Why are you a fan of Tintin?

The title says it all - why are you a fan of Tintin? The art, the storyline, the characters, or something else?

I'm basically attracted to it the first time because the stories are really... Adventurous. They're just awesome, amazing, and WOW. After a while I learnt that Tintin is such a great character. Smart, brave, determined, and stops at nothing. And he became my idol ever since. :)

Can't say I know for sure why I started to collect Tintin books when I was a kid. I presume that it had something to do with the fact that everyone else was so I just followed the crowd. Then again I always enjoyed stories with adventure and good humour and Tintin has plenty of that.

Now as an adult (in terms of age if not mentality), it is mainly due to the fact that they contain so many political and social themes which vary from the imperialist ("Congo" and "Blue Lotus", though Herge's attitude to the subject differs between them) to the Cold War ("Calculus Affair") and slave trading ("Red Sea Sharks").

Well I first came to love Tintin after seeing the London show Hergé's Adventures of Tintin, which was in fact the Tibet story back at the start of '08. I still have my programme somewhere.

I had been aware of Tintin as a child but it was always the stereotypical outlook he was some adventurous kid with a quiff and a dog.

After I saw the show (which was excellent by the way with smart theatrical elements), I became obsessed and went to every library in my area to find the books, soon coming across the animated and radio episodes.

I'm a fan of Tintin because I find the adventures intriguing and intricate, smartly done and that kind of storytelling interests me. The Black Island and Tibet are my favourites because of this, with the Crystal Balls/ Prisoners double after it.

The artwork too is well done and detailed with little jokes here and there to keep interest.

The characters, oh gosh I love them! Tintin is one of the best I've come across because of his kindness, determination and strong willed sense for, well, justice. The other characters be friend or foe are also interesting with their own quirks which make them memorable.

I greatly admire Tintin as a character, and Hergé as an artist and storyteller. Don't think that fan outlook will change.

i can't really explain why i'm a fan of Tintin. all i can say for sure is that Tintin has stuck with me since i was introduced to the books at age 2.
i recently bought the complete Nelvana TV series on DVD and my love of the world of Tintin is showing no signs of waning, possibly one of the few things in my life i'll never lose interest in.

His hair. Gosh, who needs more reason?
Frankly, though, it's always been the same for me. I first read Tintin because of the pictures. Of course there's more to it than that, but, personally, Tintin begins and ends with excellent artwork. That it should be coupled with a strong literary sense and lively humor are just further testaments to the author's mental variety. I always appreciate the chance to look in to an extraordinary mind; certainly, the visuals of Tintin offer such an opportunity.

Someone once compared the comings and goings of the Tintin cast with Balzac and while that sounds over the top and gushing, I'm not about to argue with it. Never to my mind has any series assembled such a rich cast of characters, spanning all walks of life. Tintin is often accused of being the slightly bland centre but I disagree: he's strong, smart, resourceful and brave- a thoroughly positive role model for kids. And the dizzying range of genres: political thrillers, treasure hunts, drawing room farce, science fiction... Perhaps some of the values expressed are questionable (particularly in the older stories) but even iffy ethics never get in the way of the compelling stories and beautiful illustrations. I can only finish by saying that I feel my life would be far poorer if I'd never met Tintin.

I'm Uruguayan. My father has been a Tintin fan since he was a child in the late 50's and early 60's. He's still a fan today. I inherited his passion and completed his collection in English and in Spanish.

Tintin is a big part of my life. I still read the books nowadays when I have some time.

Hergé has combined such different characters that we'll never forget, such as Captain Haddock, Prof. Calculus, the Thom(p)sons, Bianca Castafiore, Mr. Oliverida da Figueira…!

I suppose the main reason why I'm a fan of Tintin is the sole reason that he travels the world. I have always wanted to visit exotic countries and be absorbed in different customs, cultures, ect. I guess it also the excapist factor of going on these adventures and being the hero that is also quite appealing.

I think also it the character of Tintin that also makes me a fan. He is liberal, fair, and anti- racist (Land of the Soviets, and Congo, aside). I think also, becoming a fan and liking a series revolves around the core principle of relating to the main protagonist. Tintin is like a blank slate, your own ideas about his character, compared to your own identity is completely individualistic.

I'm a fan of Tintin for several reasons...

1. The artwork. It's simple, it's clean. It's beautiful. It's a cartoon without looking cartoony, if you get my drift. Everything is proportional. Nothing is exaggerated. It's belivable.

2. I like the time-period of the 1930s-1950s in which the stories are set. I'm a big fan of 20th century history and so naturally, the time-frame of the stories is a big part of their appeal to me.

3. It's the adventure of the stories. Going to all these places with your friends and going on all these amazing adventures.

4. The books are a machine that take you away. You can escape and go time-travelling and you can go around the world. They're exciting and funny and they're timeless.

5. The characters are amazing. The youthful reporter, the rough old sea-captain, the bumbling police-detectives and one of my favourite characters - the hilariously deaf Professor Calculus (God, I loved him when I was a kid!). And little white dogs are interminably cute.

When I was a kid I just loved the illustrations, the jokes, and the colorful characters. I wanted to have adventures, solve mysteries and meet interesting people just like Tintin. His world made mine seem so boring!

When I got older I appreciated the artistic influences and the political satire. I also noticed that all of my subsequent interests have some connection to Tintin (don't ask! I could go on for a while). I must admit that I'm still a little sad that I won't have adventures and that my friends will probably not be drunken captains, deaf professors, or divas.

Now coming back to them again (as an aspiring writer and amateur cartoonist) I mainly admire Herge as an artist. I'm impressed by his mastery of multiple genres and the satirical quality of the work.

What I really envy are his characters. I think I've created about 4 interesting characters and he has dozens! Even the minor characters like the twisted millionaire, the crazy driver with the ridiculously long name, or the general's cigar smoking wife have so much personality. That's too say nothing of the main "family" out of whom I can't pick a favorite, because I love them all