Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Bianca Castafiore, Thomson and Thompson…. Do these names ring a bell? I was first introduced to the world of Tintin sometime in the late seventies, when the Times of India serialized “The Red Sea Sharks”. Though not yet ten, it was obvious to me that this was no run of the mill comic strip. The characters, the narrative, the entire package so to say, held me in thrall. Shortly thereafter we chanced upon Tintin comic books in a book shop in Mumbai (then Bombay). Again, these were unlike the usual comic books we were used to. Large pages, all 62 of them, filled with colourful, detailed drawings and taking forward a single story full of adventure, thrills and humour. They were also more expensive as compared to the comics we were used to buying but it was decided that the money spent would be worth it and so the first Tintin book came into our hands. It was “Flight 714”, my brother’s choice. Upon returning to Indore from our vacation, we...