How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?
I found this question to be interesting, as at a first glance Tintin may appear to be part of a children's genre. But when some research and a bit of digging is done it becomes quite clear that there are many adult themes and concepts running throughout Tintin that wouldn't be understood and commonly missed by the average child reader. An example of a political theme in the Blue Lotus that wouldn't be understood by a child reader is when the Japanese saboteurs blow up the railway as an excuse for Japan to invade China.
Farr, 1991 said that when the publisher Casterman took on the publication of the books it was soon found that demand far exceeded supply.
Would demand exceed supply if only children were interested in this new phenomenon known as Tintin? Clearly the adult population was equally as eager to buy the books and participate in the hype as the children. The popularity spread like wildfire, and 'the adventures were translated into more than 50 languages' (Farr, 1991.)
Farr also states that key factors to the success of Tintin to break out of the children's genre and be unleashed upon the adult world were due to the accurate detail to every story, the painstaking research taken to make sure all elements were culturally correct, and Herges constantly swelling archive files.
"The child will be gripped by the excitement of Tintin, the comedy. The adult will additionally find political satire and parody, puns and prescience." (Farr, 1991.) This quote clearly shows how Farr justifies Tintin's appeal to adults by the use of political themes and accurate research.
Farr, Michael. (1991) Tintin: the complete companion. London: John murray.
I couldnt agree with you more, i found all the same evidence in Farr's text. Do you think that it be argued that due to the immense attention to detail (Esther talked briefly on this during the screening) that the comics may have been somewhat targeted to the adult reader (Spending weeks on a boat in preparation to write tintin and the red sea shark) , and the appeal to a younger audience is merely a byproduct justified by the choice of media it uses? In saying this, im not too familiar with the history of comics, so i could be wrong..
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