Two DVDs with just over five hours of Tintin, and there are still only seven books contained in this collection. What you can tell from this is that each book is given a very thorough treatment. Virtually unabridged, these episodes follow the original stories almost as if they were storyboards rather than graphic novels intended purely for reading pleasure. Apropos the upcoming movie, "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure" are contained here in all their glory. We can only hope that Spielberg and Jackson are as faithful to the source material... These two stories feature Tintin in pure adventure mode, as well as playing his boy-detective role. Inevitably, Thomson and Thompson show up, bumbling through episode after episode, and even (in "Cigars of the Pharaoh") mistaking Tintin for one of the bad guys. They're harmless, like parental figures that just can't function very effectively when faced with the swashbuckling teenage fantasy that Tintin embodies.
Other books featured as animation in The Adventures of Tintin: Season One include "The Crab with the Golden Claws," "The Blue Lotus," "The Black Island," and "The Calculus Affair." The animation quality is quite high - not modern HD or computer-generated, but more like a throwback to the early Superman shows. The retro treatment sits perfectly with the world of Tintin, which is full of rotary phones, vintage cars, trains, and ships. It's notable that stories take place as much as they do on those latter means of conveyance, rather than showing people driving around in cars. The Tintin we see here was a product of the early half of the century, when cars were still just an ordinary and slightly boring way of getting around. Sea voyages and rail journeys lend an international angle to most of these stories, which in turn introduces a few stereotypes that feel dated by today's standards. Hergé has been a controversial figure for some of his wartime positions, and his racial/cultural views were no more progressive than most of his contemporaries. "The Blue Lotus" depicts some aspects of Asian culture that feel regressive, but the worst of Tintin's or Captain Haddock's attitudes against non-Europeans has been buffed out. The bad guys in these stories have a cultural bias, but those cultures are only vaguely implicated in criminal schemes. All the same, stories like "The Crab with the Golden Claws" don't exactly move Western and Arab relations forward.
This collection is a fantastic addition to any household where Tintin graphic novels are appreciated. The Adventures of Tintin: Season One takes some of the best storytelling of the book series and brings it faithfully to the screen with quality animation and good voice acting. About the only thing missing is a third disk with special features, and of course, Season 2! There's no telling if the new feature-length movie coming to theaters will spark renewed interest in Tintin, but collectors and new fans alike will appreciate The Adventures of Tintin: Season One.
