BIOGRAPHY:

Georges Prosper Remi (1907-1983), under his alias Hergé (his initials reversed and pronounced in French) created 23 volumes of the adventures of Tintin, one of the most recognizable figures in fiction. The first Tintin strip appeared in 1929 in Le Petit Vingtieme, the weekly supplement of the Belgium newspaper, Le Vingtieme Siecle and was immediately popular. Hergé developed a clarity of drawing, composition and narrative, known as the 'Clear Line', an approach subsequently followed by numerous cartoonists.

After the Second World War Hergé was wrongly accused of collaborating with the Nazis, and Hergé utilized his time by redrawing the previous Tintin adventures to conform to a standard 62 page colour album format. Another change was to removing any references to actual historical events or people and real places - thus giving the Tintin stories a timeless quality.

Tintin fans will want to read the following books:

Tintin:
The Complete Companion
by Michael Farr, 2001
Discover the real life sources for the Tintin stories. Full of fascinating information and intriguing connections.


Drawn & Quarterly Vol 4
edited by Chris Oliveros, 2001
The luxurious coffee-table comic anthology. This edition contains a meticulously researched 52 page comic biography of Hergé.


Interviews:
The Comics Journal #250 (2003)

Resources:
Tintin.com
In Defence Of Hergé
Article: Comic Art #2-3
Tintin & I: Film Site
Tintin & I: Jessica Abel
Tintin & I: Daniel Clowes
Tintin & I: Phoebe Glockener
Tintin & I: Jason Lutes
Tintin & I: Seth
Tintin & I: Chris Ware

Reviews:
Paul Gravett: Tintin & Snowy
Paul Gravett: Hergé & Tintin
Tom McCarthy: The Guardian

The Blue Lotus
1936
Inspired by a chance meeting with a Chinese art student in Belgium, Chang Chong-chen, Hergé discovered a love of Chinese poetry and writing, gained an understanding of the politics of the region. For this story, and for the first time, Hergé undertook meticulous research for Tintin's adventure in the Orient.

"A masterpiece - Hergé's first by general agreement, his finest in the opinion of some."
Michael Farr, The Complete Tintin

The Calculus Affair
1956
"For high comedy, thrilling adventure, and some of the best story telling ever to ever grace the printed page, The Calculus Affair should definitely be read - preferably by someone who is old enough to appreciate it, but young enough to still believe that the good guys always win."
Read This Book, The Comics Journal #200

Tintin In Tibet
1960
Tintin is on a mission to rescue the survivors of a plane crash in Tibet and in doing so Hergé makes a deep statement about the incorruptible bonds of friendship.

Colour Albums:
Tintin In The Congo (1931, redrawn 1946)
Tintin In America (1932, redrawn 1945)
Cigars Of The Pharaoh (1934, redrawn 1955)
The Blue Lotus (1936, redrawn 1946)
The Broken Ear (1937, redrawn 1943)
The Black Island (1938, redrawn 1943 and 1966)
King Ottokar's Sceptre (1939, redrawn 1947)
The Crab With The Golden Claws (1941, redrawn 1947)
The Shooting Star (1942)
The Secret Of The Unicorn (1943)
Red Rackham's Treasure (1944)
The Seven Crystal Balls (1948)
Prisoners Of The Sun (1949)
Land Of The Black Gold (1951)
Destination Moon (1953)
Explorers On The Moon (1954)
The Calculus Affair (1956)
The Red Sea Sharks (1958)
Tintin In Tibet (1960)
The Castafiore Emerald (1963)
Flight 714 (1968)
Tintin And The Picaros (1976)
Tintin And L'Alph-Art (1986), unfinished

Black & White Archive Series:
Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets (1930)
Tintin In The Congo (1931)