The adventures of Hergé /

The Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi better known by his pen name, Herge is celebrated worldwide for his creation of the comics character Tintin. He has been the subject of numerous biographies, but this one is presumably the first done in the comics format. The necessarily simplified account of Herge's eventful life chronicles his youthful exploits as a scout patrol leader, which would inform his later work; his hiring by a Catholic newspaper where Tintin debuted in 1929 and swiftly became an international sensation; his postwar imprisonment as a collaborator for having worked for a Nazi-sanctioned publication; his troubled marriage and his affair with a colorist in his studio; and his debilitating psychological and health problems. Illustrator Barthelemy uses a variation of the French-Belgian ligne claire (clear line) style popularized by Herge; while not as meticulous or graceful as that of its subject, his looser approach has a panache of its own. Steven Spielberg's recent Tintin movie an earlier attempt by the director to buy the film rights is recounted in this book may heighten interest in the character's creator.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2010 Booklist

Georges Prosper Remi, the world-famous "Herge" of Tintin authorship, himself becomes the subject of a comic drawn in his trademark clear-line color. More an homage than a formal biography, this collection of mostly four-page episodes evokes high points of the artist's colorful life: an early obsession with drawing, a boy scout rescue in the Alps, a first job with Le XXe Siecle newspaper, a first concept for his boyish reporter/detective hero, the ascent to fame, the romantic and professional complications that followed, friendship with a Chinese artist, censure as a possible Nazi collaborator, exoneration and maturity, and then death. Back matter includes character cameos. Unfortunately, the episodes provide little background to explain, for example, references to the "stolen" Soir (a newspaper relaunched by collaborationists after the German invasion of Belgium) or the reason for the accusations linking Herge to the Nazis. VERDICT This appealing tribute works best for readers who are already familiar with Herge and can fill in narrative gaps. Unfortunately, the bibliography lacks Michael Farr's Tintin: The Complete Companion (LJ 11/15/11) and Farr's similarly titled prose biography The Adventures of Herge, Creator of Tintin (Last Gasp, 2008). Note adult plot elements and full nudity in artistic contexts.-M.C. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.