chang*

fans of ‘tintin’, such as i, will recognise the title exclamation, ubiquitous in the series as one of the laugh-inducing pronouncements of captain haddock, tintin’s best friend. the above, as well as a faithful white dog, a bumbling pair of detective twins and the worldwide adventures of a perennial boy reporter, have come to characterise this well known comic series which has been around for more than 70 years, since its creation by herge.

i remembered the first time i came across my very first tintin comic book. i was browsing the shelves in my primary school library when i stumbled upon a whole collection of comics with their colourful covers, all stoically lined up. i ignored the ‘asterix’ ones that were just sitting a shelve below, and picked up a ‘tintin’. from that point onwards i was hooked. for me, a boy who marveled at the vastness and the sheer wonder of the world, tintin’s adventure as a globetrotting, mystery-solving reporter served as a vicarious exploration of the world for me. that was about when i decided that i too wanted to travel the world, uncovering stories, experiencing it all for myself.

as of now, a trilogy of tintin films are in the works, with directors peter jackson and steven spielberg part of the collaboration. you can imagine what that means for fans like me. i may have outgrown a lot of things, but my fascination with the tuft-haired reporter and his friends has remained undiminished. i will be first in line at the theatres.

for more of my thoughts, click here.