My review, as posted in Tintin Books

For his sixth "Tintin" work, Hergé continued his character's trips to far-flung societies, in this case South America. As with [b:Tintin in America|790192|Tintin in America (The Adventures of Tintin)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178382359s/790192.jpg|2874939] and [b:The Blue Lotus|146144|The Blue Lotus|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172178189s/146144.jpg|1928886], Herge sought to incorporate thinly-veiled political tensions. As such, San Theodoros is at war partly due to the machinations of big oil companies from superpower nations.

The story remains picaresque, leading Tintin through several smaller episodes which are tied together by an overarching plot, but is much more controlled and tightly plotted than anything Herge had done previously. The treasure hunt plot, beginning with an item whose significance is far from obvious, echoes that which will be used in later stories such as [b:The Secret of the Unicorn|179174|The Secret of the Unicorn (The Adventures of Tintin)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172468324s/179174.jpg|1275077]. Although the atmosphere wasn't as praised as that of "The Blue Lotus", "The Broken Ear" is a fun and exhilirating adventure.

On a personal level, I find a lot to love in this album, with its speedy feel which doesn't sacrifice plot. A lot of the native culture, and Herge's grim satire on big oil and Western countries exploiting second-world combats for their gain, is quite mature. However, there are some negative elements: for instance, Tintin still finds himself in a lot of situations (several firing squads, for instance) where he is saved by blind chance rather than through innovation, wilfulness or anything more clever. (It's the difference between "Buffy" and "Veronica Mars", too, if you want my opinion...) ( )

Not the easiest thing to read aloud, but my son loved it. I hope he will try reading other Tintin books on his own. ( )

It's weird reading the stuff of my childhood and discovering just how farcically stupid some cultures are portrayed as being. Granted, I'm reading the English translation of a French series, but I rather doubt is that far off - and it while I still enjoy the humorous elements that aren't treating other cultures as purely stupid, it's an uncomfortable experience. ( )

The Broken Ear is the sixth chronological volume in the Tintin series by Herge. As usual, Tintin is investigating a crime and starts following a trail of clues which lead him on an international goose chase. As to be expected, being written in 1945, there are portrayals of non-Belgian people which would not be considered sensitive enough by today's standards, but to it's credit The Broken Ear does highlight corruption in some of the military dictatorships in South America during the time. Also, in a round about way, the whole plot of The Broken Ear is a critique of cultural exploitation of indigenous peoples. Now that I have given the standard apology for Herge, I will note that all the usual dangerously fun things about Tintin are present in this volume: gun fights, white water boat collisions, espionage, botched executions, high speed car chases and accidents, prison break via farm tractor, animal sacrifice rituals, and of course death by piranhas! Snowy's tail get's injured seven times, poor guy.

The line work, ballooning, and coloring are classic as always and quite eye catching. Sometimes, I conduct a little experiment with Tintin books. I will leave one out in the living room or my office and see how long it takes for a guest to pick it up and flip through it. It's usually not too long. There is something about the bold colors and promise of adventure about each cover that is quite hard to deny. Next up, it looks like Tintin is going to Scotland in The Black Island! Dun..dun...Dun! ( )

Still a surprisingly racist book. Re-reading these books as an adult is really changing my perception of Tintin. ( )