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2.68 AVERAGE
2.68 AVERAGE
Useful history, but *incredibly* racist. Herge got better over time, but this is the nadir.
The last time I read this book I was fairly young and didn't have much of a moral code so reading it this time I come to realise how fairly despicable this book was and how it portrayed Tintin doing everything that I believe to be wrong
From treating the natives of Congo as an inferior species , to treating them as slaves and then killing animals who were fairly innocent and then showing no remorse whatsoever for his action
Granted the book belonged in a time period that believed in the darker tone of skin being nothing more than slaves and that believed hunting animals was good sport and as I mentioned earlier I myself as a child reading this never thought the events to be anything wrong . And yet now things have changed both for me personally and as per my beliefs also for this world and hence this book simply comes across as a sheer disappointment and a stain in one of my childhood idols face
This re-read has guaranteed that I won't ever read or recommend this particular book In the Tintin series to anyone and hope that the memory of this book stays erased . At the same time I am scared to read the next books in the series in fear of finding other disturbing things and in so tainting my childhood further
From treating the natives of Congo as an inferior species , to treating them as slaves and then killing animals who were fairly innocent and then showing no remorse whatsoever for his action
Granted the book belonged in a time period that believed in the darker tone of skin being nothing more than slaves and that believed hunting animals was good sport and as I mentioned earlier I myself as a child reading this never thought the events to be anything wrong . And yet now things have changed both for me personally and as per my beliefs also for this world and hence this book simply comes across as a sheer disappointment and a stain in one of my childhood idols face
This re-read has guaranteed that I won't ever read or recommend this particular book In the Tintin series to anyone and hope that the memory of this book stays erased . At the same time I am scared to read the next books in the series in fear of finding other disturbing things and in so tainting my childhood further
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Tintin but this was painful!
TINTIN IN THE CONGO was first published as a serial in 1930 in Le Petit Vingtième, the children's supplement to the Brussels newspaper, Le Vingtième Siècle. This is the story of Tintin's assignment to the Congo to hunt for trophies, write stories about the progress of the colony and to take wildlife photographs for his newspaper. Today, sadly, it can only be labelled an embarrassing product of its times.
To be sure, the story of the adventures of Tintin, portrayed as an intrepid, courageous young reporter for Le Petit Vingtième would have been amusing for the children of the day. Sharks, lions, crocodiles, boa constrictors, hippopotamus, enraged water buffalo, pygmies, attacking natives, a nefarious medicine man, American gangsters under the command of a wicked Al Capone making a power play to control the lucrative diamond trade in the Belgian Congo, raging rapids, narrow escapes and much more would have been exciting stuff for the young readers eagerly waiting for each fast-paced instalment of the serial publication.
But the sad fact is that the patronizing, degrading portrayal of the blacks in the Congo as simplistic brutes desperately in need of the firm but kindly guiding hand of their French colonial masters was execrably racist and, to a thinking modern reader, utterly appalling. Thank goodness a mature Hergé, in his later years as a more accomplished writer and artist, had the good grace to repudiate his earlier work and apologize for it by suggesting that it was a sad reflection of the attitudes of the day.
Adding that to the unseemly portrayal of young Tintin as a positively bloodthirsty hunter willing to blast away at any animal that crossed his path with no respect for his prey and no regard or sensibility for the environment or the ecology, put the entire story beyond tasteless. I was positively aghast to witness one scene, for example, in which Tintin gunned down no less than fifteen antelopes, taking away only one animal and leaving the other fourteen to simply rot. In another segment, Tintin actually blasts a rhinoceros to bits with a stick of dynamite. Sigh!
As a long time fan of Tintin and Hergé, I have to admit that I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to read the original version of TINTIN IN THE CONGO. But, I'll say that its enjoyment was only for its historical value in seeing the development of Tintin as a character and Hergé as a cartoonist and author. The story itself was actually quite painful.
Recommended ONLY for adult fans of Hergé and Tintin who have a desire to complete the reading of the Tintin canon.
Paul Weiss
TINTIN IN THE CONGO was first published as a serial in 1930 in Le Petit Vingtième, the children's supplement to the Brussels newspaper, Le Vingtième Siècle. This is the story of Tintin's assignment to the Congo to hunt for trophies, write stories about the progress of the colony and to take wildlife photographs for his newspaper. Today, sadly, it can only be labelled an embarrassing product of its times.
