Having read Tintin, Asterix and Lucky Luke comics all my life and only having started to read american stuff around two years ago, I think I would murder that man right there on the spot.
Yes, murder seems quite right. Probably until he'd die.
If he's wrong, then how come none of the people I know have ever heard of Tintin until now? Don't assume that just because your circle of friends like it that means everybody does.
Tintin was fairly popular when I was a kid. It's just that in the United States, the books used to be marketed mostly at children's bookstores and not at comic book shops-- consequently there's not much overlap between Tintin readers and readers of Anglo-American comics. It's very similar to the way that manga are sold and marketed separately as well.
Wow, I've never seen been a huge fan of tin-tin but I'm still familiar with it. I can't think of anyone I know that isn't. I've never really cared how popular it is, but it's definitely everywhere. My little cousin was reading a brand new book featuring tin-tin as early as three years ago.
The subject never comes up, but if I met someone that had never heard of tin-tin I would actually be surprised. It's a lot like someone never having heard of archie comics. Tin-tin is at least that well known.
Never had any popularity, huh? I don't know what rock you've been living under, but I've seen Tintin comics since I was a kid 30 years ago, and Tintin cartoons have been shown on American TV.
Tintin was even mentioned on an episode of the Simpsons. Bart is being Bart, so Marge threatens to take away his "Tintins" and that straightens Bart right up.
Tintin is, in fact, among the most popular comics in America, that are not from America. Its a big, wide worlds out there, kids, and some of the best stuff come from outside these United States.
I wouldn't go as far as murder, but I would verbally assault/berate him 'till he cried. I bet he can't even find France on a globe, or tell us that the capitol is Paris.
Well, I can't speak for the general popularity of Tintin in the U.S., but I grew up reading first American superhero comics, then Howard the Duck, then Heavy Metal, then I sort of lost interest in comics until I was around 40. Never heard of Tintin until that time. (I was born in the 60s.) I now have two young kids--one has a friend who reads Tintin, but he's not popular among kids in our area. I think the bottom line is that people who are really into comics know Tintin, but more casual readers, at least nowadays, not so much.
"If he's wrong, then how come none of the people I know have ever heard of Tintin until now? Don't assume that just because your circle of friends like it that means everybody does."
Um...have you asked every single person you know? Tintin had a cartoon which aired for years. If a kid 20 years ago didn't read the books, chances are they saw the cartoon. Saying Tintin has never been popular in U.S is just factually untrue. It might not be Spiderman, but it definitely falls under "popular".
RE: "But why mock him for not knowing something?" We're mocking him because he's acting like he knows about it. Where the hell did he get 2 years ago from? Don't know about it? Fine. Start spouting completely false information? Prepare to get mocked.
Comparatively speaking, Tintin is NOT as popular in America as it is elsewhere in the world, as is plainly obvious from how almost nobody went to see the movie on opening week in this country. It just isn't. Arguing that everybody and their mother should have heard of it before is the height of arrogance, and the fact that an obscure cultural reference is made on the Simpsons is never evidence that the majority of viewers is going to be in on the joke. Get over it. When the common man doesn't know something a cool kid would know, are you REALLY that surprised?
Surprise, really? Tin Tin if not a hot popular comic it is a very well known one, I'm from South America and I know not everyone would remember his name but were I to show them a picture of him, or the captain, or even the dog they would know it. And is not the ignorance is the matter-of-fact nature of the statement, sí I mad, I woulnd't murder him just mock and then inform or the other way around.
You keep missing the point, anonymous (If it's just one). Whether or not this guy has heard or should have heard of it is irrelevant. He's spouting off about something he knows nothing about. That's why he is a jerk.
I'm assuming your comment isn't a joke or sarcasm. It's not the same as Rin Tin Tin. Tintin is a series of comics about a journalist/adventurer named Tintin. It was first published in a Belgian newspaper in 1929. (Exact date taken from Wikipedia article on The Adventures of Tintin (comic, not movie.)) Tintin comics have been translated into more than 50 different languages and more than 200 million copies of the books have been sold. (Again, source is English Wikipedia article.)
