GenX Comics

Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy

Five years after the fall of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is the first in a new line of Jedi Knights. Han Solo and Princess Leia have married, together assuming many burdens of the New Republic’s government. But across the galaxy lies a dying part of the Empire - all the more dangerous near death - and it has just discovered something that could bring it back to life! The last of the Emperor’s warlords, Admiral Thrawn, is ready to destroy the New Republic - and the odds are stacked heavily against Luke, Leia, and Han!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A “Grand” Adventure …
A bit of a history lesson here is necessary for the uninitiated. Odds are that there will be few (uninitiated) here, given that most drawn to this review will have working familiarity with the subject matter, but I’ll supply a few details from memory anyhow. Call it posterity. Once the lights in the theatre went out on STAR WARS: EPISODE 6: RETURN OF THE JEDI, serious Star Wars enthusiasts had no idea when (or even if) they’d be treated to another adventure in their most favorite cinematic universe. The original trilogy had come to its close with mild controversy (Ewoks? Really, George? Were they necessary?) with some fanfare — after seriously amping up the stakes in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK — and 1983 seemed to bring an end to the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the rest of the gang.

Then, in 1992, science fiction novelist Timothy Zahn’s new trilogy of Star Wars tales began, and it reminded Star Wars fans everywhere of the latent potential still lingering like a welcome disturbance in the Force in that galaxy far, far away. Over the course of the next few years, Zahn did as Lucas had done with the original trilogy, amping up the stakes just a little bit at each crazy turn, whetting fandom’s appetite for even more visits to these distant worlds … and the good folks at Dark Horse Comics were all too happy to oblige. Eventually, Dark Horse stumbled onto the brilliant idea to adapt Zahn’s books; these novels had, after all, earned a special place in the hearts of most Star Wars fans, so much so that most consider these outings as unofficial Episodes 7, 8, and 9, picking up the events of Luke & company nearly a decade after JEDI ended.

Dark Horse completed three miniseries adaptations — each with six issues, each miniseries focusing on one of Zahn’s novels — ultimately and inevitably re-releasing each of these three miniseries in trade paperback forms, and now Dark Horse Books has finally put them all together in one grand spanking adventure. At over 400 pages, STAR WARS: THE THRAWN TRILOGY is the ultimate fan package, returning Star Wars fans to the excitement they felt with each passing chapter of Zahn’s massive adventure. It’s not a light undertaking in the slightest: these comics go to great lengths to capture the details of the books, bringing many new characters, worlds, ships, and situations that, honestly, fit like a glove in Lucas’s fantastic universe.

In a nutshell, the New Republic has grown to encompass many worlds, but elements of the Empire — namely, several surviving ships, bases, and one nasty Grand Admiral Thrawn — have come across data that indicates the Emperor held a few tricks up his sleeve even in death. A hidden Dark Jedi Master … ship cloaking technology … and a mountain fortress complete with cloning cylinders mean that the return of the Empire has always remained a virtually galactic heartbeat away, leaving Adm. Thrawn to hatch his plan to return the forces of evil to reign in the galaxy. Standing in his way? The usual suspects of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and they each have special roles to play, alongside a growing legion of smugglers and Rebel fighter pilots …

Read closely, and you’ll find it hard to believe that the theatres were dark with new cinematic Star Wars adventures for two decades!

Zahn weaves his tale with several new faces and even some new twists on the ol’ ones, and he brings an adult, dramatic, treacherous sensibility to bare on every development. THE THRAWN TRILOGY is a massive undertaking — wouldn’t it be great to get three more Star Wars stories up on the silver screen — and, while it might not be to everyone’s liking, it certainly tickled mosts fancies when so little else was happening in this universe. While some of the events feel a bit rushed toward the end of the collection, this is one story worth visiting again and again, not only for nostalgia but also because it’s great to have Star Wars making all of us feel like a kid again.

May the Force be with you. Always.

5 Stars Great Birthday Present
Got this for a Star Wars fan who has it all. He really enjoyed it, even though he’s read the book. This is something he can enjoy with his kids.

4 Stars Maybe not as in-depth as the novels but a fantastic visual treat for fans
In 1992, Timothy Zahn revived the Star Wars line big-time with his trilogy of novels showing what happened years after the film saga. The results are now obvious and Dark Horse has finally gotten around to putting together the entire trilogy in one nice volume.

