2002-05-03 Tintin - a non-expert view.

Although now in my late twenties, I am still fascinated by Tintin, his friends and his adventures. I do not claim to be a Tintinologist. As a child I used to read the full size editions, however, I prefer this smaller format, as it is compact and there is no loss of detail in the text or illustration. It is also more robust in hardback: how quickly did the paperback get dog-eared when read by an excited child?
Interestingly, there is no contents page. You must therefore "thumb" to find the story you require. I know that is a rather pedantic issue, but there is completeness to consider. This compilation is my favourite of the series, as it contains both "Destination Moon" and "Explorers on the Moon".
"Destination" begins with a plot which kept me in suspense about the nature of the mission for 8 pages! From then onward, I was intrigued by the technology Herge uses in the story.
The illustrations in "Explorers" are amazing. Herge has combined true representations of the moon with his imagination for what was, at the time, a place not fully understood.
"Land of Black Gold", relies slightly on "Cigars of the Pharaoh" and "The Black Island", for references to characters/events. This does slightly spoil continuity to someone unfamiliar to Tintin.