Tintin and The Blue Lotus

Do you think Tintin are a children's or an adult genre/media ?

Tintin, in many ways opened up a whole new world of animation/image and text. At first the sensation grew to be merely a newspaper's idea to increase the intellectual minds of the younger generation. In the early 1920's silent movies were the trend of the film industry, up until a new form of entertainment and literature came to life providing more than just visual interaction with the viewers, but also educational messages and morals that meant something. Tintin was a great example of a new revolution where comics first started to develop which in my opinion could be a genre for both children and adults.

Firstly I believe that because of its animation and visual content it can be viewed by a younger audience. Take Tintin and the Blue Lotus for example, there are moments of funny characterisations where one of the roles in the comic acts crazy and out of his mind, creating a less serious feeling. Funny, foolish and simple acts like that bring it down to a more humorous and easier text to understand therefore making it possible for a younger viewer to enjoy such an adult based text.

On the other hand there are controversies about the impact it has when it comes to the social and racial awareness making it a bit more complex for a child to comprehend. Viewing material like Tintin and the Blue Lotus, yes in 'my opinion' I believed it to be suitable for both age groups because it wasn't as hostile towards the racial themes as it was in 'Tintin in the Congo'. As described in the NZ Herald (2007) there are indications of 'stereotypical' and 'racial' material referring to issues in which the society in Belgian Congo and all around the world for that matter were suffering with at the time. Farr (1991) clearly states the accuracy of the political 'forthrightness. It would be easier for an adult to have a better understanding and take into consideration the themes and structure of the comic series, where as a child is merely in it for the entertainment.

In Conclusion I would have to say that there are specific elements to the genre that goes for both a child and an adult. Event though a child may not understand the depth and complexity an older viewer would, it's certain that creativity and imagination are lessons which Herge can teach to them. Being a fan of the comic series myself it isn't hard to see how much of an impact 'Remi' has on everyone applying to all age groups.


References:

Farr, Michael. (1991). The Blue Lotus. Tintin: the complete companion (pp.52). London: John Murray.

NZ Herald. (19 July, 2007).