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The Black Island (The Adventures of Tintin) (Paperback) (Paperback)
by Herge
| Category:
Adventure, Fiction, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 128.00
MSL price:
¥ 118.00
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In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
The adventures of Tintin which is full of mystery and comedy is a classic series. Tin-Tin will take you to another time & place. |
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Author: Herge
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Pub. in: April, 1975
ISBN: 0316358355
Pages: 62
Measurements: 11.7 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00135
Other information: 9th American ed edition
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- MSL Picks -
The Black Island is a major return to form after The Broken Ear, set in England and Scotland, Herge utilizes a very British whimsy and deadpan surrealism to chart the young reporter's Richard Hannay-like hunt for a shady gang of forgers and fifth columnists (the adventure was serialized in 1937) - in fact the book's tone, mixing exciting mystery and bizarre humor anticipates that quintessentially English TV series, The Avengers.
Much of the book's pleasure lies in Herge's threading of visual motifs to pattern the story - the spluttering airplane that begins the adventure followed by a doomed cat and mouse chase between hero and villains, leading to the Thom(p)sons commandeering a mechanic as pilot even though he doesn't know how to fly, and hilariously hijacking a prestigious aerial show; or the reappearances of striking black against the appropriately muted English colors, from hapless detectives the Thom(p)sons, to the equally hapless firemen, to the haunted Black Island itself, a craggy rock crowned by a crumbling castle (whose passages and portals will delight amateur Freudians) with ominously black birds spiraling out of it, to the berserk monster who guards it, to the policemen who attempt to rescue Tintin.
One extraordinary conceit displays Herge's masterful method of imperceptibly furthering the plot by seemingly digressive comedy, as Snowy's forlorn attempts to eat a found bone and drink leaking whisky reveal elements of the uncanny mystery. Another subplot, involving firemen who mislay the keys to the station during an emergency, and then have to chase a magpie to retrieve them, is pure Surrealism in the style of Rene Clair or (later on) Monty Python. Other jokes rework old favorites from silent cinema. The recreation of English villages and countryside, and the pub-sodden ghost-lore of Scotland, surpasses even TV's 'Ripping Yarns', while the furniture in this 60s reworking is to die for.
Fundamental to the pleasure of the Tintin adventures is Herge's intimate knowledge of the way dogs behave - their loyalty diverted by appetite; their happiness; their need for reassurance and sleep; the bad-temper when faced with giants and terror of creepy crawlies.
Target readers:
Kids aged up 6
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The Broken Ear (The Adventures of Tintin) (Paperback)
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Hergé (pseudonym of Georges Remi), Belgian author and illustrator, created Tintin in 1929 and produced 24 volumes of the internationally famous bande dessinée by the time of his death. Known as the father of the modern European comic book, Hergé's impeccable style and superb use of color won him international acclaim after the Second World War, and the books have been translated from the original French into some 40 languages.
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While on a walk in the countryside Tintin sees a small plane make an emergency landing in a field. When he approaches the pilot to offer help he is shot at. Later he returns to investigate and follows a trail of counterfeit money to Scottland. Tintin is suspicious about what is going on the Black Island. Natives say that a monster lives on the island and that those who travel there never come back. But Tintin must investigate...
Snowy explores the deadly sin of gluttony in this book: He spends the beginning of the book persistently dragging around a large bone and then a roasted chicken while Tintin scolds him. Snowy also discovers alcohol when he finds a leaky wine container in the cargo car of a train. Later, Snowy drinks beer from a keg in a Scottish bar. Tintin is up to his usual quality, and fans of Snowy will especially like this one. The dog is super cute!
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Lawrance M. Bernabo (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I do not really like the early Tintin adventures where there is a lot of slapstick and every other page our intrepid reporter hero is either holding a gun or having somebody hold a gun on him. However, The Black Island is certainly the epitome of this type of Tintin adventure. Herge really pours it on pretty much from start to finish. This might be slapstick but it is nonstop slapstick from Tintin trying to stop the Thom(p)sons from arresting him to Snowy getting the better of a gorilla (but not a spider). Tintin might end up unconscious more often in this story than all of his other adventures combined. The beginning is simple enough. Tintin sees a plane land with engine trouble. Noticing it is an unregistered plane he offers to help and is immediately shot (Do not worry, the bullet only grazes his ribs). Of course Tintin wants to get to the bottom of this mystery but it is hard to collect clues when people are trying to kill you and you have no clue why.
As you can tell from the cover illustration of The Black Island Tintin gets to wear a kilt, not to mention a bonnie bonnet as the titular piece of property happens to be in Scotland. This raises a big question for me: How do you do a Scottish accent in French (or Spanish or German or any other language into which the Adventures of Tintin have been translated)? Ye can not tell me it is an easy bit of business tae do, laddie. This might not be the best Tintin adventure and there are certainly funnier sequences to be found down the road, but all things considered The Black Island has got to be the funniest of Herge stories.
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Gary Selikow (MSL quote), Great Kush
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Tintin comes across a plane making an emergency landing. When he goes to investigate, he is shot at by the pilot. In hospital he is visited by the Thompson twins who inform him that they will be traveling to England to investigate a similar plane crash in Sussex.
Traveling on a train in Belgium Tintin is framed for mugging and robbing a passenger and is arrested by the Thompson twins. He escapes from them and makes his way to England. There he is kidnapped by thugs who try to kill him, leading him onto the trail of a gang of smugglers and counterfeiters, including Dr Muller. Meanwhile Tintin is hindered by Snowy, who is engaged in finding bones and drinking whisky. Finally Tintin makes his way to Scotland, where he discovers a mysterious island, which the locals tell him nobody returns from, all who venture there being killed by an evil beast.
Tintin ignores there warnings and makes his way to the Black Island, where he will uncover the mystery and bring the bad guys to justice.
It’s a magnificent artwork and lots of humour, although some of the later characters are missing.
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Danielle Payne (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
The Black Island is the seventh story in the Adventures of Tintin series, and one of the most beautiful to look at. It differs greatly in appearance from its immediate predecessor, The Broken Ear, bearing much more of a resemblance to the later tales. This is due to Herge's redoing the artwork and story long after its original incarnation (as a serial in the French children's magazine, Le Petit Vingtieme).
The story is fraught with peril as is the case with the vast majority of Tintin adventures, but in this case it is not as interesting as the beautiful artwork (particularly in the case of the island scenes themselves - breathtaking! Look at the detail in those rocks). The Black Island is also noteworthy in that it introduces the character of the villainous Doctor Muller, who appears again in two later stories, The Land of Black Gold (under the alias Professor Smith) and The Red Sea Sharks (there calling himself Mull Pasha, but playing a smaller role).
The Black Island occurs chronologically several tales before the entrance into the series of several of the most important characters (Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Bianca Castafiore, etc.), so we encounter here a much smaller cast: Tintin, Snowy, and the Thompson twins are the only prominent characters.
L'ile Noire (its title in French, of course) is a beautifully composed book which is a must-have for any Tintin fan and worth at least one read-through by everyone else.
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A reade (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
The Black Island is perhaps the greatest Tintin adventure. He flies an airplane, sails a boat, fights with "wild beasts" beats the bad guys (as usual), and even wears a kilt.
But this book is special for more reasons. The landscape scenes around Tintin are superb. The drawing is great, and the plot, sublime. The suspense is incredible, too. No one will take him to the Black Island. Even though everyone is scared out of their minds, Tintin decides to go, risking everything...
There is something special about this adventure I can't really describe. A feeling I can't put into words...I love all the others passionately, but this one in particular, is perhaps my favorite among my favorites... |
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