How to Read The Adventures Of Tintin

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The Adventures of Tintin, created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé (also known as Georges Remi), is a titan of European comics. Since its inception in 1929, the 24-book series has sold more than 200 million copies in more than 70 languages. It has also been adapted into multiple movies (one directed by Steven Spielberg), television series, radio dramas, and for the stage. Tintin even decorated Belgium’s national football team’s uniform.

The international adventures of the boy reporter, his dog Snowy, and a cast of supporting characters have evolved throughout the decades. As the world became smaller, the worldviews of the comic changed. It drifted away from a colonial mindset to become more worldly through extensive research, reacting to world events through biting satire and more layered storytelling.

It can be difficult to understand how to read Tintin if you’re unfamiliar with the character’s history. There are plenty of books – some of which have iffy content. This guide points you in the right direction to start reading, explaining the different books, publication history, and the various formats, so you can easily dive in and enjoy the adventure.

A brief publication history and many edits

Similar to Star Wars, The Adventures of Tintin has had numerous reworks and retouches throughout the decades. Some of these are due to shifts in formats, creative choices, publisher requests, changes in attitudes, and more.

Apart from Tintin and Alph-Art, an unfinished and posthumously published title, Tintin comics were first serialised in newspapers or magazines in Belgium. Tales published between 1929 and 1940 were serialised in the children’s supplement of the conservative Le Vingtième Siècle newspaper. The newspaper was shuttered when Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, and The Adventures of Tintin found a new home in the Le Soir newspaper until the end of World War II. After the war, Le Journal de Tintin (Tintin Magazine) was launched and became the home of the weekly serialisation of the comic until Hergé’s death.

After serialisation, Tintin stories were collected in graphic novel format – or as they’re referred to in Europe, graphic albums. The first nine were collated with the original black and white art into individual volumes, being released the same year as the stories ended their serialisation. The Shooting Star is the first story to be published in full colour when it came to the graphic novel format. Hergé would go back and release colour albums of most of the earlier stories in the 1940s, with the exception being Cigars of the Pharaoh, which received the treatment much later in 1955. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is the holdout in this process, remaining uncoloured until 2017.

Embarrassed by the crudeness of his work, Hergé made edits to the early stories when they were published in the album format. Often, these were due to accommodations required for transferring from one format to another, where pages were spliced to work outside the context of newspaper strips. Later, with the help of his studio, Hergé would redraw many of the earlier stories to align with his signature ligne claire drawing style, which he developed later. These changes are primarily aesthetic, but there are occasional changes to retrospectively add details that are established in future stories.

Later stories would see minor updates between serialisation and colour album publication. These include tweaks to dialogue, redrawing panels, and fixing some of the colours. Some stories received multiple edits as new editions were published over the decades or were translated into different languages. For instance, when The Black Island was translated into English for the first time in the mid-1960s, the British publisher requested changes for greater cultural accuracy.

Some stories saw further updates in later editions. Changes to dialogue, individual panels, and colour correcting happen in many instances. Other times, the changes happened when stories were translated into different languages – often at the behest of the publisher. For example, when The Black Island was translated into English for the first time in the mid-1960s, the British publisher requested changes for greater cultural accuracy and to make it more contemporary.

As argued, these changes are not likely to be hotly debated in the same way the different editions of Star Wars are. Most people see the current editions as the primary text, unaware of what other versions were like. As a result, the earlier editions are more of a curiosity – a window into the evolution of a cartoonist.

Content warnings

It would be remiss of me not to mention the problematic elements of The Adventures of Tintin. It’s far from perfect. Early tales have instances of colonialism, racist caricatures, and can be ethnocentric. There are also instances of violence that may be considered too strong for a comic made for children.

These stories are a product of their time, where certain attitudes were more prevalent and the world was less connected. Subsequent stories would see Hergé work harder to avoid some of these pitfalls, with the cartoonist emphasising greater cultural accuracy from The Blue Lotus onwards, as inspired by a Chinese student studying in Belgium. While these are still not perfect, they’re much better than some of the early tales. Later stories avoid some of the issues by being set in Europe, fictional countries, on the Moon, or at the bottom of the ocean.

There are too many content issues to list in this guide. It’s best to do a bit of research beforehand if you want to get an understanding of what problematic content there could be before reading a specific title or giving Tintin to a child. The “Critical Analysis” section in the Wikipedia page of each story is a good place to start.

Tintin in the public domain

Tintin entered the public domain in the US on 1st January 2025. However, this doesn’t mean all of The Adventures of Tintin is in the public domain. At the time of writing, there’s only one title in the public domain – Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.

