“Herge’s Adventures of Tintin” must be one of the earliest phrases coming out of my TV set as a child. Visits to the local library were never a chore when you discovered there was Tintin and Asterix comics.

But who was Herge? And who is Tintin, the character that inspired the 68 page all ages graphic novel ‘Tara Togs – The Silence of Unicorns.’ Let’s find out…

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 graphic novels created by Georges Remi, know as Herge. Born in 1907 his creation has sold over 280 million books in over 70 countries. Tintin was created in 1929.

Tintin was first published in the youth supplement of the Belgium newspaper ‘The 20th Century’. The paper had largely pro fascist anti-semetic views, which influenced the early location of some of Tintins stories, spreading anti socialist adventures in Russia (rather than the USA which Herge had hoped to do at first). Serialised strips in ‘The Evening’ led to Tintin magazine and then into the albums we know and love today.

Tintin was a young reporter and the books are as well known for their supporting cast as well as the brave Belgium. There is Captain Blustering Barnacles) Haddock, slightly deaf Professor Calculus, incompetent detectives Thomson and Thompson and Snowy the dog. Tintin was influenced by an earlier Herge strip, Totor a Boy Scout Leader. TinTin had no back story and his personality is a little blander than those around him. Anyone of any age is invited to ‘be the character’ in the story.

The countries Tintin was set were well researched by Herge and seem to come to life, albeit some books were changed when published in their native countries. The first Russian strip was collected into book form and based on an increase in sales a second, set in the Congo, was released. Largely uncontroversial at the time it is now considered rascist in tone. The books were debated in the French parliament in 1999 which led to an article in the Economist. The third book, finally set in America, is anti capitalist. Despite the undertones of this Tintin travelled and sold across the world, including the United Kingdom and Scotland, where Tara Togs is set.

Tintin was influenced by events around him and went from young reporter to explorer so Herge would avoid arrest from the Gestapo during World War Two. The German owners fled the country in 1944 and Tintin ended publication in the then closed ‘Evening’ newspaper. It was two years later, in 1946, when the character was resurrected in preparation for his own magazine in 1950.

Readers in the UK were introduced to Tintin in 1951 in the pages of Eagle in King Ottakar Sceptre (‘Asterix’ was introduced in Valiant comic and Ranger a year later as Little Fred and Big Ed). Tintin was French and Snowy the Dog was known by his French name Milou. In 1966 the book the Black Island, set in Scotland, was redrawn to reflect the look of the country more and is the copy of the book that is still available today. Indeed many of the books have been redrawn, relettered and reworded to suit the environment they are published in and the political sensitives of the late 20th and early 21st century.

None of this has impacted on Tintins universal appeal as a style icon. We’ve seen him on television, radio, film, stamps, coins, memorabilia, exhibitions and fan fiction culminating in 2009 with the opening of the Herge Museum in Brussels. In 2011 the movie Adventures of Tintin grossed over $374million.

4 million albums sell a year, a large bulk of them in China. The final book Alph Art is incomplete following Herge’s death in 1983 but was published as a manuscript in 1986. There have been no new TinTin books since then, as was Herge’s wishes. Original artwork is selling in the millions.

The Tintin Foundation informed Stref, artist/writer of Tara Togs, that this was the case despite him wanting to draw a Tintin book since the age of 8 when he read the Tintin story ‘Secret of the Unicorn’ at his grannies house. However you could use the style of Herge and develop your own story. The Tara Togs book is a true homage and wears the style of Herge on its sleeve. It has a female lead, a photojounalist, who lives in Scotland. There is an extensive supporting cast, including Heggy a Private Investigator. It is also set in the modern world of mobile phones, laptops, the internet and usb drives. The book took five years to produce and it is as close to getting a new ‘modern’ Tintin story for over 40 years. Stref hopes Herge is looking down at him saying ‘good job’.

Support the Tara Togs Silence of the Unicorns kickstarter here before 18th April, 8pm (GMT). This will be the first print of the book.