Tin Tin (2 points)

I think the first thing that stood out to me when reading TinTin was the craftsmanship of his work. I thought it was great. The way he used the same line weight to unify his detailed backgrounds and simplified characters was really charming. The contrast of the stylized characters with the detailed backgrounds also really sold the idea of identifying with the character, while exploring a new world( Scott McCloud wrote about in Understanding Comics). There are even panels that almost take up the entire page, allowing your eye to travel with TinTin and Snowy through the foreign lands. This choice makes complete sense when considering the traveling adventures of TinTin and Snowy as they explore different cultures, places and people. He would do detailed explorations of the bustling streets of Shanghai in the Blue Lotus, It is clear it is a product of its time though. This is shown in the Blue Lotus through his depiction of Mitsuhirato and in the beginning with the Indian performer. Mitsuhirato is shown as a stereotyped Japanese, even saying silly stuff like “seven suffering samurai.” Though in contrast to this there is an instance of TinTin standing up for a rickshaw driver in the Blue Lotus, and Tintin befriends the more sympathetic Chinese character, Chang, who even reappears in TinTin in Tibet. I don’t think it should be condemned because of the historical and cultural context it was made in. I think it’s easy to say now with foresight to think “I wouldn’t have done this” or “Herge should’ve known better.” I think these parts were just a product of the time, who knows what we do now will be later seen as bad.