Flight 714 to Sydney (Adventures of Tintin: Original Classic)

Yet again, we get a glimpse of Herge's creative genius in this action-packed Tintin adventure. This Tintin adventure is unlike any other simply because it has hints of being based on some sort of a magical success-formula, not unlike one that would ensure a James Bond movie box-office hit! In sort, it features an eccentric millionaire, an airplane hijacking, a secret island base of Tintin's archrival- the evil Rastapopulous, the return of Captain Haddock's nemesis- Allan (from "The Crab with the Golden Claws", "The Red Sea Sharks"), and also the return of a friend-Skut (from "The Red Sea Sharks"), lot's of gunmen, volcano eruptions, and even a mysterious alien encounter. The plot is quite simple: Rastapopulous wishes to obtain millionaire Lazslo Carreidas's fortune by kidnapping him and getting him to, rather willing fully, reveal his wealth-related secrets- of course with the aid of a scientist's "truth formula" injection. However, getting Tintin, Captain Haddock, Snowy, and Professor Calculus into the picture changes the simplicity of the equation. The artwork, as is the case with the last Tintin book (Tintin and the Picaros), is simply outstanding among all Tintin books-which are already top quality in the first place! One scene I fondly remember is that of Allan catching sight of a monkey and then trying to recall who it reminds him of (based on the shape of its nose), and then realizing that it reminds him of none other than his boss-Rastapopulous. Herge's drawing of Allan's facial expressions (and even Rastapopulous's, as he seems to realize what's in Allan's mind) in this sequence, yet again, displays how effortlessly he could make his characters "talk" to the reader. It is peculiar to note how different this adventure is to its preceding one-The Castafiore Emerald, in which, our heroes don't even leave Marlinshire. Perhaps, Herge himself longed for Tintin to go on another exciting adventure. Definitely, one of the best Tintin stories, great for all ages and very entertaining!!!

I love it......................!

Good

1968's "Flight 714 to Sydney" was Belgian artist Herge's next-to-last finished adventure starring his cartoon hero, the young journalist Tintin, and he holds nothing back from the storyline. It features an eccentric millionaire, a kidnapping, some old enemies from earlier stories, a remote island in Southeast Asia, and a truly bizarre ending. As the story opens, Tintin, accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy, his sea-faring friend Captain Haddock, and the brilliant but hilariously deaf Professor Calculus, fall into company with the eccentric millionaire Carreidas, who offers them a ride on his experimental corporate jet from Indonesia to Australia. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft is hijacked by some of Mr. Carreidas' subordinates, who divert the aircraft to a remote volcanic island. After a hair-raising landing on a short, improvised runway, the captives are introduced to the real villain, a familiar evil face from earlier stories. He and his band of brigands plan to steal Mr. Carreidas' money and then kill everyone. The ever-resourceful Tintin finds a way for his friends to escape from the bad guys, but where to go on an island? On the run, Tintin and his friends take shelter in a cave, where they are trapped by the gunmen. However, they get help from an unexpected source, who will lead them away from the gunmen but toward the still active volcano. The ending is nothing if not unexpected. Herge's fully mature artwork is the perfect complement to an excellent story. "Flight 714 to Sydney" is a perfectly mad adventure, but one that is highly recommended to Tintin fans of all ages.

Great condition; great story