Do you have kids? Do they have any Tintin books? If not, they're missing out on something special. Next birthday or Christmas, pick them up a couple of Tintin books and watch them lose themselves in these fantastic adventures. (Some adventures are spread over two books - make sure you get both parts unless you want a quick trip to the bookstore!) If you can't buy the books, check out your local library. Most carry some of the adventures, and I've seen them in school libraries as well.
The Crab with the Golden Claws is best known for introducing Tintin's best friend and one of the series' most memorable characters: Captain "Blistering Barnacles" Haddock. As Tintin is investigating a mysterious can of crab and a drowned sailor, he meets Haddock, a "miserable wretch" who's being kept in ample alcohol so his insidious first mate, Allan, can run a drug operation. Crab had to be lengthened to fit the standard 62-page format; fortunately, Herge achieved this by, among other additions, creating four marvelous full-page spreads. --David Horiuchi