To be sure, the story of the adventures of Tintin, portrayed as an intrepid, courageous young reporter for Le Petit Vingtième would have been amusing for the children of the day. Sharks, lions, crocodiles, boa constrictors, hippopotamus, enraged water buffalo, pygmies, attacking natives, a nefarious medicine man, American gangsters under the command of a wicked Al Capone making a power play to control the lucrative diamond trade in the Belgian Congo, raging rapids, narrow escapes and much more would have been exciting stuff for the young readers eagerly waiting for each fast-paced instalment of the serial publication.
But the sad fact is that the patronizing, degrading portrayal of the blacks in the Congo as simplistic brutes desperately in need of the firm but kindly guiding hand of their French colonial masters was execrably racist and, to a thinking modern reader, utterly appalling. Thank goodness a mature Hergé, in his later years as a more accomplished writer and artist, had the good grace to repudiate his earlier work and apologize for it by suggesting that it was a sad reflection of the attitudes of the day.
Adding that to the unseemly portrayal of young Tintin as a positively bloodthirsty hunter willing to blast away at any animal that crossed his path with no respect for his prey and no regard or sensibility for the environment or the ecology, put the entire story beyond tasteless. I was positively aghast to witness one scene, for example, in which Tintin gunned down no less than fifteen antelopes, taking away only one animal and leaving the other fourteen to simply rot. In another segment, Tintin actually blasts a rhinoceros to bits with a stick of dynamite. Sigh!
As a long time fan of Tintin and Hergé, I have to admit that I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to read the original version of TINTIN IN THE CONGO. But, I'll say that its enjoyment was only for its historical value in seeing the development of Tintin as a character and Hergé as a cartoonist and author. The story itself was actually quite painful.
Recommended ONLY for adult fans of Hergé and Tintin who have a desire to complete the reading of the Tintin canon.
Paul Weiss
The word on this one (and the word is truth in this case) is that it's not only offensive, it's also just not very good at all in any respect. The writing, the art, etc. leave much to be desired. Hergé himself was embarrassed by much of this book and it's not considered, really, part of the Tintin canon. Actually worse than the first Tintin book, In the Land of the Soviets. Only for the Tintin completist.
Este segundo álbum de las aventuras de Tintín comenzó a publicarse en “Le Petit Vingtième” en junio de 1930, tan solo un mes después de finalizarse Las aventuras de Tintín en el País de los Soviets. Aunque podríamos pensar que es fruto del pensamiento de su tiempo, este álbum fue polémico desde el mismo momento de su publicación. Y aún después del recorte que el propio Hergé le aplicó en 1946 (reduciendo las 110 planchas originales a las 62 que tienen las aventuras en la actualidad), se aprecia la razón en muchas de las viñetas.
Como el anterior volumen, es más una curiosidad que una buena historia, ni siquiera tiene un argumento cohesionado, y lo cierto es que el racismo latente y determinadas escenas de violencia gratuita hacia los animales llaman la atención aún sabiendo lo que te vas a encontrar, en palabras del propio Milú: no puedo soportar estas escenas de carnicería... (supongo que esto es un añadido a la versión original). Algunas de estas escenas fueron eliminadas o modificadas en otros países ya en la primera edición.
El dibujo, después de la edición de 1946 es ya en color, y mucho más detallado. Me habría encantado poder comparar esta edición moderna con la primera. Por la red circulan algunas curiosidades, como el momento en el que Tintín enseña cálculo en la escuela de una Misión, en la que en el original enseñaba cuál era la “madre patria” (Bélgica, por supuesto).
Con todo, me han gustado las 10 primeras páginas: el viaje en barco hacia el Congo (¡Milú! ¡Desgraciado! ¡Ten cuidado con la psitacosis!) y el cameo añadido a la primera versión de Hernández y Fernández (Dupont y Dupond) en la viñeta inicial.
Como el anterior volumen, es más una curiosidad que una buena historia, ni siquiera tiene un argumento cohesionado, y lo cierto es que el racismo latente y determinadas escenas de violencia gratuita hacia los animales llaman la atención aún sabiendo lo que te vas a encontrar, en palabras del propio Milú: no puedo soportar estas escenas de carnicería... (supongo que esto es un añadido a la versión original). Algunas de estas escenas fueron eliminadas o modificadas en otros países ya en la primera edición.
El dibujo, después de la edición de 1946 es ya en color, y mucho más detallado. Me habría encantado poder comparar esta edición moderna con la primera. Por la red circulan algunas curiosidades, como el momento en el que Tintín enseña cálculo en la escuela de una Misión, en la que en el original enseñaba cuál era la “madre patria” (Bélgica, por supuesto).