Now it’s true that in adapting the books, some stuff had to be edited out. Zahn always had a great line for dialouge and the comic, while an excellent adaptation, is forced to lose some of his nice lines which in some cases give a bit more depth to things. For example, a theme in the trilogy is how it seems Alliance leader Fey’lya seems to be planning a coup but a bit in the books has someone pointing out that he wouldn’t know what to do with a military coup, this is simple politics to him. The comic, however, loses that line and a few others.

However, the pull isn’t the dialouge here, you can simply read the books. What you get is the visual experience and it is terrific seeing these characters you’ve only imagined and would enhance the reading more. The battle scenes are well done with epic clashes and the battle between Luke and mad Master C’Boath is a powerful scene.

The best part are the two characters introduced. The first is Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant villian, cool, responsible and an utter genius in battle with a love for art. He’s a compelling figure you can’t help rooting for even if he is with the Empire. Better is Mara Jade, a former Imperial agent who clashes with Luke several times despite her wanting to change. It’s great to see this woman in her debut given how huge a role she’d play.

I still wish Dark Horse would adapt Zahn’s two book follow-up (Specter of the Past/Vision of the Future) but this is still one of the best SW tales outside of the film saga. If you’ve read the books already, the comic is a great way to see it unfold. If you haven’t, then the comic is the perfect primer for the more in-depth novels. Either way, it’s an experience every fan of the saga can appreciate all the more that captures the magic of the films perfectly.

5 Stars An “Essential” Star Wars graphic novel
I am a member of the generation that came of age between the two trilogies, the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. Being that I was 2 years old when Return of the Jedi hit the big screen I never had the pleasure of witnessing the orignal movies in their theatrical glory. In fact, by the time I was even able to comprehend what Star Wars was, Star Wars was already on VHS, and the all toys belonged to my friends’ older brothers. Growing up in the late 80s to the early 90s, I had no new movies or toys to spark my interest in Star Wars.

During this time, the forefront of the Star Wars continuity was the Expanded Universe(EU). The EU was all we really had, and if it wasn’t for the EU the prequel trilogy, and all of its spinoffs and merchandise, would not exist to this day. If there are two things that really launched the EU and created a new generation of fans at the time, they would have to be the DARK EMPIRE series by Dark Horse Comics, and the Thrawn Trilogy written by Timothy Zahn.

Not long after Dark Horse started making comics, and the Thrawn Trilogy was written, these two juggernauts of EU awesomeness married to give us a comic book series based upon the Thrawn Trilogy. Originally released as single issue comics, available at stores, recently these comics have been compiled to a collection or graphic novel. This was music to my ears,bceause I was never able to track down all the comics when they originally came out.

Enough with the history lesson. This Collection is an excellent buy. For one, it is hardcover and for the price I bought it on Amazon, it was $20 under the suggested retail price. Secondly, it is thick (it has all three stories). You defenitely get the most bang for your buck, when you consider that you are getting all three stories for slightly more than you would have to pay just to buy one.

Some would complain that it is not as in depth as the book, well no crap, it’s a comic book. It is not meant to replace the original novels (which I defenitely recommend). This collection is an excellent companion to the Thrawn Trilogy.

The art work in my opinion is pretty awesome. I might be a bit nostalgic but I really liked the artwork during this era of Star Wars comics.

In summary if you are a fan of Star Wars you will love this item, if you are a fan of the EU you will adore it, and if you are a fan of the Thrawn Trilogy you will not be able to live without it. (Maybe a bit too dramatic)

5 Stars First Time Reading Thrawn
I’m just gna keep this short and spoiler free.

This comic is a MUST BUY for any star wars fan! I’ve never ever been a fan of Post-ROTJ stories but this story was incredible. I never read Thrawn before because it seemed like such a daunting task to invest all my time in 3 novels when Post0ROTJ stories have continually let me down. But as soon as i heard about this omnibus I HAD to have it. I have every TPB and Omnibus released by Dark Horse and this book might be my favorite in my collection, at least top 3.

The story was great and didn’t rehash old plots. There’s a lot of fantastic new characters and great insight into how the New Republic got it’s footing. Thrawn is an incredible character and you really understand why he deserves to be a Grand Admiral.

anyways i said i’d keep this short so do yourself a favor and buy this book. The art is incredible and the dialogue is word for word from the novels with no changes. I will be reading the Novels soon, maybe after i reread this comic again from the beginning!

