the list. Tintin takes one one of his most devious villains in this one with the treacherous Mr. Mitsuhirato and their cat and mouse game drives the story. Tintin not only deals with the opium dealers but also a brewing war between China and Japan.
3. The Calculus Affair
An underrated Tintin book for how good it is. Tintin and Captain Haddock race to save Calculus who has been captured for his work. There's some great comedy in this one and the story is excellent. The action flows nicely in this book and the story develops at a perfect pace. I love the banter between Tintin and Haddock in this one. A worthy book for the third spot.
2. Tintin in Tibet
The only Tintin story without a villain. Tintin travels to Tibet to save his friend Chang, who he believes has survived a plane crash in the mountains. Two of the books in the top two come from the later books in the series. I give the edge to Tibet over the Calculus Affair as there's an emotional weight to the story. There are times where even we as a reader feels as if Tintin's attempt to save Chang is hopeless. This is a fantastic book and my favorite one featuring Captain Haddock.
1. King Ottokar's Sceptre
There's no question in my mind what number one is. If someone asked me what my favorite comic of all time is I would say it's a tie between Allan Moore's Watchmen and Herge's King Ottokar's Sceptre. I'm not being hyperbolic. This is Tintin at his best, stumbling into a story and sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. In this one Tintin attempts to stop a coup against the king of the fictional nation of Syldavia, which became a mainstay in the series. If someone wanted to get into the series, this is the book I'd recommend. My love of the series starts with this book.
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