Tintin Forums

Here's my personal list, each book rated from one to ten, rated for adventure, excitement, wit, and overall experience, from me personally:

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Land of the Soviets, 3-ish
(Interesting to see where Tintin started, but that aside, a bit poorer quality than the rest of the series. Confusing canonic elements with the rest of the books!)
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Tintin in the Congo, 3.5
(A minor improvement in quality over the last, but still a little shaky as far as overall enjoyment. Yes, the Africans in this book are drawn as rascist as you've heard. It was probably more common back then, I get that.)
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Tintin in America, 5-ish
(SIGNIFICANT improvement in art quality. Enjoyed it much better than the last two. The only thing I have against this book is it's plot: a glorified extension of "Tintin gets captured" and "Deus Ex Machina escape moment")
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Cigars of the Pharaoh, 7
(A much more engaging plot, excellently paired with the Blue Lotus. Very nice art after the last three.)
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The Blue Lotus, 7-ish
(Expertly paired with the previous novel, I'd rate it about the same as the former for similar reasons.)
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The Broken Ear, 6
(A little less exciting than the previous two, but I still like it better than the 3rd, and General Alcazar has become a favorite character of mine.)
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The Black Island, 7.5
(This is where Tintin starting becoming truly professional, and I love the Scottish setting, refreshing after the more foreign and exotic places previously used.)
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King Ottokar's Sceptre, 7-ish
(Love the fresh setting, this book sets up a whole new country for the books to explore.)
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Crab with the Golden Claws, 6.5
(Not my favorite personally, but this is still a good book, and a classic Tintin.)
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The Shooting Star, 8
(This book screams unique, and was the most sci-fi Tintin had gotten before the Moon books. I love this one.)
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Secret of the Unicorn, 6-ish
(This book was an intriguing set up for the next in the series. A Tintin Classic.)
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Red Rackham's Treasure, 8.5
(I loved Professor Calculus. Loved the pirate-y feel, too.)
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The Seven Crystal Balls, 7
(Another two-part book in which I prefer the latter to the first, but this is still a good mystery and sets up the next book quite well.)
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Prisoners of the Sun, 9
(I can find quite little wrong with this book. It has a much more interesting Jungle setting than the broken ear, and overall a great Tintin novel.)
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The Land of Black Gold, 7-ish
(My overall preference out of the more "desert-y" Tintin books.)
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Destination Moon, 10
(My absolute FAVORITE. I loved the retro feel, all of the rocket-science, and the true cliffhanger at the end. This book placed Tintin in a quite unique setting, and Calculus was gold.)
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Explorers on the Moon, 9-ish
(I would have given it 10 if it had just maybe barely lived up to the standard set by the last book, but overall another one of my favorites!)
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The Calculus Affair, 8.5
(Another favorite. A very good mystery and a very quentissential Tintin novel.)
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The Red Sea Sharks, 7.5
(Like some of the earlier books, but funnier, and I liked the adventure as a whole.)
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Tintin in Tibet, 8-ish
(A very good book, but for some reason it didn't make it to my higher list. Very suspenseful!)
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The Castafiore Emerald, 8.5
(After the previously more exotic settings, this book was an intriguing whodunnit set at Marlinspike, and it had all of my favorite characters.
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Flight 714, 7.5
(A very engaging adventure, and one of the few books in the series with more of a sci-fi angle. Another favorite.)
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Tintin and the Picaros, 9
(A very exciting adventure, and one of my favorites. This one felt... fresher, for some reason, and I really liked it.)
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Tintin and Alph-art, 7
(As an artist, I love seeing Hergé's creative process. I can't really rate it as far as story and plot, but as a behind the scenes, it was cool.)
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Tintin and the Lake of Sharks, 2
(Let me just say: Cringefest.)
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Here's my overall rating of book pairs:

Cigars of the Pharaoh/Blue Lotus, 8-ish
(These were the first really good Tintin books in the series.)
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Secret of the Unicorn/Red Rackham, 7
(A Classic Tintin story.)
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Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun, 8.5
(One of my favorite two-parts.)
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Destination Moon/Moon Explorers, 10
(I am a big fan of all things space, and this was a unique experience.)
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There you have it!

Two afterthoughts:

One, I think the Broken Ear deserved a better rating. Maybe a 7-ish. I just reread it.

Second, I forgot to rate two more things!

Tintin, 1991 show, 8.5
(Did a good job representing the books properly, and it actually felt like I was reading the novels themselves!
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The Adventures of Tintin *Movie*, 9
(The movie isn't nearly as bad as some fans suggest! The CG is on par, and I loved the way Spielberg combined the Crab with the Golden Claws AND the Secret of the Unicorn. The casting was NAILED, as well.)
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Land of the Soviets 7 primitive and raw, slapstick, but I love its naive charm, and the charm ( cuteness) of early depictions of Snowy.

