Comic legend Tintin in color as he tackles the Soviets
January 11, 2017
"Tintin in the Land of the Soviets," published in 1930, was the debut in "The Adventures of Tintin" series by Belgian comic legend Herge. It was the only one of the 24 comic stories to be published solely in black and white.
Now, on January 11, Belgium-based publisher Casterman is republishing the French version in color. Other language versions in color are also to appear later, a Casterman spokeswoman told AFP news agency.
Getting with the times?
The anti-communist tale, first printed in the Belgian Catholic weekly "Le Vingtieme Siecle" (The 20th Century), was long regarded as apart from the rest of the stories in the series, with some people questioning whether the young, thuggish Tintin character was yet fully developed.
The other stories that followed, such as "Tintin in America" and "Blue Lotus," were initially also published in black and white, but were reissued in color starting in the 1940s. They depict a smart, teenage Tintin traveling the world with his dog Snowy, getting to the bottom of all sorts of mysteries.
Some critics believe that Hergé, who died in 1983, was embarrassed by his first story, thus refraining from a color version.
Casterman told Reuters news agency that the new color edition made the story more accessible.
als/kbm (AFP, Reuters)