

A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY OF TINTIN 'S CREATOR by Jose-Louis Bocquet and Jean-Luc Fromental, Illustrated by Stanislas Barthélémy The Adventures of Hergé is a biographical comic about the world-renowned comics artist Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pen name, Hergé. Meticulously researched, with references to many of the Tintin albums and complete with a bibliography and mini-bios for each of the main "characters," the biography is appropriately drawn in Hergé's iconic clear line style as an homage to the Tintin adventures that have commanded the attention of readers across the world and of many generations. Seven-year-old Hergé first discovered his love of drawing in 1914 when his mother gave him some crayons to stay out of trouble. He continued drawing in school when he fatefully met the editor of XXe Siècle magazine, where Tintin first appeared. His popularity skyrocketed from the 1930s through post–World War Two. Hergé was perceived by some to have aided the Nazi government in Belgium by continuing to publish Tintin in a government-sanctioned magazine, and he was briefly imprisoned in the aftermath of the war and narrowly escaped execution. Also covered are his marriage troubles in the 1950s and subsequent affair with Fanny Vlamynck, who went on to become his lifelong partner; his late career in the 1960s, as his interest in Tintin waned and he occasionally "disappeared" for weeks at a time as he contemplated giving up his career to become a fine-arts painter; and a recounting of a humorous encounter with Andy Warhol. Review: Loved it - Loved the book Review: The crafter becomes the craft - This book is an easy way to learn about the life of a man who has brought adventure into the homes and lives of millions around the world. It gives us alook into the good and not so good sides of a man we would otherwise know little about. His love of women and art. His political influences through the comics are evident also even from the first works
| Best Sellers Rank | #422,169 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #287 in Biographies & History Graphic Novels #565 in Educational & Nonfiction Graphic Novels #601 in Literary Graphic Novels (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 82 Reviews |
A**S
Loved it
Loved the book
S**N
The crafter becomes the craft
This book is an easy way to learn about the life of a man who has brought adventure into the homes and lives of millions around the world. It gives us alook into the good and not so good sides of a man we would otherwise know little about. His love of women and art. His political influences through the comics are evident also even from the first works
F**A
Not bad. I am just disappointed by my own expectation
Not bad. I am just disappointed by my own expectation, I guess. I expected the art to be more of Bod de Moor's style, and storyline flows more like Herge's work on Tintin.
R**S
Witty and to the point, but also as sensitive a biography as a comic strip will allow
This book is really well done. It goes without saying that it can't include more than a fraction of the facts and figures of a written biography, but it makes up for this with its style and wit. It also manages to address sensitive issues with real feeling. It is OK as an introduction to the author of Tintin, but for those who already know a bit about Herge this book is full of nods and winks to real-life events, anecdotes and well-known photos and images. It's a lot of fun! The French artist, Stanislas, is an established comic strip author. His art style is quite contemporary and is somewhat reminiscent of the work of Dutch comic artist and graphic designer Joost Swarte, who actually coined the term 'clear line', when referring to the general style of comic strip art that Herge pioneered. Highly recommended!
W**B
More for Adults
I bought this for my son, but he will come to like it when he gets older. It is more for adults, but a nice addition about Herge. We love Tintin and this is fun to read.
G**A
Apt tribute to the creator of Tintin
This is a biography of Herge, the creator of Tintin, in a comic book format that he essentially founded. I am really impressed by the artwork, as it is so much in the style of Herge himself. Much of the elements of Tintin books are in here: the style Herge uses to portray people, the detailed backgrounds featuring real places and recognizable buildings, the use of color and the conversation. The book highlights the key periods of Herge's life, and the events, people, and places that inspired different Tintin stories. It is true that the comic book format does not lend itself to any in-depth view of Herge's life, but then I found it less heavy-handed, and hence a more enjoyable read, than most "real" biographies. It is an adorable tribute for the great artist, in the very medium that he used. Tintin fans will cherish it almost as one of the Tintin books themselves.
J**U
Don't buy this book, it promotes racism !!!!!
