Destination Moon (The Adventures of Tintin)

The first Tintin book I ever owned, and along with the second part (Explorers on the moon) is still the one I love the best. A witty, clever tale with suprise twists and turns, great characters and all those fantastic drawings of the spacecraft itself. These two books played a huge part in starting my love affair with SF, and I'd even say they influenced my decision to write novels of my own (now happily published) If you want to see how a true master does it, buy this book. Just make sure you pick up Explorers on the Moon at the same time.

"Destination Moon" ("Objectif Lune," 1953) 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. However, be forewarned that this is the first half of the tale, which is continued in "Explorers on the Moon." So do not let the cliffhanger ending to this volume throw you for a loop. Just make a point of picking up both halves of the story and you can avoid any sleepless nights worrying about Tintin and his friends trapped in a spaceship that could well become their tomb. 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. "Destination Moon" is really the set up, for which "Explorers on the Moon" is the payoff. What is most impressive is the attention to detail that Herge shows in these books, in terms of both the technical preparation for a trip to the moon and the actual trip. There is some intrigue, with agents from Klow trying to thwart the mission, but the main thing here is the preparation for the epic journey. These two volumes stack up well against any 1950s science fiction movie about traveling to the moon and anticipate a lot of what we would read about and see when Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon in 1969. Together these volumes constitute Tintin's greatest adventure (how can you top being the first man on the moon?).

Why I like Tintin? Basically, I would say, because it is an icon of French culture. In the era of globalisation, I do believe there are several poles of culture dissemination: Hollywood is one of them, though not the only one.Travel with Tintin, and you will learn as much as you have fun. I wouldn't draw a parallel with Mickey Mouse (though my brother once suggested that Johnny Quest is closer to what Tintin is) but I do know that Tintin is a beloved character with francophones all around the world.Ironically, Tintin does not come from France, but from Belgium. But what does it matter? Canada's Celine Dion has also made it to the top charts in far away France...

Herge is the greatest comic drawer in the world. Tintin's adventures are good for both children and adults, maybe even better for adults that children. I am just sorry that Americans don't know these books better, I wish Tintin and Asterix were popular in America the same as they are in Europe and other parts of the world.

Although this book is geared toward children, it can be enjoyed by adults too. Destination Moon was the first book I read by Herge, and I immediately went on to read the others. The storylines are wonderful - you really get caught up in them! And the pictures are great! That is one thing I really enjoyed about this book - the pictures! You also have to pay attention to Snowy's antics! What a character! This book is a must-read!