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"Old Master Q": The stark contrast between two comic classics...

Chen Baiwan
Member
#1 · Posted: 1 Mar 2005 21:11
I'm sure most of you know Tintin... but I'm not sure how many of you have even heard of the comicbook character famous throughout Asia. His English name is "Old Master Q" known in it's birthplace of China (well... it originated in Hong Kong when it was a British territory) as "Lao Fu Zi".

Now Old Master Q is to many a hero yet his character is quite different from that of Tintin's. You could say that the characters are polar opposites.

Differences in the Characters

Tintin seems heroic, polite, mildmannered, (some argue) asexual with the nature of a young curious boy (please correct me if I'm wrong... I've only been able to see the cartoon series and that was a while ago). His best friends include a little White Fox Terrier (I think...) and a drunken captain. His enemies are very evil (compared to Old Master Q's enemy).

Old Master Q on the otherhand is much more casual if not sometimes rude, he is less of a hero compared to Tintin,he is a woman chaser (Always trying to flirt with Miss Chan or any other woman who may appear in the comic) and rather than having the boyish spirit of Tintin... he has the wryness of an old man (mainly because he is one). His best friends include a man not much taller than Snowy on his hind legs named "Li Fan Zi" (or "Big Sweet Potato"... and Mr. Qin... a man in his prime.Old Master Q's enemy is... more of a rival... Mr./Dr. Chiu

Differences in the comics themselves

The drawing styles needless to say are different but they are both classic styles. Tintin has dots for eyes while in the Old Master Q comics this is usually limeted to minor characters the main characters have the eliptical circles with dots in the middle.

The storyline style is VERY different... moreso than the drawing style. Tintin comics are mostly long adventures with (from what I've heard) "The Blue Lotus" being a more serious one. Old Master Q also goes on many adventures and most of them have to do with Daily life. He's had some great adventures... traveling throughout time, space and reality... on VCD's... perhaps over an hour long (I never really got to sit through one in its entirety)... but I feel that his best ones are no longer than two paperback pages. Each page is usually a new adventure and each with the intention of making you smile. This is a stark contrast to Tintin's great adventures.


The Authors

I don't know much about either Alphonso Wong or Herge' Moulinsart. But I think I know where they would both come somewhat of a consensus (needless to say... if Moulinsart were still alive)

See here for details.

Tintin and Old Master Q are two VERY different characters and yet are still hero's to many dispite their different approach to being a hero...if Old Master Q can be counted as a hero.
snafu
Member
#2 · Posted: 1 Mar 2005 21:43
I have read Old Master Q but it never commanded that type of respect I gave to Tintin. I always saw it as a witty way of describing various Chinese idioms, but there was never the intensity of a single Tintin adventure. For me, Old Master Q has influenced my sense of humor.

I never really respected Old Master Q as a person because he does little but skirt-chasing. I cannot envision him successfully undergoing the same trials that Tintin routinely endures.

Furthermore, Old Master Q usually does not exceed six pictures (about one page), so it is not supposed to cover a full story.

Although both Old Master Q and Tintin are comic strips, they are still so different that some of the means for judging comic strips will have to be different...

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