Rin Tin Tin is the name of dog who was found in Lorraine, France near the end of World War I. He was brought back to the US by an American soldier and went on to star in 23 Hollywood films. The name was used for several other German Shepherd related dog characters that were featured in fictional radio, film and television stories. (Source is English Wikipedia article on Rin Tin Tin.)
Thus ends this segment of "More than you ever wanted to know, but now you do, if you didn't before."
It's not at all surprising he doesn't know Tintin. Although I read every Tintin and Asterix book I could find when I was a kid back in the late 70's non of my friends had ever heard of them. Part of the problem was, as someone else noted, that they were always in the kids books and not with the comics, and remember the "graphic novel" was not a thing then. The other problem was that they were published by Little, Brown and Company who typically published more serious material such as J. D. Salinger and C. S. Forester so they really had no idea what to do with Tintin, not really promoting it and leaving it hard to find even for those of us who knew about it. It took me years to collect all the published volumes, it was like a treasure hunt and every time I found a store that carried it and a volume I hadn't read yet it was like Christmas morning.
Another possible barrier to entry was that they were published in America with the British translations. Now I think they were funnier than the ones I see in the stores, but back then I was sometimes left puzzling over things like "Cheerio old chap" and what petrol is.
So, yeah, not puzzling that he doesn't know Tintin. But he is a bit of a prat for thinking it's only two years old meaning he knows essentially nothing about it. Because we all know that spouting opinions on things we know nothing about NEVER happens.
See the problem is TinTin can be found in those large places that have the comics with no pictures that are full of those nasty words! Librariums or something? haha
TinTin and Astrix were the only 2 comics in the library when I was a kid here in Canada. Most kids my age (before video games) know of them and are quite fond of them!
What I mean is...no, wait; I made my point before. Yes, it's funny that he thinks Tintin's almost two years old, but only because I happen to know what Tintin is. I don't really expect everyone (at least, in the U.S.) to know what it is. I only do because my wife was a big fan, and she was only a big fan because she picked up some of the old comics when she was in Europe when she was a little girl.
I would not be surprised if Tintin and Asterix were much more widely known outside the US than inside. I read them at the public library when I was a kid, but I live in Canada and it could just as easily have been the government’s attempt to make us experience Francophone culture.
lol, I honestly have nothing else to say.
ReplyDeleteNNNNNNGH. >_<
ReplyDeleteHaving read Tintin, Asterix and Lucky Luke comics all my life and only having started to read american stuff around two years ago, I think I would murder that man right there on the spot.
ReplyDeleteYes, murder seems quite right. Probably until he'd die.
I'm with you. At least show this guy the concept of a copyright date vs a publishing date. Which are likely to be the only dates he should get.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where did he park his time machine.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he just got confused with Mark Millar? They're COMPLETELY the same.
ReplyDeleteSo this kid is ignorant of a comic that never had any level of popularity in this country, and that makes him a dope-who should be killed?
ReplyDeleteWow. That's arrogant? Assholery?
If that's the reception he got, why would he ever step into a comic store again?
Pity him? Maybe.
Inform him? Certainly.
But why mock him for not knowing something?
Good thing you were born with an all-encompassing knowledge of everything...
You should never mock someone who's trying to learn. This may or may not apply here.
DeleteAnd, yes. The last sentence IS redundant. You pendantic fucktards! Oops! I did it again-Britney Spears
ReplyDelete"...a comic that never had any level of popularity in this country."
ReplyDeleteWhat were you saying about ignorance?
"What were you saying about ignorance?"
ReplyDeleteIf he's wrong, then how come none of the people I know have ever heard of Tintin until now? Don't assume that just because your circle of friends like it that means everybody does.
Tintin was fairly popular when I was a kid. It's just that in the United States, the books used to be marketed mostly at children's bookstores and not at comic book shops-- consequently there's not much overlap between Tintin readers and readers of Anglo-American comics. It's very similar to the way that manga are sold and marketed separately as well.