Tintin in the Congo 8 I had the early b/w book, and recently bought the collectors' edition. I hate the animal cruelty, but the artwork and the sensitive shading and colouring is first class, with lots of very funny parts -- the section with Snowy arguing with the parrot is superb, and the scenes where the leopard cries after wolfing down a sponge are worth buying the book for. Yes, the racial depictions are crude, but once you get past that, it is great.

Tintin in America 9 I love the critique of shallow capitalism, the ethically rooted suspicion of materialistic views of the life, and the moral defence of the Native Indians. The colouring is superb.

Cigars of the Pharaoh 10 I love the dreamlike quality

Blue Lotus 10 Beautiful colouring and strong simple lines.

Broken Ear 10 As above.

Black Island 10. I love the 'Britishness' of the book, and the drawings of the cars, planes and small villages. A drunken Snowy is also great fun.

King Ottokar's Sceptre 10.

Crab with the Golden Claws 10.

Shooting Star 10. Love the dreamlike otherworldly mysticism of the early stages of the book. It is one of my favourites.

Secret of The Unicorn 10

Red Rackham's Treasure 10

Seven Crystal Balls 10. Love the eerie nature of parts of the book -- it thrilled and scared me in equal measure as a child.

Prisoners of the Sun 10 Perfect follow up to the above -- my favourite scene is when Capt Haddock moves by rope from the 'outside world' into the world behind the curtain of the waterfall.Beautiful realisation from Herge.

Land of Black Gold 10 -- Abdullah is very annoying and very funny -- I like when Capt Haddock tells him off, and Snowy enjoys Abdullah being brought down a peg or two. Very funny. I also love the frame of Snowy taking the driving seat of Abdullah's toy car.

Destination Moon 10. Great costume and machine design

Explorers on the Moon 10. Love the scenes in the caves covered in ice.

Calculus Affair 10 Perfect. Love the scene when the house is blown up -- but all Haddock wants is a bottle of wine ! Heh heh

Red Sea Sharks 10

Tintin in Tibet 10 Reading it as a child gave me a deep respect for Buddhism and Hinduism. Love the levitating monk !

The Castafiore Emerald 10. The gypsy scenes are beautifully drawn.

Flight 714 10. Loved the lava frames and the daft alien aspect !

Tintin and the Picaros 7. My least favourite, but I still love the cockney rhyming slang of the Arumbayas and their British friend Ridgewell.

Tintin and Alph-Art I can't grade it because I haven't read Herge's rough text but I have read the unofficial book, which is great fun.

Tintin and the Lake of Sharks. Well, it isn't a real Herge book, but I will give it 2.

Land of the Soviets: 10 (One of my favourites)

Tintin in the Congo: 8 (The parrot and the leopard is just brilliant, but I don't like the parts when Tintin hurts those poor animals; it would get a 9 if he didn't do that)

Tintin in America: 10 (I like every part with Snowy in it)

Cigars of the Pharaoh: 10 (We see Rastapopolus for the first time)

Blue Lotus: 10 (Brilliant! I like Snowy's face when he is looking out of the ruined suitcase)

Broken Ear: 10 (I really like the way the Arumbayas and the Rumbabas talk!)

Black Island: 10 (Brilliant!)

King Ottokar's Sceptre: 10 (See above)

Crab with the Golden Claws: 10 (Captain Haddock is brilliant in this book especially when he is drunk)

Shooting Star: 10 (Philipulus the prophet is ridiculously funny!)

Secret of The Unicorn: 10 (Brilliant! That store room looks really mysterious)

Red Rackham's Treasure: 10 (Brilliant!)

Seven Crystal Balls: 10 (See above)

Prisoners of the Sun: 10 (See above)

Land of Black Gold: 10 (I like the frame when Snowy wants to drive the toy car!)

Destination Moon: 10 (Snowy thinks that his coat is a duffle coat for a St. Bernard!)

Explorers on the Moon: 10 (The bit when Mr. Baxter eats his tie is brilliant!)

Calculus Affair: 10 (Poor Snowy was bashed around by all those house cleaning objects)

Red Sea Sharks: 10 (When the cheetah thinks Snowy is really strong is very funny!)

Tintin in Tibet: 10 ("Stuff and nonsense! The message will keep! You don't see a bone like that everyday do you?")

The Castafiore Emerald: 10 (The parrot is really great, especially when he inspects his claws on frame 6 page 10!)

Flight 714: 10 ("I don't believe you! I don't believe you! I don't believe you! I don't believe you! And anyway I want my hat" is my favourite line from Carreidas!)

Tintin and the Picaros: 9 (Tintin does a headstand for the first time and the Arumbayas are back with more of their funny way of talking!)

