The Adventures of TinTin in the Land of the Soviets

Tintin and his dog Snowy are off to report on what life is like in Russia, but there are many who do not want him to report anything, and are out to stop him through trickery and sabotage. Will he be able make it there and back? "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" was the first Tintin comic Herge wrote back in 1929, when he was 22 years old. The pictures haven't been redone or coloured, so the style is exactly how it was published in the 1920s, and it's interesting to see what Tintin used to look like, particularly in the very first frames he appears in. This adventure has been pretty hard to find, and it's nice to now have it in English. It's a pretty fun adventure I thought, and though it's an early one, there's a lot of elements that make up Tintin adventures already in place (a scene where Snowy accidentally gets drunk, an incident with chloroform, a car chase or two, etc). Snowy's character is pretty much as it is in the later stories too, his look and the sort of comments he likes to make. It's worth a look for Tintin fans, I think.

The value of "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" is as much historical as it is literary since this is the first of Les Aventures de Tintin created by Hergé. The date is January 10, 1929 and in Brussels the intrepid young reporter for "Le Petit Vingtième" Tintin and his dog Milou board a train for Moscow. There Tintin spends his time denouncing the methods of the Communist Party and then avoiding attempts by the Soviet secret police to silence him for his views. By the time Tintin makes it back home word of his exploits has arrived ahead of him and he is greeted as a hero.Today "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" constitutes something of a false start for Hergé's series. The seven volume collection of the Three-in-One series of "The Adventures of Tintin," which is probably the most common way for today's readers to get a hold of the Tintin stories, begins with the third adventures, "Tintin in America." Both this story and "Tintin Au Congo" are left out of the "official" canon, the former because of the suspect ideology and the latter because of the implicit racism. What emerges in the other eighteen Tintin tales is more pure storytelling that takes place in a created world that bears only an allegorical relationship to the real world. Besides, Tintin does not even have his trademark tuft of hair at this point.Consequently, Tintin fans who track down the first couple of adventures will need to take both tales with a grain of salt. Whereas the other stories tend to stand on their own, the first two are clearly dated. "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" especially requires commentary or annotation that reveals exactly what was going on in the Soviet Union in the late 1920s that Hergé and the left found necessary to attack, even in a comic book adventure. I know that Hergé was working for "Le Petit Vingtième," an anti-Communist church-run newspaper, but I also know that he also apologized for this book later in life because he had never actually visited the Soviet Union and had based his story on one book, which was apparently written for propaganda purposes. Consequently, it is fairly safe to say that this particular Tintin adventure is really not intended for children until they are old enough to understand the politics of the time in which it was written. It might be ironic that you should read the first couple of Tintin adventures after you have read the other eighteen, but that is probably the best way to proceed.

This is the first Tintin comic. And, its good! Real good! It's a lot better than "Tintin in Congo". However, communist sympathisers may not relish the depiction of soviets as blood-thirsty criminals... but then again... it's just a reflection of the times back then. If Herge was a Russian and so were Tintin, then the book would've probably been full of Capitalist bashing.This book is rather funny and has some excellent humorous situations. This is a good book and there shouldn't be any trouble with kids reading it. Pretty funny! There is a nice little joke about British communists(*from Oxford, I expect!*)In short: A must buy for all Tintin fans.

Tintin in the land of the Soviets is now finaly back in print and so it should be. It is interesting to see Herge's perception of communist Russia blended with Tintin and Snowy's comic capers. Set in 1922, just after the Russian Revolution, this book shows Tintin reporting for 'Le Petit Vingtieme' far into the depths of Russia avoiding the Cheka along the way. Some of Tintin's death defying stunts include being knocked into the air from a boat crash then landing in the drivers seat of a car being mended by a Russian. Herge clearly believes that the Russian authorities are trying to show the Western world how rich and productive Russia is under the Communist regime. Tintin however finds out this is not true. Any Tintin fan should buy this comic masterpiece now!

In a world, where entertainment for kids is computer games and comic books of fairytales human super heros, it is refreshing to be ale to share with your child an author who uses historical facts in his stories.