ReplyDeleteWow, I've never seen been a huge fan of tin-tin but I'm still familiar with it. I can't think of anyone I know that isn't. I've never really cared how popular it is, but it's definitely everywhere. My little cousin was reading a brand new book featuring tin-tin as early as three years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe subject never comes up, but if I met someone that had never heard of tin-tin I would actually be surprised. It's a lot like someone never having heard of archie comics. Tin-tin is at least that well known.
Must be a trend, same thing just happened with this new smurfs series.
ReplyDelete@Anon 12:02
ReplyDeleteNever had any popularity, huh? I don't know what rock you've been living under, but I've seen Tintin comics since I was a kid 30 years ago, and Tintin cartoons have been shown on American TV.
Tintin was even mentioned on an episode of the Simpsons. Bart is being Bart, so Marge threatens to take away his "Tintins" and that straightens Bart right up.
Tintin is, in fact, among the most popular comics in America, that are not from America. Its a big, wide worlds out there, kids, and some of the best stuff come from outside these United States.
I wouldn't go as far as murder, but I would verbally assault/berate him 'till he cried. I bet he can't even find France on a globe, or tell us that the capitol is Paris.
"I bet he can't even find France on a globe, or tell us that the capitol is Paris."
ReplyDeleteTintin is a Belgian comic. Belgium is a different country than France. Its capital is Brussels.
Of course, part of the confusion comes from all the name changes that come from the book having been translated into so many languages.
Well, I can't speak for the general popularity of Tintin in the U.S., but I grew up reading first American superhero comics, then Howard the Duck, then Heavy Metal, then I sort of lost interest in comics until I was around 40. Never heard of Tintin until that time. (I was born in the 60s.) I now have two young kids--one has a friend who reads Tintin, but he's not popular among kids in our area. I think the bottom line is that people who are really into comics know Tintin, but more casual readers, at least nowadays, not so much.
ReplyDeleteJesus, the guy looks like he oughta be old enough to remember the cartoon from the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteI can understand him knowing nothing of the comics. That ignorance is forgivable.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that he's not letting his ignorance keep him from spouting off about something he knows nothing about.
"If he's wrong, then how come none of the people I know have ever heard of Tintin until now? Don't assume that just because your circle of friends like it that means everybody does."
ReplyDeleteUm...have you asked every single person you know? Tintin had a cartoon which aired for years. If a kid 20 years ago didn't read the books, chances are they saw the cartoon. Saying Tintin has never been popular in U.S is just factually untrue. It might not be Spiderman, but it definitely falls under "popular".
In Kramer vs. Kramer Dustin Hoffman reads from a Tintin book.
ReplyDeleteRE: "But why mock him for not knowing something?" We're mocking him because he's acting like he knows about it. Where the hell did he get 2 years ago from? Don't know about it? Fine. Start spouting completely false information? Prepare to get mocked.
ReplyDeleteIoh, guys... it's a joke. It is mocking kids these days. It's a good joke.
ReplyDeleteComparatively speaking, Tintin is NOT as popular in America as it is elsewhere in the world, as is plainly obvious from how almost nobody went to see the movie on opening week in this country. It just isn't. Arguing that everybody and their mother should have heard of it before is the height of arrogance, and the fact that an obscure cultural reference is made on the Simpsons is never evidence that the majority of viewers is going to be in on the joke. Get over it. When the common man doesn't know something a cool kid would know, are you REALLY that surprised?
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. Tintin is a hot button issue here. I didn't see this coming.
ReplyDeleteSurprise, really? Tin Tin if not a hot popular comic it is a very well known one, I'm from South America and I know not everyone would remember his name but were I to show them a picture of him, or the captain, or even the dog they would know it. And is not the ignorance is the matter-of-fact nature of the statement, sí I mad, I woulnd't murder him just mock and then inform or the other way around.
DeleteTo the guy saying he'd never walk inside a comic book shop again with my kind of reception...
ReplyDeleteOf course not! Well he'd be dead, silly. =P
And ignorance is one thing. Assuming lies for yourself is another.
