jock123:
Hmmm… You’re actually condoning changing one of the texts? ;-)
Not really, but given the fact that they'll change it anyway I might as well make some constructive suggestions.
jock123:
it is almost impossible to tell Borduria from Syldavia
The story still has a very Cold War feel about it and the conflict between Israel and the Arabs is general enough that a work of fiction does not necessarily have to choose sides. It's often been pointed out that Borduria has a Stalinist atmosphere about it so that is at least one side that we know of.
Herge did base the story around the context of the Cold War and obtaining the services of scientists in order to build WMDs -
Balthazar raised this point only the other day.
jock123:
Blue Lotus may work artistically, but leaves most readers a bit puzzled and confused by the fact that the relations between Japan, China and the rest of the world no longer reflect current positions, locking it to a period long gone.
Well, having a passion for history, this actually makes it more appealing to me since it raises past issues that would otherwise be unknown or forgotten. I'd never heard of the Shangai International Settlement prior to reading "Blue Lotus" and this spurred my interest to check it out a little. I wish the publishers had included some notes about the Gran Chaco War of 1932 to 1935 in "Broken Ear". Until I read Farr's book I just saw it as Herge's attempt to prolong the story by a few pages and sub-plots.
It is not unusual for films or books to include contemporary issues which may seem dated a few years later: the Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" includes references to the Energy Crisis of the early 1970s since it revolves around a device which could revolutionise solar power. You'd have thought that the end of the Cold War would have meant that John Le Carre's novels of the time were no longer relevant - but one of last year's big hits was the film "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", set in the 1970s.
Today we're celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Do you think "Oliver Twist" would be better off being re-written with borstals (instead of workhouses) or a drug-dealing Artful Hoodie?
How about this: Tintin and Haddock must rescue Calculus who has been alternately kidnapped by Muller, a German-Jew, and Bab El Ehr, a Shia terrorist involved in a conflict with Sunni despot Ben Kalish Ezab?