Tintin > Plastic Man

I'm going to be brief about the man of plastic because GOD DAMN it's weird. Actually, no, that's just about all I wanted to say. I'm a big fan of Mr. Fantastic (or as big a fan as you can be with a frame of reference consisting of the Venture Bros' parody character of a similar name), but I just can't get into this guy. He's way too into his own powers.

So screw it, let's talk about Tintin because I just spent a pretty solid chunk of my time reading "Tintin and the Blue Lotus" without realizing how late it had gotten. In general, when that happens, it's a pretty good sign that whatever you're reading is pretty freakin' good. I'd seen the movie from 2011, or maybe 2012 (I don't quite recall), and I did quite like the character of Tintin, but not quite enough to get off of my ass and read some old Tintin comics. My dad actually tried to get me to do so, as he'd read Tintin as a child whilst traveling the world as a military brat and related to him; I'm kind of glad that I can now talk to him about a big part of his childhood.

Anyway, analysis time. Not much to say about the art, as it's a gorgeous classical comic style that I can't really critique. It reminds me a bit of Asterix, and for some reason Beetle Bailey (though I'm not sure the reason for that... perhaps it's the Chinese military uniforms). One thing I will say about the actual content of the story that I'd read is that it seems fairly progressive as far as respecting other cultures goes. There's a distinct theme of orientalism among the white villains we're meant to loathe, and Tintin, whom we're meant to empathize with, is always befriending multicultural allies and commenting on how fascinating and respectable their societies are. I found that a bit strange for the time period, considering pre-WW2 wasn't the most tolerant of times. I'd say the work benefits from that, though; it really helps Tintin stick out as a hero with a heart of gold.

Side note, though... how old is he? He dodged a drive-by and beat the snot out of three burly prison guards in "Blue Lotus", so he's got to be some kind of weathered combat veteran.

-Will Avery