I really like Tintin, not Rintintin, Tintin. You may only know of Tintin from his recent movie, but unbeknownst to many he actually starred in his own comics series, The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé. These comics are my favorite of all time before Garfield, Asterix, Foxtrot, and Superman to name a few. I think this is true for three reasons, great art, interesting characters, and story.

Reason one: great art. Although I am no art critic, these comics have great art: with bright and vibrant colors to the dark and shadowy grays. One thing that I’m a huge fan of is the style of artwork. There’s something very complex about the simplicity of the drawings that is very hard to draw, we’ll at least for me (see Doctor in a Ditch.)

Reason two: interesting characters. If you’ve at least seen the movie you know how hard it is to forget Captain Haddock. Then you have the police investigators Thomson and Thompson, and despite their serious title they are quite the opposite: often providing the slap-stick comedy. Along with those characters you have the absent-minded Professor Calculus, and Tintin’s brave dog Snowy. Although Tintin is a rather bland character, which I am fine with because he is supposed to represent the reader, I do quite like the characters.

Reason three: wonderful stories. This is by far my favorite thing about The Adventures of Tintin. From action-adventure to mystery, these stories do all the right things at all the right times. It’s like all your biggest dreams of adventure came to life in comic form. Settings ranging from London to Tibet to the Amazons with the best blend of mystery, action, and adventure. I just love these stories, and I can never seem get enough.

As you can see I really do enjoy these comics, and I fell like I could write even more about them. I do completely recommend these hidden gems to you the reader, and to everyone else.