Con todo, me han gustado las 10 primeras páginas: el viaje en barco hacia el Congo (¡Milú! ¡Desgraciado! ¡Ten cuidado con la psitacosis!) y el cameo añadido a la primera versión de Hernández y Fernández (Dupont y Dupond) en la viñeta inicial.
(English review below)
Je suis un grand fan de la série Tintin de Hergé. Quand j’étais enfant, je me rappelle lire ces bande-dessinées tout le temps avant d’aller au lit. J’ai récemment décidé de me relancer dedans et voir ce que mon esprit d’adulte pense de tout cela!
Je tiens à préciser que toute personne voulant se lancer dans la série doit se rappeler du contexte historique de cette série et de l’époque à laquelle vivait l’auteur. Certains sujets peuvent être politiquement incorrecte de nos jours, et certains thèmes abordés peuvent être sensible.
Tintin au Congo est le second volume, et l’art de cette série a déjà fait un grand pas en avant. De plus, l’intrigue semble avoir un peu plus de sens, bien que l’objectif de Tintin soit relativement vague: explorer l’Afrique… De nouveau, comme le premier volume de la série, Tintin au Pays des Soviets, Tintin semble toujours avoir exactement ce qu’il lui faut pour se sortir d’une sale situation (une scie dans son sac à dos? Un scaphandre dans un donjon?), mais ça fait partie du charme de cette série et on apprend à apprécier ces coïncidences! Et comme toujours, la perspective de Milou sur l’aventure est unique et hilarante.
La représentation de l’Afrique et ses habitants est très caricaturale et démontre bien la vision de l’époque qui n’est plus acceptable de nos jours. Cependant, il faut savoir que l’auteur, Hergé, lui-même a reconnu depuis que cette représentation n’est pas correcte, et regrette également illustrer les scandaleuses chasses aux animaux.
Autant j’ai préféré ce livre au premier, j’ai été bien dérangé par le nombre d’animaux chassés et tués par Tintin, ainsi que la caricature des habitants de l’Afrique. Pour cette raison, je reste encore sur un 3/5 pour ce volume, mais je promets que de bonnes aventures sont à venir!
————————————————
I am a huge fan of the Tintin series by Hergé. I remember often reading these comics before bed as a child. I have recently decided to give them another read and see what my adult self thinks of it!
I would like to remind anybody reading these about the historical context of the stories and the times the author was living in. Certain subject might be considered politically incorrect nowadays and some of the themes could be considered quite sensitive.
Tintin in the Congo is the second volume and the art of the series has already stepped up quite a bit. In addition, the plot in this one was a little clearer than the first volume even though Tintin’s objectives still seemed fairly vague: explore Africa… As in the first volume, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin seems to always have exactly what he needs to get out of a bad situation (a hacksaw in his backpack? A diving suit in a dungeon?), but it’s part of the charm of this series and you learn to appreciate these coincidences! And, as always, Snowy’s perspective on things is unique and hilarious.
The depiction of Africa and its inhabitants is very caricatural and reflects the stereotypes of the time, which are not acceptable nowadays. However, it must be noted that the author, Hergé, himself has since recognized that this representation of Africa is not correct and also regrets portraying big game hunting.
I did prefer this volume to the first one, but I was pretty bothered by the number of animals hunted and killed by Tintin, as well as the stereotypical representation of Africa and its inhabitants. For this reason, this one is also a 3/5 in my books, but I promise better adventures of Tintin are coming!
Je suis un grand fan de la série Tintin de Hergé. Quand j’étais enfant, je me rappelle lire ces bande-dessinées tout le temps avant d’aller au lit. J’ai récemment décidé de me relancer dedans et voir ce que mon esprit d’adulte pense de tout cela!
Je tiens à préciser que toute personne voulant se lancer dans la série doit se rappeler du contexte historique de cette série et de l’époque à laquelle vivait l’auteur. Certains sujets peuvent être politiquement incorrecte de nos jours, et certains thèmes abordés peuvent être sensible.
Tintin au Congo est le second volume, et l’art de cette série a déjà fait un grand pas en avant. De plus, l’intrigue semble avoir un peu plus de sens, bien que l’objectif de Tintin soit relativement vague: explorer l’Afrique… De nouveau, comme le premier volume de la série, Tintin au Pays des Soviets, Tintin semble toujours avoir exactement ce qu’il lui faut pour se sortir d’une sale situation (une scie dans son sac à dos? Un scaphandre dans un donjon?), mais ça fait partie du charme de cette série et on apprend à apprécier ces coïncidences! Et comme toujours, la perspective de Milou sur l’aventure est unique et hilarante.
