The silhouette of Tintin - a young man wearing golf trousers, running with a white fox terrier by his side - is easily one of the most recognisable visual icons of the modern world. In fact Tintin is nine years older than Superman and ten years older than Batman, having first appeared in Belgium in 1929.

In this new edition of this popular pocket-sized reference book the authors offer a comprehensive and critical overview of the Tintin series.

Starting with the character's humble origins in the children's supplement of a Belgian catholic newspaper in the 1920s, the authors track Tintin's development and success throughout the decades, including the stormy World War II years.

Each book is analyzed in detail, both in the context of the series, and in its larger framework: that of the comic's medium and of society in general. The authors also look at the massive industry that has developed round the figure of Tintin, the trivia, the anecdotes, the movies, and television series, and the multitude of Tintin spin-offs.