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Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection (Fulcrum Press)

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Where are the Native American artists?
The editor clearly took great pains to have each tale told in a Native American voice. It is a shame that he didn’t include Native American illustrators to do the graphics. Mr. Dembicki seems to have missed that there is also a long tradition of graphic comic humor amongst native peoples. Moreover, many younger Native American artists talk about comics being an important artistic influence. To see some really talented examples of Native American graphic art, readers can look for the web pages for Comic Art Indigene exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian. The show has also travelled to venues around the country.

5 Stars Tricks and Tangled Webs
Tricksters is a wonderful new Native American anthology of twenty-one stories. Written and illustrated by well-known authors and artists, the book is certainly worth more than its price and will be a fabulous addition for school and home libraries.

Among the twenty-one authors collaborating in this anthology are Greg Rodgers, Tim Tingle, Dayton Edmonds, and Beckee Garris. All of the illustrators bring the stories to life in superbly imaginative ways, helping readers to remember the unique characters.

One of my favorite stories in the anthology is “Giddy Up, Wolfie”, written by Greg Rodgers, a well-known Choctaw storyteller, and illustrated by Mike Shaw. I felt perhaps some shoppers might be interested in a close-up look at one story from the collection, and so decided on “Giddy Up, Wolfie”.

The main character, an average looking Rabbit named “Chuckfi”, becomes infatuated with a female — of another species. The beauty swelling his heart and eyes is “Nashoba-Tek” the white wolf.

Problems in Chuckfi’s relationship with Nashoba-Tek do not necessarily involve their different species. Chuckfi’s naivete’ triggers the problems, with his acceptance to dinner (or, to be dinner) at Nashoba-Tek’s house.

Chuckfi let his heart rule, even when Nashoba-Tek made it clear she was committed to her current boyfriend, “Wolfie”. Not even a bath and a good roll in perfumey flowers was sufficient to steer Nashoba-Tek’s affections away from Wolfie, and toward Chuckfi. So he composed a trick to convince Nashoba-Tek that he was more deserving of her affections than Wolfie.

Was Chuckfi successful in proving that Wolfie’s prowess was just a sham? While reading about Nashoba-Tek, you will also remember the adage “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”. Somewhere in the telling, you might even momentarily forget the story is about animals, not humans!

I purchased Tricksters during the April 2010 Conference of the Oklahoma Library Association and twelve-state Mountain Plains Library Association. The other twenty stories in this anthology are equally remarkable, both in text and illustration. I highly recommend this book to you. You’ll find your spirits lifted, as well as the corners of your mouth. Enjoy!

vehoae

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5 Stars A Very Lively and Readable Book
Folkloric stories are powerful. They can be emotional, funny, uplifting, or scary. But they always have pull to them, and that’s why they continue to haunt and entertain people.

While there are special classes in school that teach mythology and folklore, it isn’t always easy to find a class on Native American stories. Unfortunately, these stories are often pushed aside just as Native American culture and history can so often get left out of textbooks. Trickster: Native American Tales–A Graphic Collection is a unique remedy for this. In the form of a comic book, it tells 21 Native tales about tricksters. The tales range in style and emotion: Some are straightforward, some are humorous, some are frightening. All of them are interesting.

While the collection is edited by Matt Dembicki, who also illustrated one of the stories, Trickster offers a wide variety of talent. Dembicki explains in his afterword: “For this book, I wanted the stories to be authentic, meaning they would be written by Native American storytellers.” He was able to find many talented people to help him make this collection a reality. One aspect that’s really interesting is how different the stories are from one another. Even if elements and storylines can be similar, each artist and writer has a unique way of portraying the story. The style of art especially varies: Some stories are dark and realistic; some are comical and outrageous; some look as if they came from the Sunday morning funnies section; some look like the art from children’s books; some look like cartoons one might see on television.

The binding thread for all the stories is that each one deals with a trickster. Sometimes the tricksters are animals like Coyote or Rabbit. Other times they’re humans. Sometimes the tricksters are really low-down; at other times, their actions are understandable. Usually their brains help them win the day, even if their methods wouldn’t always be considered acceptable.

This could be a great way to learn more about Native American culture through storytelling. Or, if the reader is already familiar with the stories, it could be enjoyable just for the sake of seeing how different writers and artists render the stories. Either way, it’s a very lively and readable book that libraries might really want to consider shelving in their folklore sections.