Similar to the Mickey Mouse situation, only the earliest incarnation of the character is in the public domain. It’s a version that’s quite rough in comparison to what most people picture Tintin to be. As a result, any new works will also be derived from that interpretation.

Future works in the public domain will be derived from the original versions of the work and not later editions that were redrawn or revised.

The Adventures of Tintin books in order

Below is the publication order of The Adventures of Tintin.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

Serialisation: 1929-1930
Black and white album: 1930
Coloured album: 2017
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Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is the first Tintin adventure. As the title suggests, it sees Tintin and Snowy travel to Moscow to report on the state of affairs in the USSR.

Readers will notice that this story is much more primitive than the Tintin material that people know and love. This is because it’s the only story to not have been redrawn in Hergé’s signature ligne claire style. As a result, it’s the one that has been edited the least.

Due to being more than 95 years old, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is in the public domain in the United States as of 1st January 2025.

Tintin in the Congo

Book number: 2
Serialisation: 1930-1931
Black and white album: 1931
Coloured album: 1946

Tintin heads to Belgian Congo (a Belgian colony at the time of original serialisation, now modern-day Republic of Congo) in his second adventure. There, he encounters animals and diamond smugglers.

Tintin in the Congo has been out of print in English for many years. This is intentional due to the comics’ colonialist depiction of African people, which leans heavily into caricature. Recent (and heavily debated) European editions have attempted to address this, adding a preface that adds context and changing some of the material.

Tintin in America

Book number: 3
Serialisation: 1931-1932
Black and white album: 1932
Coloured album: 1945
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Tintin and Snowy head to the United States for an adventure that looks at the Land of Opportunity from a European perspective.

Herge wrote this story with the intention of voicing his concerns regarding the treatment of Native American communities by the government. While this is better than the previous two books, the cartoonist still has a long way to go in representing other cultures well.

Cigars of the Pharaoh

Book number: 4
Serialisation: 1932-1934
Black and white album: 1934
Coloured album: 1955
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While holidaying on a Mediterranean cruise ship, Tintin and Snowy are accused of being part of an opium smuggling operation. This adventure leads him to Egypt, the Middle East, and eventually India.

Cigars of the Pharaoh features the first appearance of Thomson and Thompson and the villain Rastapopoulos. A video game based on this story was released in 2023.

The Blue Lotus

Book number: 5
Serialisation: 1934-1935
Black and white album: 1936
Coloured album: 1946
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Picking up where Cigars of the Pharaoh left off, in India, Tintin and Snowy are invited to China to report on the 1931 Japanese invasion. While there, the pair encounter spies and uncover a drug-smuggling ring.

The Blue Lotus is a turning point in Hergé’s depiction of the world. After meeting a Chinese exchange student, the cartoonist had a greater focus on cultural and historical accuracy.

The draft cover for this story sold at auction for 3.2 million euros.

The Broken Ear

Book number: 6
Serialisation: 1935-1937
Black and white album: 1937
Coloured album: 1943
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Tintin and Snowy head to South America in search of a stolen artefact, identifiable by a broken right ear. However, it won’t be easy, with the pair encountering thieves after the artefact.

The Broken Ear introduces General Alcazar and is the first instance of Hergé using fictional countries for his stories.

The Black Island

Book number: 7
Serialisation: 1937-1938, 1965
Black and white album: 1938
Coloured album: 1943, 1966
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Tintin and Snowy head to England in search of a gang of counterfeiters. However, in the process, our hero is framed for theft and is hunted by Thomson and Thompson. The search leads Tintin and Snowy to Scotland and the gang’s lair on the titular Black Island.

Despite being one of the most popular Tintin stories, The Black Island underwent numerous changes in the 1960s ahead of being released in English. Much of this was done to fix 131 inaccuracies identified by the publisher. Hergé was busy working on Flight 714 to Sydney at the time, so he sent his assistant Bob De Moor to Britain for research purposes. The updated story, featuring the fixes and more contemporary clothing, was serialised in Tintin magazine before being published in English.

King Ottokar’s Sceptre

Book number: 8
Serialisation: 1938-1939
Black and white album: 1939
Coloured album: 1947
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In this adventure, Tintin and Snowy head to the fictional Balkan nation of Syldavia with Professor Alembick. However, is the professor all that he seems, or is he part of a plot to overthrow the monarchy?

Hergé intended King Ottokar’s Sceptre to be a satirical criticism of Nazi Germany’s expansionist policies, in particular the annexation of Austria in 1938. The result is a political satire combined with mystery and thriller elements.

The Crab with the Golden Claws

Book number: 9
Serialisation: 1940-1941
Black and white album: 1941
Coloured album: 1943
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Tintin and Snowy travel to Morocco to track down an international opium smuggling ring.

