Herge: The man who created Tintin by Pierre Assouline (Oxford University Press (£9.99) (From York Press)

Herge: The man who created Tintin by Pierre Assouline (Oxford University Press (£9.99)

9:00am Wednesday 4th January 2012 in Books By Bill Spence

THIS is the biography of the man who gave us one of the world’s best-loved comic characters, Tintin.

Georges Remi, known to the world as Hergé, was born in Belgium in 1907. As a boy, he became a contributor to the Boy Scouts. Magazine and priest Fr Norbert Wallez asked him to create a hero for his Roman Catholic magazine; he suggested a reporter who travelled the world fighting for good. This character, born on January 10, 1929, was Tintin.

The author tell us of Remi’s life through two world wars but the dark days for him were after the war when he was interrogated for being the voice of the occupiers; he was finally cleared. He devoted all his time to his work and in his comic strips continued to use the principles of cinema techniques that he understood from childhood.

The author tells us in an enthralling factfilled style the private lives of Georges Remi and his working methods that included meticulous research before the drawing began.

In 1950 the Herge’ studios were created.

Tintin’s popularity meant Hergé worked long hours that eventually led to nervous breakdowns and contributed to the break-up of his marriage. Details, such as Herge’s Guide to Comic Book Composition, astound us as to his creative methods but he always stated that every artist relied on intuition. Published to coincide with the Spielberg film, this book should be read first to appreciate the genius that lay behind the ever-popular character Tintin. It is a transfixing account.