It seems like neglect not to mention the names of all the gifted people who wrote and illustrated these stories; Naming them will also give readers an idea of how many minds worked on this and how many creative differences can be seen. Trickster’s contributors are Dayton Edmonds, Micah Farritor, John Active, Jason Copland, James Bruchac, Joseph Bruchac, Matt Dembicki, David Smith, Jerry Carr, Eldrena Douma, Roy Boney, Jr., Michael Thompson, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Jonathan Perry, Chris Piers, Scott White, Tim Tingle, Pat Lew, Elaine Grinnell, Michelle Silva, Mary Eyley, Jim8ball, Greg Rodgers, Mike Short, Joyce Bear, Megan Baehr, Beckee Garris, Andrew Cohen, Dan Jones, Michael J. Auger, Eirik Thorsgard, Rand Arrington, Thomas C. Cummings, Jr., Paul Zdepski, Jimm Goodtracks, Dimi Macheras, Jack Gladstone, Evan Keeling, Joseph Stands With Many, Jon Sperry, John Bear Mitchell, Andy Bennett, Sunny Dooley, and J. Chris Campbell.

– Danica Davidson

5 Stars Fresh take on a timeless topic
A wonderful new way of looking at the Trickster’s tricky character. About 20 Native story tellers and 20 different graphic artists from all over the U.S. came together to make this book, which makes it pretty unique. Good for older kids, young adults, and adults. Printing quality is top notch. Attractive cover–could be nice coffee table book.

5 Stars Trickster is an excellent bedtime story book
Trickster is a diverse collection of visually entertaining tales. It offers chic delivery of the trickster archetype for both young and old. It’s currently the top request for bedtime reading with my 6 year old son; AND, for me when I’m able to sneak it away! Very, very cool!

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Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 1

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of her “flock” - Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel - are just like ordinary kids, except they have wings and can fly! It may seem like a dream come true to some, but for the flock it’s more like a living nightmare. When the mysterious lab known as the “School” turns up and kidnaps their youngest member, it’s up to Max to organize a rescue, but will help come in time?

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Patterson graphic novel
Teenagers love graphic novels and this one is a must-read. Every teenager loves it.

5 Stars Another in the max series.
Max is at it again. The bird kids get into and out of constant trouble. Not sure how they survive. Book keeps you interested in the characters and the story. Well worth you time and money.

4 Stars For my granddaughter
I purchased this item for my granddaughter. She is thirteen and she liked the book very well.

5 Stars Beautifully done
I love the art work and I liked the story line. Of course I had already bought the non-manga version and enjoyed it.

4 Stars I’m new to manga. Loved it.
Well, this is the first Manga book I ever read, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. I like it. it was a fun story and the pictures made it come alive. I was disappointed when I got to the end and it wasn’t the end. But I should have expected that, I guess, since it was labeled “Vol. 1.” I picked it up at B&N on a gift card to go with my frappacino.

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Irredeemable Vol 2

A comic book industry events continues: volume two of the new original ongoing superhero series from

Mark Waid!  IRREDEEMABLE dares to ask the question: what if the world’s greatest hero decided to become the world’s greatest villain? A “twilight of the superheros”-style story that examines super-villains from the writer of KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars irredeemable
Awesome story line! what would happen if the greatest superhero just got sick of all the BS?

5 Stars If you don’t love this book then I’m not sure what to tell you.
Awesome…Great story on all fronts…love, violence, suspense, flashbacks…I mean you don’t get better than this.

Make sure to pick up Incorruptable as it takes place at the same time and it kicks azz as well.

4 Stars Sweet Fudgin’ Monkeylover! Mark Waid’s dark and delicious read.
The hero-turned-villain conceit is old hat nowadays in the comic book field, and yet writer Mark Waid keeps on exploring new territory with the stark and riveting, near apocalyptic IRREDEEMABLE. To catch up the more casual readers, at last count, the homicidal Plutonian - once the world’s greatest superhero - had massacred over eight million people, what with his near leveling of Sky City and his sinking of Singapore. As this second volume opens (collecting issues #5-8) the Plutonian expands his reign of terror to playing cruel mind games with the global populace. And there’s an alarming element in how he seems to know the slightest detail, the deepest secret, harbored by the most random of strangers. This man is scary to the umpteenth power.

The surviving members of his former team, the Paradigm, are running for their lives, still desperately trying to come up with a counter for the all-powerful Plutonian. The best hope still lies with Qubit’s Mobiusbots. Except, really, how wise is it for Qubit to have cloned the intellect of the most diabolically intelligent super-criminal in history, and then to clone it multiple times? This bites the Paradigm in the bum. In these four issues, even more secrets are unearthed, more sleazy betrayals sussed out, further fracturing the Paradigm’s already shaky team chemistry. Waid also finally gets around to the events which directly led to the Plutonian’s snapping. And I’ll say that Waid’s flashbacks still reek with sick foreboding, so ominous is the pervading tone.

Needless to say, the writer continues to plumb the Plutonian’s troubled psyche, picking up where Alan Moore left off in MARVELMAN. I guess some guys just don’t have it in them to be a hero, some just don’t have that inner strength. On the inside, the Plutonian simply isn’t as sound as, say, Clark Kent. For the Plutonian, it started with the little things, such as his inability to cope with sensory overload. With his super senses, the Plutonian is able to hear every plea for help on the planet, and this gradually has an eroding effect on him. It doesn’t help, of course, that humanity is so ingrained with that selfish gene. The Plutonian rapidly learns just how fickle and ungrateful man can be. There’s one moment in the flashback in which he refers to the world he protects as this “ant farm of a planet.” At this juncture, the Plutonian was already well on his way to cracking under pressure. But this isn’t what decidedly remade him into a mass murderer. This was just a signpost.

But just when things look the most bleak, an unlikely hero emerges who just may be able to stand up to the all-powerful Plutonian. Except that I suspect this to be fool’s gold. This comic book, after all, isn’t titled PUNKABLE or CLOBBERABLE. It’s IRREDEEMABLE, baby, and I cherish its sense of menace and oppressiveness. Mark Waid keeps on deconstructing.

5 Stars It’s Far and Away One of the Most Interesting and Compelling Superhero Books Currently Being Published
Irredeemable is the sort of series that would seem to have a short shelf life. Reading about the world’s greatest superhero running amok and torturing the planet’s inhabitants should, in theory at least, get old: How long can you read about the same villain going berserk before you want to see him taken down, served justice, made to pay for his crimes?

Surprisingly, in the hands of an able storyteller like Mark Waid, the story remains fresh and vibrant, as Volume 2 of Irredeemable proves. Collecting issues 5 through 8 of the monthly series, this second volume further illustrates the Plutonian’s troubled background, both as a child and as a superhero. The Plutonian is more or less a Superman figure, with somewhat similar powers, and he’s been a member of a Justice League-like group known as the Paradigm. Together, this collection of superheroes saved the world many times over, but something, some case, has made the Plutonian crack. He’s killed millions of people around the globe, including many of his former teammates, and he’s biding his time searching for the rest. The survivors have banded together in a secret hiding place–a difficult thing, considering the vision and hearing powers and other heightened senses their pursuer possesses–as they try to formulate a plan to bring him down.

One of the treats of Irredeemable is Peter Krause’s crisp, clean art, which oftentimes evokes the style of legendary comics artist Curt Swan. It adds to the overall creepiness of the ongoing story, making it truly seem as though you’ve stepped into an EC Comics spinoff of a Golden Age storyline.

Volume 2 is less violent and graphic than its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it’s light fare. It remains a dark and twisted book with plenty of gore, so it’s more suited for adults and older teens. The action is swift and intense, and Waid doesn’t dawdle in the plot lines. Most interesting is the subplot involving the Plutonian’s former girlfriend (the fabulously named Bette Noir), who is now married to a superhero who has no idea his wife used to be the Plutonian’s flame. The storyline gives Waid opportunity to inject a little bit of humor periodically (such as the scene in which the heroes have infiltrated the Plutonian’s lair: Bette opens the door on a shrine to herself in various stages of dress, and she quickly shuts the door and says, “Dead end. Keep moving!”).

Perhaps a less talented writer would have devolved the series into a quick slugfest, but Waid keeps the interest piqued with Irredeemable. Where he’ll keep taking the series is anyone’s guess, but it’s far and away one of the most interesting and compelling superhero books currently being published.