The Crab with the Golden Claws is notable for two things. This is the first story published while Belgium was under German occupation, which restricted political content. It also features the first appearance of Captain Haddock.

The Shooting Star

Book number: 10
Serialisation: 1941-1942
Coloured album: 1942
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Tintin, Snowy, and Captain Haddock join a scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean to find a recently fallen meteorite. But they won’t be the only ones looking for it.

The Shooting Star is one of the more fantastical Tintin stories, with a science fiction bent. Unfortunately, it’s also one that features antisemitic depictions of Jews, aligning with the newspaper it was published in’s editorial stance at the time under Nazi German occupation.

The Secret of the Unicorn

Book number: 11
Serialisation: 1942-1943
Coloured album: 1943
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Tintin, Snowy, and Captain Haddock discover a riddle left by the latter’s ancestor from the 17th century. The riddle leads to a hidden treasure of Red Rackham, which requires the group to find model pirate ships that contain more clues to the treasure’s whereabouts. However, they’re not the only ones after it.

Red Rackham’s Treasure

Book number: 12
Serialisation: 1943
Coloured album: 1944
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Red Rackham’s Treasure picks up where The Secret of the Unicorn left off, with Tintin and Captain Haddock launching an expedition to locate the pirate treasure of Red Rackham. It also features the first appearance of Professor Calculus.

The Seven Crystal Balls

Book number: 13
Serialisation: 1943-1944, 1946-1948
Coloured album: 1948
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Tintin and Haddock have a mystery on their hands. Seven scientists have mysteriously fallen into a state of lethargy. To make things worse, Professor Calculus has gone missing.

The original serialisation of The Seven Crystal Balls was cancelled abruptly after Allied forces liberated Belgium from German occupation. At the time, Hergé was accused of collaborating with the occupying forces. However, after clearing his name, the story restarted serialisation in Tintin magazine two years later.

Prisoners of the Sun

Book number: 14
Serialisation: 1946-1948
Coloured album: 1949
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Prisoners of the Sun continues the mystery of The Seven Crystal Balls. This will lead Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy to uncover a hidden Inca civilisation in the Andes.

Land of Black Gold

Book number: 15
Serialisation: 1939-1940, 1948-1950
Coloured album: 1950, 1971
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With war brewing in Europe, Tintin and Snowy head to the Middle East to report on a militant group sabotaging oil supplies.

The original serialisation of Land of Black Gold was interrupted by Nazi Germany’s invasion of Belgium in 1940. The story, which featured Germans as antagonists, was picked up again and completed after World War II.

Changes were made to the story when it was translated into English for the first time in 1971 on the publisher’s request. This included changing the setting from British Mandate for Palestine to the fictional state of Khemed.

Destination Moon

Book number: 16
Serialisation: 1950-1951
Coloured album: 1953
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In the 16th book, Tintin and Captain Haddock have been invited to Syldavia by Professor Calculus, who has been working on a top-secret project – a manned mission to the Moon. However, they’ll have to deal with sabotage before lift-off.

Explorers on the Moon

Book number: 17
Serialisation: 1952-1953
Coloured album: 1954
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Continuing on from the previous book, Explorers of the Moon details Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy’s adventure on the Moon.

The Calculus Affair

Book number: 18
Serialisation: 1954-1956
Coloured album: 1956
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Professor Calculus has developed a machine that’s capable of destroying objects with sound waves. However, that opens him to danger as the countries of Borduira and Syldavia attempt to kidnap him. It’ll be up to Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy to prevent that from happening.

Inspired by the Cold War, The Calculus Affair is considered one of the best Tintin stories thanks to its spy-thriller story and excellent cartooning.

The Red Sea Sharks

Book number: 19
Serialisation: 1956-1958
Coloured album: 1958
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Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy return to Khemed to aid the previous leader after a coup d’état – financed by Rastapopoulos – regain control of the country. The story also explored the Red Sea slave trade.

Tintin in Tibet

Book number: 20
Serialisation: 1958-1959
Coloured album: 1960
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Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy head to the Himalayas in search of a friend who is believed to have died in a plane crash. However, did they really? Aided by a sherpa, the trio trek up the mountains to the plateau of Tibet to rescue them, encountering a yeti along the way.

Tintin in Tibet was Hergé’s favourite Tintin story – even though he was going through a lot of emotional turmoil at the time. He wasn’t the only one, with it considered by many to be the best Tintin tale. It was even praised by the Dalai Lama, who awarded it the Light of Truth Award.

