Herge
On "Compass," the webcomic Traci Spencer does for www.Girlamatic.com,
she commented recently that Herge's "Tintin" books "is my all time
favourite comic series and should be required reading for everyone."
Well, I don't think you'd have any trouble getting school children
to read comics in school. Spencer's mother is doing that with her
students reading "Compass" as a class assignment. The problem would
be getting the grownups to offer comics as a course in school. I think
that will change. Will Eisner, father of the graphic novel, has forecast
that comics will be our next literary medium.
But who is Herge, the man behind the ever-popular "Tintin" books? Herge
originated the clear line style of drawing comics that you see in his
books, but he didn't always draw that way. He evolved into it. Let's
look at that at www.tintin.com.
Herge was born Georges Remi in Brussels, Belgium on May 22, 1907. He
attended-endured is a better word-the College Saint-Boniface there
in 1920. But the next year, Remi joined the scouts at his high school,
and "Curious Fox," as he was nicknamed, started drawing for the scouting
magazine there called "Jamais Assez." By 1923 his drawings had become
popular enough to appear in "Le Boy-Scout Belge, the national Boy Scout
monthly magazine.
Georges Remi decided on a pen name the following year. He reversed his
initials and began signing his drawings Herge because that's how R.G. is
pronounced in French. He graduated in 1925 and went to work in the sub-
cription department of "Le Vingtieme Siecle" newspaper. That's "The
Twentieth Century" in English.
Herge created his first Tintin-like character in Totor, a patrol leader
in the Belgian Boy Scouts, the following year, then entered the national
military for a year. Upon his return, Herge became chief editor of "Le
Petit Vingtieme," the children's page of "The Twentieth Century,"
starting November 1, 1928. But the following January 10th, Herge intro-
duced Tintin and Snowy to the public. These new characters he's just
created would make his reputation in the years ahead. Then he created
the other characters, Quick and Flupke, first in his children's page,
then in his debut Tintin book, "Tintin, Reporter, in the Land of the
Soviets," in 1930. Many more would follow.
Herge married his editor's secretary Germaine Kieckens in 1932-he
later divorced and remarried-and changed publishers two years later. He
went with Casterman Publishing and began to take his art more seriously.
He began his evolution into his eventual clear line style with his
realization of the necessity of a solid storyline. He created new
characters Jocko, Jo, and Zette for a five book series in 1935. His
friendship with a young Chinese student, Chang Chong-Chen, culminated
in his Tintin book, "The Blue Lotus," which garnered him an invitation
to China by Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek in 1939, but the European War prevented
his going.
The war also resulted in Belgium being occupied by Germany starting in May 1940. The Germans troops closed "Le Vingtieme Siecle." So Herge
found work at "Le Soir," one of the few Belgian newspapers permitted to
exist during the occupation. There he began drawing "The Crab with the
Golden Claws." In 1942 Herge began adapting his previous stories for
Casterman to publish in full color sixty-four page books. His Tintin
stories in "Le Soir" ended in 1944 after the Allies liberated Belgium
on September 3rd with Herge accused of Nazi collaboration. He was
eventually exonerated. Casterman continued publishing his earlier Tintin stories.
Herge's greatest years were about to begin.
Raymond Leblanc, who had fought in the French Resistance, began pub-
lishing Herge's Tintin stories in his new magazine "Tintin Magazine"
on September 26, 1946. The increasing popularity of the Tintin stories
then led Herge to found his own Studios Herge in 1950. By the middle
of that decade, advertisers started to take and interest in the Tintin
character. By the 1960s, Tintin movies started to be filmed, often
starring Belgian actor Jean-Pierre Talbot. In 1969, Brussels' Studios
Belvision produced a full-length cinematic cartoon of Herge's Tintin
book, "Prisoners of the Sun." Herge visited the United States in 1971,
meeting with Native Americans. In 1973, he finally got to visit Taiwan,
over three decades after Mrs. Chang Kai-Shek had invited him. That same
year, Casterman began publishing the Herge Archives. A full-length
documentary, "I, Tintin," followed in 1976, and on September 29th,
Brussels unveiled a bronze statue of Tintin and Snowy. Nineteen seventy-
nine marked the fiftieth birthday of Tintin with Andy Warhol's four
portraits of Tintin's creator and a Tintin postage stamp in Belgium.
The Belgian Astronomical Society named a new planet "Planet Herge"-
between Jupiter and Mars-in his honor for his seventy-fifth birthday
in 1982. He passed away on March 3rd in 1983.
Herge's signature clear line style came to fruition after World War
Two, the beginning of his best work and most successful years. This
style, characterized by clean, expressive drawings, strong colors, and
engaging, well-researched storylines, have influenced many modern
comics artists, including American artists Traci Spencer and Geoff
Darrow, Spanish artist Max Bardin, and British artist Martin Handford.
she commented recently that Herge's "Tintin" books "is my all time
favourite comic series and should be required reading for everyone."