Dear everyone,
ReplyDelete"I read Tintin when I was little" isn't the same thing as "Tintin was very popular and everyone certainly should know what it is."
Love, sane people.
You keep missing the point, anonymous (If it's just one). Whether or not this guy has heard or should have heard of it is irrelevant. He's spouting off about something he knows nothing about. That's why he is a jerk.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Tarr is right.
ReplyDeleteI would just hand him some Tin Tin comics and show him how cool they can be!
ReplyDeleteIs that the same as Rin Tin Tin? Because I think that was a TV show back in the 80s first.
ReplyDeleteRE: Josh
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming your comment isn't a joke or sarcasm. It's not the same as Rin Tin Tin. Tintin is a series of comics about a journalist/adventurer named Tintin. It was first published in a Belgian newspaper in 1929. (Exact date taken from Wikipedia article on The Adventures of Tintin (comic, not movie.)) Tintin comics have been translated into more than 50 different languages and more than 200 million copies of the books have been sold. (Again, source is English Wikipedia article.)
Rin Tin Tin is the name of dog who was found in Lorraine, France near the end of World War I. He was brought back to the US by an American soldier and went on to star in 23 Hollywood films. The name was used for several other German Shepherd related dog characters that were featured in fictional radio, film and television stories. (Source is English Wikipedia article on Rin Tin Tin.)
Thus ends this segment of "More than you ever wanted to know, but now you do, if you didn't before."
Hum... And here's a much needed intermission
ReplyDelete*30 seconds of tap dance*
You can resume arrogant argues (ahah that was a troll comment, did you see that?).
It's not at all surprising he doesn't know Tintin. Although I read every Tintin and Asterix book I could find when I was a kid back in the late 70's non of my friends had ever heard of them. Part of the problem was, as someone else noted, that they were always in the kids books and not with the comics, and remember the "graphic novel" was not a thing then. The other problem was that they were published by Little, Brown and Company who typically published more serious material such as J. D. Salinger and C. S. Forester so they really had no idea what to do with Tintin, not really promoting it and leaving it hard to find even for those of us who knew about it. It took me years to collect all the published volumes, it was like a treasure hunt and every time I found a store that carried it and a volume I hadn't read yet it was like Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteAnother possible barrier to entry was that they were published in America with the British translations. Now I think they were funnier than the ones I see in the stores, but back then I was sometimes left puzzling over things like "Cheerio old chap" and what petrol is.
So, yeah, not puzzling that he doesn't know Tintin. But he is a bit of a prat for thinking it's only two years old meaning he knows essentially nothing about it. Because we all know that spouting opinions on things we know nothing about NEVER happens.
Dear Anon 7:43,
ReplyDeleteAd Hominem attacks are not a substitute for wit and reason.
Love, me.
See the problem is TinTin can be found in those large places that have the comics with no pictures that are full of those nasty words! Librariums or something? haha
ReplyDeleteTinTin and Astrix were the only 2 comics in the library when I was a kid here in Canada. Most kids my age (before video games) know of them and are quite fond of them!
I'd be worried if the Tintin in the Congo book was only written only two years ago....
ReplyDeleteSame - I always found Tintin and Asterix books in my school library - loads of them. They were ALWAYS being borrowed, very difficult to get a hold of!
ReplyDeleteWhen the library was clearing out their old books, I grabbed as many Asterix books as I could hold! I was one very happy kid. =)
Dear Anon 6:43,
ReplyDeleteWhat I mean is...no, wait; I made my point before. Yes, it's funny that he thinks Tintin's almost two years old, but only because I happen to know what Tintin is. I don't really expect everyone (at least, in the U.S.) to know what it is. I only do because my wife was a big fan, and she was only a big fan because she picked up some of the old comics when she was in Europe when she was a little girl.
*only two years old
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised if Tintin and Asterix were much more widely known outside the US than inside. I read them at the public library when I was a kid, but I live in Canada and it could just as easily have been the government’s attempt to make us experience Francophone culture.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete