Arts & Culture

Tintin, Lucky Luke, and Astérix: Remembering the Comics That Entertained a Generation

mm
Tintin, Lucky Luke, and Astérix: Remembering the Comics That Entertained a Generation

Frames from the Arabic translation of The Adventures of Tintin.

The year is 1975. An early Saturday morning dawns and preteens and teens around Egypt eagerly await the moment they can get their hands on the week’s copies of Tintin Magazine. Some rush to the newspaper stand on their way to school. Others race their siblings home to be the first to snatch the copy their parents bought on their way home from work.

Starting from the early 70s and continuing into the 80s, young people in Egypt who felt a little too old for the popular Mickey comics, yet too young to confine their reading exclusively to picture-free books, were drawn to this weekly magazine that contained a variety of stories, comics, facts, and quizzes alongside the iconic Belgian bande dessinée, The Adventures of Tintin, by the artist Hergé.

A small part of Egyptology professor Abir Enany’s collection of Tintin, Lucky Luke, and Asterix comics. Photo courtesy of Abir Enany.

“I associate reading Tintin Magazine with the summer holidays,” said Ahmed El-Safty, professor of economics at the American University in Cairo and lifelong fan of the comic. “When I was a teenager, there weren’t as many pastimes as there are now. There was no internet, no North Coast, and during term time we were very focused on our studies. So me and those of my friends who loved to read would devour the comics during the summer, often reading a single copy multiple times.”

As the popularity of Tintin grew in Egypt, publishers took the plunge and printed the original Tintin books in Arabic. Bookshops and curbside book stands began to stock the books exclusively dedicated to a single Tintin story, along with other books of the same genre. Most notable among those were Lucky Luke by Belgian artist Morris and Astérix by French artist and editor respectively Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny.

The action-packed, intricately illustrated, and creatively themed comic books provided a combination of intrigue, humour, and excitement, with pictures that held new surprises the closer they were inspected.

“Tintin really changed my life,” Egyptian comic artist Mac Toot, who recently created a series of illustrations inspired by Hergé’s work, told Egyptian Streets. “From the moment I read my first Tintin book, I knew I wanted to become a comic artist.”

Illustrations by comic artist Mac Toot inspired by iconic images from Hergé’s Tintin.

Though all originally written in French, the Arabic translations of three comic series saw a time of great prominence among teenagers in Egypt. Until today, fans of these colourful, comical, and action-packed books recognize each other by exchanging popular catchphrases from the Arabic translations.

Upon their arrival in Egypt, these comics became an excuse for children and teenagers to bond with one another. Afnan Shehata, whose childhood and youth were in the 60s and 70s, says that she would often read the comics to her younger siblings.

”We also used to lend them to each other at school,” she told Egyptian Streets. “Some kids’ parents didn’t really care much for these comics and wouldn’t buy them for their children, so they would borrow them from children whose parents bought them.”

Beyond providing a way for young people bond, they also provided a window to the world, history, and knowledge. While Lucky Luke created a dazzling image of the Wild West, Astérix contained fascinating tidbits about Ancient Roman Europe throughout its fantastical storylines, and Tintin provided a window into 20th century history.

A frame from an Asterix comic.

“I loved Tintin at seven, but when I read Tintin at 17 and when I read Tintin at 27…you realise the depth of what you’re reading,” said Mac Toot, who says that he draws inspiration from Hergé’s Tintin in his illustrations, but more from Uderzo and Goscinny’s Astérix in his use of acerbic humour.

While nowadays the most popular comic book markets are American and Japanese, Mac Toot told Egyptian Streets that young aspiring comic artists expressed immediate fascination with the bandes dessinées when he showed them copies in workshops he has held.

However, among Baby Boomers and members of Generation X the cultish love for the comics remain and the nostalgia around the iconic illustrated stories continue to be a source of fond memories and timeless laughs immortalised in reminiscent conversations and countless Facebook fan groups.

Cultural Traditions in Dance & Dress: A Brief History of Egyptian Folklore Dancing
Singalongs and Big Dance Numbers: 8 Classic Egyptian Musical Films From Back in the Day


Subscribe to our newsletter


Arts & Culture
mm

Senior Editor at Egyptian Streets and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo. Holds a master's degree in Global Journalism from the University of Sheffield, where she wrote a dissertation about the effect of disinformation on the profession of journalism. Passionate about music, story-telling, baking, social justice, and taking care of her plants. "If you smell something, say something." -Jon Stewart, 2015

More in Arts & Culture

6 Photographers Documenting the Beauty in Egypt’s Mundane 

Dina Khadr30 March 2023

5 Brands that Are Keeping Egypt’s Artisanal Crafts Alive

Dina Khadr29 March 2023

Who are The Unknown Pioneers of Egyptian Photography?

Farah Rafik28 March 2023

7 Ramadan Radio Shows to Give a Listen To

Farah Rafik26 March 2023

Egypt to Get Its Very Own Fashion Week For the First Time

Egyptian Streets26 March 2023

Women-Led and Directed Series to Watch this Ramadan

Amina Abdel-Halim24 March 2023

Empowering the Next Generation of Female Athletes: Egypt’s Khadija Hegazy

Mirna Abdulaal22 March 2023

How Arabs Are Being Represented in Entertainment: Are Orientalist Tropes Still Pervasive?

Dina Khadr22 March 2023