Customer Reviews

Breaking Free: The Adventures Of TinTin

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First off, this is not an authorized "Tintin" novel. Tintin and Captian Haddock are the only Herge characters to appear in this graphic novel. Essentially, it's an anarchist propaganda piece set in England. The artwork isn't as "sharp" and detailed as Herge's work, but it is rather well done.

Tintin and the Captian are blue collar workers who are fed up with the "invasion" of the upper class into their neighborhoods, the system's apparent lack of concern for the poor, corruption in high places and impotent labor unions. As they gather together with friends, neighbors and striking co-workers, they slowly organize into a nationwide movement that (at the novel's end) is on the verge of toppling the government.

When first published in 1989 and news of this book made the British press, then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was reportedly repulsed, and much of the Conservative press had a field day tearing it to shreads. The disaffected youth of Britian, however, made it into a best seller!

For Tintin completists, this makes an interesting addition to a collection.
For collectors of political agit-prop, this makes an unusual addition of "pop-culture hi-jacking".
For anarchists...well, you probably already have a copy, no?

I was surprised to learn that this book has been reprinted, and is available on Amazon. It has even been reviewed by some Tintin aficionados. In my younger days, "Breaking Free" was something of an underground classic. At least according to urban legend, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher actually commented on this book, and said she was "utterly revolted". I'm not sure if I believe that story, but it sure makes for good promotion!

"Breaking Free" was first published in 1989. It's supposedly written by one Jack Daniels, a member of an otherwise almost unknown anarchist group in Britain, Attack International. If this group even exists except in name only, it must be very small. "Breaking Free" mimics and parodies a respectable Belgian cartoon, The Adventures of Tintin. In Jack Daniels' version, Tintin and Captain Haddock are anarchist revolutionaries, and one of the Thompson Twins is Black! Some of the other characters are also pilfered from the original cartoon. The union boss Jones looks like Frank Wolff from "Destination Moon". Some other characters are peculiar to "Breaking Free", including the lesbian Nicky. As several other reviewers have pointed out, Tintin's dog Snowy isn't included (except on the cover).

Of course, the plot of "Breaking Free" has absolutely nothing in common with the original Tintin. The Tintin rip-off is a commercial trick to make the book more interesting. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward anarchist story. And yes, the political message is supposed to be taken seriously. It's very naïve, but then, anarchist politics *are* naïve.

"Breaking Free" is about an anarchist revolution in Britain which starts as a protest against corrupt management and inefficient labor unions on one single worksite. The workers go out on strike, scabs and cops show up, and the whole thing escalates through a series of riots and protest marches until the entire country goes out on a general strike. No revolutionary leadership seems to exist, and the whole thing is run democratically by "regional strike co-ordinations". In some strange way, the influence of the TUC and the Labour Party (and the Trotskyists) just melts away. Even in my younger and more radical days, I could see that there was *something* wrong with this easy scenario, LOL.

But then, wouldn't it be fun to own a copy of a book that made Margaret Thatcher mad? Besides, Attack International were sure better at making anarchist propaganda than the punks at "Class War"!

There are many unofficial Tintin cartoons that can be found on the web. This one uses the Tintin characters in form only to illustrate a scenario where anarchists unite, mobilize, and take down a government. While the story is interesting and informative, the characters don't behave like Tintin characters at all, some even have their names changed. Calculus and snowy are completely absent, and the story lacks the suspense and the flow of a Tintin story. It appears the author had very little knowledge of Tintin and simply ripped off the characters in the hope that this would help his political message. While one can sympathize with the plight of the working class - so depicted in the story - the departure from the original Tintin is annoying. I merely bought this for completeness sake, so I can say I own all the Tintins - official and unofficial. If you are looking for more interesting and realistic Tintin ripoffs, try to find Tintin in Thailand on the internet. In fact, I don't understand how they can ban Tintin in Thailand while allowing this one, as if Breaking Free does not violate any copyright laws.

The conceit of turning Hergé's scrupulously conformist and apolitical (except in his opposition to communism and the Japanese Empire) boy-reporter into an anarchist activist seems like an idea rich in potential. One can imagine a fascinating story as Tintin's investigations turn up shocking truths: violent terrorism attributed to anarchists turns out to be the work of government agents-provocateur; construction companies (like Longs) with shoddy safety standards are taking out life insurance policies on their workers. Tintin traverses the globe, from sweatshops in exotic South Asian cities to the undersea roots of leaky offshore oil-drilling rigs, examining pollution from Calculus's submarine. Tintin is blacklisted by mainstream newspapers, his work driven underground. One imagines Tintin tormented by the conflict between the longstanding conservative values he's upheld and the truth unfolding before his eyes. Maybe it would turn out to be clumsy propaganda that way too, but it might not be too much worse than Warren Ellis's Transmetropolitan minus the post-cyberpunk future or China Miéville's work minus the gothic fantasy.

That's what could have been. What actually exists has nothing to do with Tintin except a tuft of hair. Tintin here is a violent, lazy, chauvinistic anarchist who smashes up wine bars with bricks and beats up their patrons for the offense of serving wine and being presumably bourgeois (as far as I could tell). An elderly union member gleefully tells of beating a scab to the point of breaking both of his knees so that he could never work again.

This isn't good writing; it's not even good propaganda. Captain Haddock and Tintin may be fighting against real social injustice, but the injustice they commit themselves prevents them from ever being anything better than the lesser of two evils. Well, actually, I'd be inclined to say that they're the greater of two evils, and by a pretty wide margin too. There are heavy-handed and didactic episodes in which racism, sexism, and homophobia within the working-class activists is exposed, condemned, and expurgated, but it all feels a bit formulaic.

Quotation from this book:

Nicky: Tintin! You're obsessed by violence!

Tintin: Too bloody right I am!

If this is parody not of Tintin, but of anarchists themselves, sending them up for being naïve, didactic, and pointlessly violent, then I'm afraid it just isn't that funny. I mean, it's a *little* bit funny, seeing Tintin and Captain Haddock throwing bricks through the windows of a wine bar, but it needs more humor, not just incongruity. I think that if this is a parody of anarchism, it needs something more like the battles between the Judaean People's Front and the People's Front of Judaea in _The Life of Brian_ -- not just anarchists behaving badly, but anarchists behaving *absurdly*. The protagonists in Breaking Free are menacing and violent, but they're not really funny.

Okay i'll tell you the truth i don't have this book but i searched inside it(the first few pages) and it's already HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! First i recomend if you don't have it buy:
1.Tintin in the Congo
2.Tintin and Alph Art
3.Tintin in the Lake of Sharks
4.Tintin in the Land of Soviets
Now the reason i say it shouldn't even be called "Tintin" are:
1.Tintin Smokes
2.Tintin doesent have something he has in EVERY tintin episode but not in this one is SNOWY!
3.THe Thom(p)sons or Professer Calculus isn't in here
4.Hey! Who ever thought of Captain Being Tintin's Uncle?
5.Captain has a wife
6.Tintin Shopliftited
7.Captain Doesn't live in Marlinspike hall
8.Can't this Author at least put in Bianca Castifiore, Jolyon Wagg,Genaral Alcazar,Chang or anybody from REAL Tintin novels.
So i say this Author should call it Breaking Free The Adventures of Daniels. Who Agree's with me,eh? So if you agree when you write your review write," I agree with Bashi-Bazouk500" okay,kiddo's cmon you Bashi-Bazouks c'mon!
I rated this one star cuz i couldn't put zero stars!!!!!!!!!!!