Marshmallow likes graphic novels. And today she is talking to Sprinkles about a comic book that was published many years ago in 1956 though she only read recently: The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair by Hergé.
Sprinkles: So Marshmallow this book was apparently published in 1956. Can you tell?
Marshmallow: I can tell that it is not contemporary. But I cannot really tell exactly what time the story is supposed to be happening.
S: That’s not too bad then. Tell me about the story.
M: What happens is that Tintin is visiting his friend Captain Haddock when suddenly everything in the house starts to break. They eventually learn that Professor Calculus has invented a device that can shatter glass. And soon this puts Calculus in danger because some people want to use his invention to make weapons.
S: And the book is about Tintin and Haddock trying to protect Calculus?
M: No. Calculus gets kidnapped so they have to find and rescue him.
S: Oh my. That sounds dangerous.
M: It does get a bit dangerous.
S: But of course since Tintin is the main hero, and Professor Calculus is apparently a recurring character in the series, we can imagine that he will be saved.
M: Yep. But no spoilers!
S: Okay. You are right.
S: I think this is the first Tintin story you have read, right?
M: Yes. I looked at it before but it did not seem too interesting for some reason. But when I picked it up this time, I was kind of drawn into the story much easier. Maybe it is more appealing to older readers.
S: Maybe. My sister really liked Tintin, but I never read his adventures. As you know I am not very good with graphic novels. But I knew there are a lot of fans of Tintin all around the world. So I am glad you read this. According to some, this is one of the best books in the whole series, and there are about 23 or 24 books.
M: Well, I am glad I read it, too. I really liked the drawings. I felt like they were really detailed and you could see or even feel the movement in some of them. When I was reading, I felt enveloped in the world of the story.
S: I think, given that you have read a lot of graphic novels, Marshmallow, that is pretty high praise from you. Especially for a book that is older than even me!
M: Well, what can I say? I think it is very well done.
S: Do you think you might want to know more about Tintin and maybe read more of the series?
M: Yes. I did read the Wikipedia article about it a bit and learned that Tintin is a Belgian journalist who solves mysteries. But I also learned that at least one of the earlier books was eventually seen to be seriously racist.
S: I can unfortunately imagine that something written about Africa in 1930s by a Belgian could be racist about Africans.
M: You know, the back of the book I have read does not even list that particular adventure. So I am guessing they do not want to even bring it up.
S: I can understand that too. I don’t think we will be reading that book any time soon.
M: Definitely not. But I might want to read some of the other books.
S: Alright. We will look into that then. Let us wrap this up now. How would you rate the book Marshmallow?
M: I’m rating it 95% because of the really awesome drawing and the interesting story.
S: That’s great, thank you. And what do you want to tell our readers?
M: Stay tuned for more amazing book reviews from the book bunnies!
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