Reviews
King Ottokar's Sceptre by Georges Remi Hergé seems to have had a straight forward history and it shows in the consistency of the story. There's always a certain amount of mayhem in a Tintin adventure but sometimes the gags flow together better than others. The books where the jokes seem out of place are usually the ones that have been revised when translated. In King Ottokar's Sceptre, Tintin meets a sigilographer who is interested in Syldavian seals. Shortly after Tintin learns that he and Professor Hector Alembick are under surveillance. As Tintin tries to protect the professor he ends up taking a trip to Syldavia to stop a coup. Of the three Tintins I've read most recently King Ottokar's Sceptre is my favorite. I like the mystery of Professor Alembick's unusual behavior, the made up but recognizable traditions for the Syldavians, and the uniforms of the king's court. It is a visually interesting comic with an interesting mystery to back up the panels.
