Tintin, the young reporter, has become a worldwide cartoon phenomenon, rivalled only by Asterix, a cult with a following among adults and children alike. How did this apparently simple character gain such a hold? What is the secret of his appeal? And what was his shadowy creator - Georges Remi, "Herge", really like? Harry Thompson, a lifelong Tintin fan, has written a dual biography. On the one hand he charts Tintin's progress from a doodle on a school exercise book during World War I to the young reporter used first for propaganda, then for political satire under the guise of adventure stories, into character comedy and even on to the moon, well ahead of real-life astronauts. And on the other he tells of a strongly moral man, the researcher and perfectionist, who turned himself into a great artist through sheer effort and travelled the world, escaping from the boredom of a desk-job in Brussels. He examines accusations against Remi of collaboration during the last war, his wariness in relationships, and his loss of creativity.

英国著名记者和丁丁学家迈克·法尔 （Michael Farr）通过本书，展示了他从著名连环画《丁丁历险记》丛书中精心挑选出来的十几个尤为重要，且个性鲜明的人物形象，以此解密“丁丁大家族”的构建历史，为读者们揭示了这些角色的起源、创作灵感和持久的艺术魅力。 华丽而更具珍贵意义的插图和资料照片，全方位地展示了《丁丁历险记》冒险世界非凡、强大的阵容。读罢这本书，会让全世界的“丁丁迷”情不自禁地再次捧起他们珍藏的那套连环画......