Well, I don't think you'd have any trouble getting school children
to read comics in school. Spencer's mother is doing that with her
students reading "Compass" as a class assignment. The problem would
be getting the grownups to offer comics as a course in school. I think
that will change. Will Eisner, father of the graphic novel, has forecast
that comics will be our next literary medium.
But who is Herge, the man behind the ever-popular "Tintin" books? Herge
originated the clear line style of drawing comics that you see in his
books, but he didn't always draw that way. He evolved into it. Let's
look at that at www.tintin.com.
Herge was born Georges Remi in Brussels, Belgium on May 22, 1907. He
attended-endured is a better word-the College Saint-Boniface there
in 1920. But the next year, Remi joined the scouts at his high school,
and "Curious Fox," as he was nicknamed, started drawing for the scouting
magazine there called "Jamais Assez." By 1923 his drawings had become
popular enough to appear in "Le Boy-Scout Belge, the national Boy Scout
monthly magazine.
Georges Remi decided on a pen name the following year. He reversed his
initials and began signing his drawings Herge because that's how R.G. is
pronounced in French. He graduated in 1925 and went to work in the sub-
cription department of "Le Vingtieme Siecle" newspaper. That's "The
Twentieth Century" in English.
Herge created his first Tintin-like character in Totor, a patrol leader
in the Belgian Boy Scouts, the following year, then entered the national
military for a year. Upon his return, Herge became chief editor of "Le
Petit Vingtieme," the children's page of "The Twentieth Century,"
starting November 1, 1928. But the following January 10th, Herge intro-
duced Tintin and Snowy to the public. These new characters he's just
created would make his reputation in the years ahead. Then he created
the other characters, Quick and Flupke, first in his children's page,
then in his debut Tintin book, "Tintin, Reporter, in the Land of the
Soviets," in 1930. Many more would follow.
Herge married his editor's secretary Germaine Kieckens in 1932-he
later divorced and remarried-and changed publishers two years later. He
went with Casterman Publishing and began to take his art more seriously.
He began his evolution into his eventual clear line style with his
realization of the necessity of a solid storyline. He created new
characters Jocko, Jo, and Zette for a five book series in 1935. His
friendship with a young Chinese student, Chang Chong-Chen, culminated
in his Tintin book, "The Blue Lotus," which garnered him an invitation
to China by Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek in 1939, but the European War prevented
his going.
The war also resulted in Belgium being occupied by Germany starting in May 1940. The Germans troops closed "Le Vingtieme Siecle." So Herge
found work at "Le Soir," one of the few Belgian newspapers permitted to
exist during the occupation. There he began drawing "The Crab with the
Golden Claws." In 1942 Herge began adapting his previous stories for
Casterman to publish in full color sixty-four page books. His Tintin
stories in "Le Soir" ended in 1944 after the Allies liberated Belgium
on September 3rd with Herge accused of Nazi collaboration. He was
eventually exonerated. Casterman continued publishing his earlier Tintin stories.
Herge's greatest years were about to begin.
Raymond Leblanc, who had fought in the French Resistance, began pub-
lishing Herge's Tintin stories in his new magazine "Tintin Magazine"
on September 26, 1946. The increasing popularity of the Tintin stories
then led Herge to found his own Studios Herge in 1950. By the middle
of that decade, advertisers started to take and interest in the Tintin
character. By the 1960s, Tintin movies started to be filmed, often
starring Belgian actor Jean-Pierre Talbot. In 1969, Brussels' Studios
Belvision produced a full-length cinematic cartoon of Herge's Tintin
book, "Prisoners of the Sun." Herge visited the United States in 1971,
meeting with Native Americans. In 1973, he finally got to visit Taiwan,
over three decades after Mrs. Chang Kai-Shek had invited him. That same
year, Casterman began publishing the Herge Archives. A full-length
documentary, "I, Tintin," followed in 1976, and on September 29th,
Brussels unveiled a bronze statue of Tintin and Snowy. Nineteen seventy-
nine marked the fiftieth birthday of Tintin with Andy Warhol's four
portraits of Tintin's creator and a Tintin postage stamp in Belgium.
The Belgian Astronomical Society named a new planet "Planet Herge"-
between Jupiter and Mars-in his honor for his seventy-fifth birthday
in 1982. He passed away on March 3rd in 1983.
Herge's signature clear line style came to fruition after World War
Two, the beginning of his best work and most successful years. This
style, characterized by clean, expressive drawings, strong colors, and
engaging, well-researched storylines, have influenced many modern
comics artists, including American artists Traci Spencer and Geoff
Darrow, Spanish artist Max Bardin, and British artist Martin Handford.