– John Hogan

5 Stars Don’t even hesitate to start this awesome series
The Plutonian was once the world’s greatest superhero-until the day he snapped and became the world’s most dangerous supervillain. The death toll is stacking up as the Plutonian’s history begins to be divulged. The Paradigm, once a group of Plutonian’s fellow superheroes, is lost in the face of the Plutonian’s wrath. However, there may yet be hope for the earth as finally one person seems able to stand toe-to-toe with the ex-superhero. Meanwhile, it becomes more and more apparent that there was-or is-something strange going on between Bette Noir and the Plutonian.

After finishing the first volume of Irredeemable (which contained comic issues #1-4), I was very worried with how the story would be continued in the second volume (issues #5-8). It wasn’t that Mark Waid had really given me anything to quibble with or worry over. In fact, I think it was the distinct lack of quibbles-by which I mean the sheer awesomeness of the story-that generated my fear! I became utterly afraid that Waid would somehow plow the great story, fascinating characters, and beautiful artwork into the ground just to spite me.

Thankfully, the fear was entirely misplaced.

The first volume of Irredeemable was amazing because it was shocking, beautiful, and well-thought out. This second installment continues all of that. The Plutonian is given a lot more backstory now. And even if I don’t enjoy the scenes of kid-Plutonian with foster families as much as I enjoy the present-day mayhem, I do enjoy the format Waid is using to give the backstory. The flash backs always seem to come at just the right moment for the biggest emotional payoff possible. My favorite was the bits about Volt (which almost begin the graphic novel, actually). Volt joins Paradigm, Volt befriends with Plutonian, Volt says something he shouldn’t to the crazy man… Sincerely love it.

Similarly, I’m pretty fond of the developments with Bette Noir. I have a feeling that the third graphic novel (which I have actually started collecting in comic form, because I need to read more soon) will have a lot more of their relationship. I mean, it was pretty obvious in the first volume that something unhealthy was going on. This volume makes it explicitly clear that “unhealthy” doesn’t even begin to cover it-which, of course, is just plain awesome.

The only problem I have with the series right now is more of a dislike for where one particular storyline. Before reading this volume I was worried that the Plutonian would continue to go unchallenged. Like all-powerful heroes, I find all-powerful villains to be boring as all hell. That worry turned out to be irrelevant. However, even though I’m fond of who is stepping up, I’m not very fond of how that’s happening. Frankly, I feel that the current motivations and actions of that character are leading on a path that just isn’t all that original-which is upsetting, particularly considering all the options available. No, I don’t want a pure superhero to battle the `evil’ one, but I do want a complex and varied look at how different people react to power. I’ll even by the `absolute power corrupts absolutely for everyone` argument if I’m given just a little bit more reasoning behind it first.

Other than that, I have not a complaint with Waid and Krause’s Irredeemable. And perhaps that’s a very small complaint indeed when considering how many times this series sends little thrills down my spine.

Also, I love the last full page panel so much. If it didn’t inherently contain a handful of spoilers, I’d share it here.

Obviously, if you’re a comics fan-and particularly a fan of superhero comics that don’t follow the genre rules-don’t even hesitate to start this awesome series. For those who don’t normally go in for comics, I’m still going to recommend it, especially if any of these keywords pique your interest: homicidal superhero; sexual creepiness and skeeviness; trying to destroy everyone because they didn’t love you enough.

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The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 4: Red Rackham’s Treasure / The Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun (3 Volumes in 1)

Proving that good things come in threes, this collection contains three classic and complete Tintin adventures–Red Rackham’s Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun. Full color. Volume 4 of the 3-in-1 Tintin series begins in the middle of an adventure, concluding the story begun in The Secret of the Unicorn. (Keeping all the two-part stories together was not possible in the 3-in-1 format because chronologically, the Unicorn/Rackham and Crystal/Prisoners two-parters are back to back.) Red Rackham’s Treasure follows Tintin and friends as they search for the pirate booty procured by Captain Haddock’s ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, in the West Indies. They receive some unexpected help in the form of a hard-of-hearing inventor named Professor Calculus, who would go on to become one of the most endearing characters of the series. (Herge admitted that the character was one “whom I never suspected would take on such importance.”) It’s a lot of fun, with some submarine and diving adventures, humor from the Thompsons, and an unexpected (but satisfying) ending. The Seven Crystal Balls begins on a light note, as Captain Haddock tries to adjust to his new life as a gentleman following the events of Red Rackham’s Treasure. He wears a monocle and frequents the music hall, where in a not-unusual coincidence he and Tintin happen to find General Alcazar (The Broken Ear) and the dreaded diva Bianca Castafiore. However, it’s the act of fakir Ragdalam with Madame Yamilah, the amazing clairvoyante, that reveals the central adventure: the scientists excavating the tomb of Racar Capac have incurred the curse of the Inca. Despite the efforts of bungling detectives Thompson (”With a P, as in Philadelphia”) and Thomson (”Without a P, as in Venezuela”), the explorers are stricken, and one of Tintin’s closest friends disappears mysteriously, leading to a trip to Peru in the second part, Prisoners of the Sun. After The Seven Crystal Balls set the eerie stage, Tintin and his friends continue their adventures in Peru. There Tintin rescues an orange-seller named Zorrino from being bullied, and the young man becomes their guide in their quest to find the Temple of the Sun. But they find more than they bargained for and end up in a hot spot. The perils of this engaging two-part adventure are especially harrowing in their combination of the supernatural and the real, although the resolution is a little too deus ex machina. Calculus and the Thompsons provide their usual comic relief.