La représentation de l’Afrique et ses habitants est très caricaturale et démontre bien la vision de l’époque qui n’est plus acceptable de nos jours. Cependant, il faut savoir que l’auteur, Hergé, lui-même a reconnu depuis que cette représentation n’est pas correcte, et regrette également illustrer les scandaleuses chasses aux animaux.
Autant j’ai préféré ce livre au premier, j’ai été bien dérangé par le nombre d’animaux chassés et tués par Tintin, ainsi que la caricature des habitants de l’Afrique. Pour cette raison, je reste encore sur un 3/5 pour ce volume, mais je promets que de bonnes aventures sont à venir!
————————————————
I am a huge fan of the Tintin series by Hergé. I remember often reading these comics before bed as a child. I have recently decided to give them another read and see what my adult self thinks of it!
I would like to remind anybody reading these about the historical context of the stories and the times the author was living in. Certain subject might be considered politically incorrect nowadays and some of the themes could be considered quite sensitive.
Tintin in the Congo is the second volume and the art of the series has already stepped up quite a bit. In addition, the plot in this one was a little clearer than the first volume even though Tintin’s objectives still seemed fairly vague: explore Africa… As in the first volume, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin seems to always have exactly what he needs to get out of a bad situation (a hacksaw in his backpack? A diving suit in a dungeon?), but it’s part of the charm of this series and you learn to appreciate these coincidences! And, as always, Snowy’s perspective on things is unique and hilarious.
The depiction of Africa and its inhabitants is very caricatural and reflects the stereotypes of the time, which are not acceptable nowadays. However, it must be noted that the author, Hergé, himself has since recognized that this representation of Africa is not correct and also regrets portraying big game hunting.
I did prefer this volume to the first one, but I was pretty bothered by the number of animals hunted and killed by Tintin, as well as the stereotypical representation of Africa and its inhabitants. For this reason, this one is also a 3/5 in my books, but I promise better adventures of Tintin are coming!
WOW! I've always wondered what caused the cult of Tintin - as I recall him being super boring, yet every comic store I ever entered has had a ridiculous amount of Tintin paraphernalia, and I mean the rocket is cute, but really?! But I figured if I was to read one, I should go with the Congo, as I've been reading Africa the past years, so this might be interesting.
Somehow it didn't disappoint: Tintin is the most boring character ever (and I liked Mickey Mouse as a kid), His stupid dog does annoying slapstick humour and then there is the raging racism and the white-man-does-Africa clichés: Big game hunting, becoming king/god, the Africans are dumb as dirt, except when they are the evil plotting types (perfectly justifying the white man treating them as children - and the depiction... (WOW the Hergé-racism-apologists really have their work cut out for them with this one!!)
Anyway this is not only boring and racist even for it's time - the story is also boring and incoherent. All prejudices about Tintin firmly confirmed - I'll never have to read another one.
Somehow it didn't disappoint: Tintin is the most boring character ever (and I liked Mickey Mouse as a kid), His stupid dog does annoying slapstick humour and then there is the raging racism and the white-man-does-Africa clichés: Big game hunting, becoming king/god, the Africans are dumb as dirt, except when they are the evil plotting types (perfectly justifying the white man treating them as children - and the depiction... (WOW the Hergé-racism-apologists really have their work cut out for them with this one!!)
Anyway this is not only boring and racist even for it's time - the story is also boring and incoherent. All prejudices about Tintin firmly confirmed - I'll never have to read another one.
Story: In this adventure, Tintin goes to the Congo and has misadventures with his dog Snowy, bad guys, natives and wild animals. Portrayal of natives may be perceived as racist.
Pace: Fast, lots of small stories.
Language: Simple and basic. Natives speak very caveman style with bad grammar. Instead of cursing, Tintin says phrases like "crumbs!"
Frame: very light hearted adventures.
Appropriate for kids, if you don't mind the controversialist of the book.
Pace: Fast, lots of small stories.
Language: Simple and basic. Natives speak very caveman style with bad grammar. Instead of cursing, Tintin says phrases like "crumbs!"
Frame: very light hearted adventures.
Appropriate for kids, if you don't mind the controversialist of the book.