Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Tintin: Collector's Gift Set

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The long-awaited Tintin gift set is here and it comes with its fair share of positives and negatives.

First, the good news. By far the best thing about this set is the price. Getting 21 Tintin adventures in one set for under $100 is hard to beat. The presentation of the books, aside from their size, is nice and they look great in the box set.

Now for the bad news....yes, it's true, the books are small. I was pretty disappointed to find out that the books were similar in size to the previous 3-in-1 edition that was released. Now this wouldn't be a problem if it didn't detract from the art and the enjoyment of reading these books. Little Brown should take a cue from DC Comics and release their most beloved graphic novels in extra large HC format (or in this case their original format) instead of shrinking it down to about 2/3 their original size. Problems with the smaller format can be seen in the "Secret of the Unicorn" where fine lines - such as the rigging of the model ships - begin to disappear off the page because they are so thin and in various sequences throughout the series where a lot dialogue is stuffed into a single panel. I sorta got used to the smaller format after a while but it doesn't do Herge's ligne claire art style full justice.

It's also a shame that 3 Tintin adventures were left out of this collection: "Tintin in the Congo", "Land of the Soviets" and the unfinished "Alph Art." Political over-correctness from a vocal minority wins out (apparently "Congo" isn't meant to be read by impressionable young children OR the adults buying this set) and instead we have Michael Farr's "Tintin and Co." - not a total loss but I would rather have the 3 stories which I've never read.

In spite of its shortcomings, I still like this set because it offers Tintin fans an affordable way to collect the entire series (except for the aforementioned books). However, if cost is not an issue I highly recommend the singular larger editions over this set as it showcases this seminal work the way it's meant to be viewed.

As the owner of the gorgeously produced The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) and The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set) box sets, I was excited to hear that Tintin would be getting the high end box set treatment as well. But when I actually saw the set in person, my enthusiasm evaporated. Like the Grinch's heart, this box set is 3 sizes too small. OK, to be fair, it's 20% too small -- that's the difference between the standard 11.5 X 8.5 inch size of the single books and the size of these volumes, which are only marginally bigger than the "3 in 1" Tintin reissues. The result of this is an attractive package which no doubt the serious Tintin collector will want to own, but for actual reading, it's an occasion for serious eye-strain. (Less bothersome is the politically correct omission of the controversial Tintin in the Congo; let's face it, even setting aside the cringe-inducing racism, the book is pretty dreadful in the story and art department.) Frankly, I'd rather spend more money replacing my paperback editions of the books with more durable hardcover editions than spending money on this pretty but useless edition.

What were they thinking? I really want a complete Tintin collection in a a box, but the letters on these books are way too small for reading. Disappointed.

The box set is way too small. I was excited when it came out, but assumed that the box set would be the standard size. It wasn't. I bought it for my kids although I don't think they will ever read it due to the microscopic text - I have struggled with it myself. A terrible disappointment. The only think that stopped me posting it straight back was the hassle of sorting things out at a busy post office. It is now destined to gather dust at the back of the bookshelf and I will make pretty sure next time I put a bit more work into checking out what I am actually buying

Just got this for Christmas! I was a little worried, having read the reviews about the too small type. But I took the plunge and ripped open the cellophane--the text is FINE! Standard, Manga-sized text, slightly smaller than a western comic print size and actually bigger than a lot of Chris Ware's ACME Novelty Library type. And it's printed very clearly and crisply. If you can read a paperback novel, your eyes should have no trouble with this type.

These editions are very easy to read in bed, you can hold them like a novel, the full sized editions aren't as handy for prone reading.

Tintin miniaturizes well, the books are bound very nicely, AND it's a super bargain for a hardcover complete Tintin collection. Get it!

the books were too small! :-(
i was expecting the regular size for tintin, but these were shrunken to a point where much of the text is a challenge to read.
i would not advise getting this set.

I completely love what I got from this deal. Honestly I read all the reviews from amazon about this collection....gave it a thought and...what the heck...got it for myself.
I am a Tintin fan from my very chilhood and having all them together in a convenient size works great for me. Only complaint is the tintin and co is not what I was looking for. Without
Tintin and The lake of sharks, Land of Soviets, The congo and Alph -art
its not complete..... :(

This is a great little collection at a great price! Much cheaper than buying individually and comes in a neat little box. The text is smaller than in the full sized editions so children might have difficulty reading it but it should not be a problem for adults. Text size is about a 10 point font so it's small but no real problem unless you have bad vision. As an adult you'll learn to love Captain Haddock much more than you did when you were reading these books as a kid. Who (except Haddock) would think about smoking his pipe in space? Hilarious! Him and Snowy! Snowy always makes smart aleck comments and gets into trouble.

The best possible advice you can accept is to read the reviews before purchasing anything. If I would have heeded my own advice I would not have purchased this item. I bought it for my 6 year old fondly recalling reading Tin Tin with my 22 year old when he was a child - although his books were much larger. What a disappointment! The letters and frames are so small you need to use a magnifying glass to see it much less read it. Because of the small size my son has to climb on to my shoulder in order to even see the pictures! This is a huge and very expensive disappointment. I recommend you buy something else and make sure you read the reviews first! And tell everyone you know in order to save them the grief of this ripoff.

We own every one of the Tintin books and love them all. My mother-in-law brought this series from their family home overseas. Tintin was my husband's favorite when he was a child and soon became just as beloved by our five year old daughter. Although guns, human trafficking, alcoholism and racism are all addressed in the books and certainly gave me pause, I soon realized that they are presented in an historic and important way. The adventures are written from the very entertaining perspective of a thoughtful teenage reporter who, along with his adorable sidekick, Snowy the dog, sees injustice all over the word and tries to stop it. I felt that the books gave us wonderful opportunities to talk with our daughter about how things used to be and, in some ways, still are. This series is a terrific learning tool and I would highly recommend it to any parents or caretakers who are willing to use them to open dialogue about important, albeit controversial, subjects; I do NOT recommend any of these books to parents who are not willing to take the time to do so, especially with younger children. I give this series of wonderful books credit for sparking my child's extraordinary love of reading. She's now moved on to Harry Potter but holds a special place in her heart for TinTin (and Snowy, of course!).