The Secret of the UnicornAWWWWWW YEEEEAAAAAH.

Re-reading THIS one has gotten me excited all over again for the film (not that I haven't been excited for...y'know, years). But as a part of my countdown, knowing we're only weeks away-- it's an overload of excitement!
Unicorn is the first half of a strong two-parter and, in my humble opinion, the beginning of Hergé's greatest Tintin era, which delivers one great story after another and lasts almost until the very end of the series. Unlike almost every album leading up to this point,
Unicorn is first and foremost a mystery-- there's a lot more investigating and detective work than what the typical globe-trotting adventures offer, and as much as I enjoy the exotic locations, that's a big part of why I like this one. Tintin doesn't need to travel to deliver a good story! The pickpocket subplot is one of my favourite components in this book (and one of the most clever bits in the series). I don't find it contrived the way things work out in the end; Hergé repeatedly references the pickpocket, cutting away fairly often to the Thom(p)sons and their attempt to hunt him down (invariably hilarious stuff, of course), so it clearly doesn't come out of nowhere when it ties into the main plot. Love it.
Captain Haddock has nearly become the Captain Haddock we know and love by this point, but I don't believe we see his full character come to fruition until
Red Rackham (when the last puzzle piece is wedged into his life in the form of Calculus). Still, he delivers a fantastic, drunken performance during the flashback sequence to his ancestor battling onboard the Unicorn...which, as you can see, I decided to draw. The Bird Brothers are rather nonthreatening villains, but that doesn't bother me too terribly much. It just makes them a little less memorable than, say, the introduction of Nestor and his scuffle with Tintin for the telephone. ("Did he have time to use the telephone?" "He did!" "Who did he get?" "He got me!")
Ah, really, what can I say? This is just a solid, thoroughly enjoyable detective story, and the perfect prelude to the treasure hunt to follow!
MOVIE MOVIE MOVIE. CAN'T WAIT.Promo0102030405060708--
10The Adventures of Tintin is © HERGE/MOULINSART S.A. estate; I will not be personally profiting from ANY of this art
Anywho, nice work so far with this series. Looking forward to the rest.