Tintin and Alph-Art: 9 (This is the unofficial Alph-Art, not Herge's sketches)

Tintin and the Lake of Sharks: -10,00 (In my opinion the beginning had nothing to do with the rest of the story and wasn't very memorable)

The film and book are about the theft of valuable items from museums, such as works of art, and their replacement with fakes. It's because Rastapopoulos wants to make more of them more easily that he covets Calculus's replicating machine. The theft of the pearl and its replacement with a fake sets the theme.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets: 7 (It was good for Tintin's first adventure)
Tintin in the Congo: 6 (It was kinda racist, but Snowy did get a lot of attention)
Tintin in America: 8 (I consider this the real start to Tintin's adventures)
Cigars of the Pharaoh: 10 (Really good book and I love Dr. Sarcophagus)
The Blue Lotus: 9 (Love the introduction to Chang)
The Broken Ear: 10 (It was really funny to me and Ramon is now my 2nd favorite Tintin villian) R.I.P. Ramon and Alonzo :(
The Black Island: 10 (A great favourite of mine!)
King Ottokar's Sceptre: 9 (A one that interests me)
The Crab with the Golden Claws: 10 (Haddock and Allan)
The Shooting Star: 10 (I just love it!)
The Secret of the Unicorn: 9 (Love the mystery)
Red Rackham's Treasure: 10 (Calculus)
The Seven Crystal Balls: 9 (A major role for Calculus)
Prisoners/Temple of the Sun: 10 (The eclipse scene is awesome!)
Land of Black Gold: 5 (Meh)
Destination Moon: 7 (Acting the goat)
Explorers on the Moon: 8 (The Thom(p)sons were hilarious!)
The Calculus Affair: 10 (Love the whole book!)
The Red Sea Sharks: 9 (Haddock was awesome!)
Tintin in Tibet: 10 (The friendship is awesome!)
The Castafiore Emerald: 9 (What can I say, Castafiore!)
Flight 714 to Sydney: 10 (Rastapopoulos!) R.I.P. Allan's Teeth and Allan
Tintin and the Picaros: 6 (Meh, well, General Alcazar was cool)
Tintin and Alph Art: 10 R.I.P. Hergé :((((((((

I'm new here. Nice site and forum!

I counted the scores for each album just for fun and out of interest. I would like to share the results with you as my first contribution here.

I followed the following criteria:
.I excluded both "Tintin and Alph-Art" and "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks".
.I only took quantitative (numeric) scores into account.
.I considered 10+ scores as 10 scores.
.I considered 0 and negative scores as 1 scores.
.I considered intermediate scores (e.g. 9/10) as two half scores (e.g. 0,5 x 9 plus 0,5 x 10).
.I distributed decimal number scores (e.g. 7.8) between the two adjacent integer scores proportionally (e.g. 0,2 x 7 plus 0,8 x 8).
.I excluded the votes from people who rated less than 18 albums (five people).
.I excluded the votes from people who rated all applicable albums only in the 7-10 range (seven people).

If you're interested, you can find the whole chart with the details here:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/28747969@N03/E95k9r

In sum, the ranking is as follows (so far):

TITLE / SCORE
Tintin in Tibet 8,81
The Calculus Affair 8,73
Prisoners of the Sun 8,70
The Blue Lotus 8,44
The Seven Crystal Balls 8,29
Red Rackham's Treasure 8,24
The Secret of the Unicorn 8,15
Explorers on the Moon 8,00
Destination Moon 8,00
The Red Sea Sharks 7,74
The Black Island 7,67
King Ottokar's Sceptre 7,65
Cigars of the Pharaoh 7,40
Land of Black Gold 7,40
Flight 714 to Sydney 7,34
The Crab with the Golden Claws 7,28
Tintin and the Picaros 7,10
The Castafiore Emerald 7,06
The Shooting Star 6,98
The Broken Ear 6,89
Tintin in America 5,41
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets 4,22
Tintin in the Congo 4,10

Some curiosities about the ranking so far:

Prisoners of the Sun, which ranks 3rd (out of 23) is the only album that scores in the 7-10 range exclusively (excluding one vote that gave it 5 points). The Calculus Affair (ranked 2nd) is the only one that has votes just in the 6-10 score range (excluding one vote that gave it 5 points).

Tintin in the Tibet (ranked 1st) receives the highest amount of 10 scores (44% of its votes are 10's).

The Red Sea Sharks ranks 10th with only 9% of its votes being 10's and with 7 being its most frequent score, while Flight 714 to Sydney ranks 15th with 16% of its votes being 10's and The Castafiore Emerald ranks 18th with 8 being its most frequent score.

Only five albums receive the lowest score: Tintin in the Land of Soviets and Tintin in the Congo (seven times each), and The Shooting Star, The Castafiore Emerald and Flight 714 to Sydney (just one 1 each).
Only three albums don't receive any 10 score: Tintin in the Land of Soviets, Tintin in the Congo and Tintin in America. The first two albums don't receive any 9 score either.

PS: I will be posting my own scores anytime soon. I just want to re-read a bunch of albums first ;-)

Moderator Note: Combined two consecutive posts

Wow! It'll take a little mulling over to get to grips with the results, but first impressions are that that is a power of work you have put in there - great work, and thank you very much for sharing! :-)

Thank you @jock123

And sorry for my English (it's not my native language).

It will be interesting to know what forumites think about the current results.