The 3-in-1 format provides excellent value, but the small size (about 40% smaller than the single-story paperbacks) makes it harder to enjoy the detail in Herge’s layouts. –David Horiuchi

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars One of the Best in the Series….
The Belgian artist Herge’s cartoon hero Tintin, a young journalist and adventurer, has been popular in Europe since the 1920’s and enjoys a limited fan base in the United States. Volume 4 of the Three in One Collection captures some of the best of the adventures, featuring Tintin, his faithful dog Snowy, his old seafaring friend Captain Haddock, the brillant but eccentric Professor Calculus, and the bumbling police detectives Thomson and Thompson. The artwork and storyline are Herge’s original; the dialogue has been translated into British English.

The first adventure, “Red Rackham’s Treasure”, continues a story begun with “The Secret of the Unicorn” in Volume 3. A quick recap at the beginning will allow newcomers to catch up. Tintin and Captain Haddock are off to hunt the treasure of the Captain’s ancestor Sir Francis Haddock, believed hidden on an island in the West Indies. Their search is materially aided by the eccentric and hilariously hard-of-hearing Professor Calculus, inventor of an mini-submarine and here introduced to the series. Their search will take the treasure hunters to a tropical island, to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea, and to Captain Haddock’s ancestral home. The ending has a clever plot twist.

The second and third adventures are another two-parter. In “The Seven Crystal Balls”, a group of archeologists just returned from a mummy-hunting expedition to Peru fall prey to a mysterious malady. Tintin and Captain Haddock investigate the case and the shadowy human agents behind it. When Professor Calculus is kidnapped, the trail leads back to Peru.

In “Prisoners of the Sun”, Tintin and Captain Haddock reach Peru in search of Professor Calculus and his kidnappers. The trail seems to dead-end in Callao, Peru, until Tintin befriends a young local boy, Zorrino, who dares to lead them into the Andes. Deep in the Andes, the three will uncover a long-missing civilization and mortal peril. In an exciting conclusion, Tintin will have to outsmart the kidnappers to save Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus.

The Tintin adventures are good harmless fun; the stories have held up remarkably well and the artwork set a functional standard for the genre. Volume 4 and all the volumes of this collection of Tintin’s adventures are highly recommended to his fans of any age.

4 Stars Perfect for a boy
This series has my 2nd grader reading without being asked! It has somewhat dated terms & vocabulary for a 4th grader, but my son loves them.

3 Stars Love the Tintin but…
My book collection of The Adventures of Tintin in the volume series was almost complete I only needed volume 4. I couldnt find it in the local bookstores so I ordered it online from Amazon.

They have the older print available, I was very happy but they sent me the newer one instead.

The book is great but it doesn’t fit with my collection, it is shorter.

This was an international order so I’m stuck with it.

3 Stars Tintin is great, but these 3 in 1 books are not sturdy
We love the Tintin books and have worn out several copies as we have a lot of kids, but the 3 in 1 books are not the best quality and tend to fall apart pretty easily. I can accept the smaller size but the binding is not built ‘kid tough’. Get the larger single volumes if you want them to stay around longer.

2 Stars prints were too small
Unfortunately I had to return the 4 tintin book I purchased from the Amazon. Amazon does not indicate the size of the books when you purchase them. The original sizes of the comic books were 8.5″x12″. The new sizes however are reduced to 6.5″x9″ and the prints are too small to read.

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