The Castafiore Emerald

Book number: 21
Serialisation: 1961-1962
Coloured album: 1963
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Captain Haddock hosts opera singer Bianca Castafiore and a film crew at his home, Marlinspike Hall. However, things go pear-shaped when the singer’s emerald goes missing.

The Castafiore Emerald deviates from the Tintin formula by not featuring adventure abroad. Instead, it focuses more on mystery.

Flight 714 to Sydney

Book number: 22
Serialisation: 1966-1967
Coloured album: 1968
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Tintin and Haddock get embroiled in a plot to kidnap an eccentric millionaire after missing a flight to Sydney.

Tintin and the Picaros

Book number: 23
Serialisation: 1975-1976
Coloured album: 1976
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Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, and Professor Calculus travel to a fictional South American nation to rescue Bianca Catafiore, who has been imprisoned by the government. While there, the cast become involved in anti-government activities run by General Alcazar.

Tintin and the Picaros is the final completed Tintin story.

Tintin and Alph-Art

Book number: 24
Serialisation: 1986
Coloured album: 2004
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Tintin and Alph-Art is the final Tintin story, left unfinished by Hergé’s death in 1983. It involved the boy reporter investigating the murder of a local art dealer and falling into the world of art forgery.

The work is incomplete, filled out by reproduced sketches and a transcript of the story.

What about Tintin and the Lake of Sharks?

Tintin and the Lake of Sharks was first a 1972 animated film of the same name. Hergé only played a supervising role on the film, with fellow Belgian cartoonist Greg (Michel Regnier) the creative driver.

The comic version derives from movie stills. As a result, it’s not a true Tintin comic in the traditional sense.

Best Tintin story to start with

So, where should you start reading The Adventures of Tintin?

It’s tempting to start from the beginning. However, I wouldn’t do that if you’ve never read Tintin before. The early work is rougher from a storytelling perspective, less polished in its execution, and with more problematic elements than the middle and later periods. You have to slog through the first couple of books before it starts getting good.

With The Adventures of Tintin, it’s best to use a “Read The Best, Then Read The Rest” approach. Start with some of the critically-acclaimed and fan-favourite stories like The Calculus Affair, Tintin in Tibet, The Black Island, and The Seven Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun. From there, I suggest sampling other stories from the middle and late periods. Leave the earliest stories to last and read them more as a curiosity.

It’s also worth noting that there are a couple of books that are best read as a pair. This is because they combine to be one big adventure. These include:

Cigars of the Pharaohs/The Blue Lotus
The Secret of the Unicorn/Red Rackham’s Treasure
The Seven Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun
Destination Moon/Explorers on the Moon

Otherwise, you can read The Adventures of Tintin in any order you want.

Formats, formats, formats!

The Adventures of Tintin has been published in many different ways, each with their own appeal. For the sake of streamlining things, I’ll be sticking to those published in English, as there have been countless editions in the European market.

While you can buy individual albums in softcover and hardcover, there are several other options to read The Adventures of Tintin.

Compilations

These compilations collect multiple Tintin stories in one book. There are different compilations available, depending on the publisher, e.g., Farshore for the UK and Little, Brown and Company in the US. However, one thing that remains constant is that none of them, for obvious reasons, collect Tintin in the Congo.

It’s worth noting that the dimensions of the compilations are smaller than the individual albums. This results in the comics feeling a bit more cramped and the lettering harder to read. However, the upside is portability and more bang for your buck page-wise.

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 3 (Farshore complication) cover.

Farshore hardcover compilations

Farshore, formally known as Egmont, have published The Adventures of Tintin in hardcover complications that compile two to three stories per volume. There are eight 15.6 x 22.1 cm (6.1 x 8.7 inches) books in total.

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 1
Collects: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in America

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 2
Collects: Cigars of the Pharaoh, The Blue Lotus, and The Broken Ear

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 3
Collects: The Black Island, King Ottokar’s Sceptre, and The Crab with the Golden Claws

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 4
Collects: The Shooting Star, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 5
Collects: The Seven Crystal Balls, Prisoners of the Sun, and Land of the Black Gold

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 6
Collects: Destination Moon, Explorers on the Moon, and The Calculus Affair

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 7
Collects: The Red Sea Sharks, Tintin in Tibet, and The Castafiore Emerald

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 8
Collects: Flight 714 to Sydney, Tintin and the Picaros, and Tintin and Alph-Art

Buy The Adventures of Tintin on…

The Adventures of Tintin Volume 1 (Little, Brown and Company complication) cover.

Little, Brown and Company hardcovers

Little, Brown and Company (the US publisher) have their own hardcover collections. The stories collected mirror the Farshore collections mentioned above, but with different presentation. The book dimensions are also slightly different at 14.93 x 21.28 cm (5.88 x 8.38 inches).