Today is my birthday, and I bought this book to commemorate my childhood. From comics to cartoons to movies, Tintin, Milo, Captain Haddock, Professor Sunflower, and the Dupont Brothers are like a group of friends who never get old and always grew up with me. I also have a deep appreciation for the author, George Raimi. I was very interested in the author, George Raimi, or "Hergé" as we know him. I thought this book was about the author's journey to create "Tintin", but I was surprised and angered by the appearance of a word that discriminates against Asians, especially East Asians, on page 58 of the book, the "C-Word." In the series before "The Blue Lotus," Tintin had already traveled to the Soviet Union, the Congo, America, and Egypt, and Hergé planned for Tintin to travel to that mysterious power in the Far East. At that time, Europe knew very little about this distant country, and even in Hergé's own previous works, the Chinese characters were portrayed according to the usual European prejudices and stereotypes. But as fate would have it, this time, Hergé was fortunate enough to receive the advice of a priest who knew China and wanted him to learn more and be more careful about this ancient country before putting pen to paper. Even rarer, the priest suggested that Elge gets in touch with one of his students, a Chinese student studying sculpture and painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels: Tchang Tchong-jen. This was the beginning of a relationship between Hergé and Tchang Tchong-jen, one of the most important people in the former's creative career. Tchang Tchong-jen was a young Chinese man with a heart of gold, and through his exchanges with him, Hergé gradually learned about a China with a long history, a country that was far from what he had known before, but rather a country to which he aspired. Chongren Zhang taught Hergé some of the Chinese characters and introduced and clarified the teachings of Taoism, a native Chinese philosophy. Zhang Chongren gave Hergé a copy of the Mustard Seed Garden Book of Painting, introduced him to the single-line white drawing technique in traditional Chinese art and Chinese calligraphy, and advised him to imitate painting in a line style. Zhang Chongren's dual teachings about art and philosophy would have a profound impact on Hergé. Zhang would later say that he and Hergé became close as "two brothers." "In the dialogue between Ding Ding and Zhang, I discovered a civilization that I did not understand at all, and I also realized a responsibility. From that moment on, I started to research and pay attention to the countries Ding Ding was going to visit and the local people, so that I could be worthy of my readers: it was all because I met Chang Chong-jen. Because of him, I know more about friendship, poetry, nature ...... This is an outstanding young man ...... He made me discover and fall in love with Chinese poetry, Chinese literature: the bones, the wind of inspiration, the bones of imagery. For me, it was a great revelation." --Hergé, quoted in Tintin et moi "Hergé, who draws weekly pictorials for the newspaper Twentieth Century, wanted to take information about China and asked for my help. ...... I wanted to do my best. " -- Chang Chong-jen in his diary on May 1, 1934
A**A
Not for children or risk of exposure to indecent material to young eyes.
Adult material. That is all I wanted to share. This is for the adult arena. Like the movie ratings "R" . The stars do not indicate the material or the quality of the hard bound book.
R**S
Homage to Herge
A glorious tribute, full of little visual puns and references which Tintin fans will notice and enjoy every time they re-read the book. As with all biographies of Georges Remi it somewhat skates round painful facts about Belgian Catholic antisemetism and collaboration with the Nazis, though it does show how his postwar arrest (and nearly being executed) influenced the Tintin stories. If you love Tintin you must get this book, perhaps the next best thing to Herge coming back to life and producing another one.
S**N
A must buy for tintin lovers
Life of the creator in his own style.
S**I
5 Stars!
I think it is interesting but for somethings I didn't really understand what they meant like what was the end of Hergé or what really happened to him at the end! Although, I do still recommend the book! I enjoyed the graphics as well!
E**K
An interesting look at Hergé's life
The art isn't quite the same as Hergé's, but it's a good concept for a biography of one of the most influential comic book artists of all time. Not a straight biography, however: snippets and stories from his life, dealing with themes and events familiar to most Tintin/Hergé fans.
M**E
Five Stars
Perfect
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 month ago