Adult/High School -Published on the centenary of Georges Remi's birth, this introduction to the creator behind comic-book hero Tintin serves as an excellent introduction to and provides fine background material on European-and to a degree, international-popular culture in the 20th century. In addition to the requisite biographical information about Remi (whose pen name is the French phonetic spelling of his initials reversed), there are details about his political travails, his devotion to the avant-garde art scene (he and Andy Warhol became friendly enough to exchange portraits of each other), and the role and growth of scouting during the 20th century. With brief chapters on such topics as journalism and cinematography, the text is richly illustrated with archival photos, well-chosen drawings from "Tintin" and other works by Hergé, related or relevant artwork by others (including both friends and contemporaries), and reproductions of publications beyond the comics world in which Remi involved himself. Although the author tellingly makes no mention of the controversy-then or now-around Tintin in the Congo , he does address other aspects of how politics and art came a cropper of one another in both Tintin's adventures and Remi's professional life. Accessible and engaging, this is a good first serious biography of the Belgian artist.-Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
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