Bookworm of Gensan reads: The Adventures of Tintin UPDATED!

Tintin and dog Snowy with Spielberg and Jackson

To work up my interest in Tintin whose adventures are translated into a motion capture 3-D film, The Adventures of Tintin: Secrets of the Unicorn,  directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson and scheduled to be shown this year, I have decided to buy the 7-volume The Adventures of Tintin from Bibliarch-Gensan (actually, only Volumes 1 & 2 are available while the rest are still on order).

As a young child, I was already aware of Tintin and his dog, Snowy. Whenever I read the comics section of the newspapers, there would be a strip of their adventures. But I never really followed the serial strip because I was into Superman, Prince Valiant, The Phantom, Popeye, Nancy & Sluggo  and Flash Gordon in my elementary years and promptly shifted to the adventures of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when I was in high school. 

Written by Belgian comics writer, Georges  "Hergé" Remi, the 7 volumes contain 21 stories about the exploits of young news reporter, Tintin and his dog Snowy:

Volume 1: Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh and The Blue Lotus

 Volume 2: The Broken Ear, The Black Island and King Ottokar's Sceptre

Volume 3: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star and The Secret of the Unicorn

Volume 4: Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun

Volume 5: Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon

Volume 6: The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks and Tintin in Tibet

Volume 7: The Castafiore Affair, Flight 714 to Sydney, and Tintin and the Picaros


Not included in the collection are: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in Congo and Tintin and the Alph-Art, which means I have to buy them separately.



I wanted to kick myself while reading Volume 1 - how could I have ignored this comic strip for so long? It was a fun read, it appealed to the the journalist and adventurer in me!  Tintin could give present-day investigative reporters a run for their money and put Mcgyver to shame for his inventive ways with costumes and get-aways (not to mention "lucky" near-misses with the villains in the stories).

Reading it page by page raised my nostalgic longing a notch higher. While literary characters are given modern  spin-offs involving either vampires and/or zombies (like Nancy Drew), Tintin retains his old-fashioned charms and still succeeds to draw the reader into his adventures. 

I can't wait to introduce Tintin to my grandchildren! But first I have to succeed in explaining to them why this character is named Tintin, which of course is baby-talk for the male genital. Then and only then, can I induct them as Tintinophiles, Tintinilites, or Tintinologists. Heheh.

UPDATE: At last, my Tintin collection is complete!

Bookworm of Gensan recommends: Summer Reads

Summertime is the best time to catch up on your reading! Whether you're on the beach trying hard to get a tan or deliberately avoiding the sun, or lounging on a hammock or easy-chair, try any of these books which are not only light on your eyes, but also on your pocket.

100 Kislap by Abdon Jun Balde Jr. - this gem of a book contains 100 bite-size stories (150 words or less). Reading this book is like eating peanuts - one you start, you can't stop. Just open it at any page and read away! Available at National Book Store.

Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong: 2010's bestselling book and Bob Ong's 8th. This one is sure to raise some goosebumps as it is his first try at writing a horror novel. If a summer breeze is hard to come by wherever you're reading this, the shivers it generates will surely cool you down quick. Available at Bibliarch and National Book Store.

Paper Cuts by Pam Pastor - LOL moments abound in this tiny book that fits right into your kikay beach bag along with the sunscreen lotion. etc. Available at National Book Store.

8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs by Mary Joy Abaquin - for the father or mother who wants to teach their kids about money, business and life and not just rely on being employees after college. From Go Negosyo and available at National Book Store.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King - features 4 novellas from Stephen King. Enough said. Available at Bibliarch and National Book Store.