Tintin, Haddock, Calculus, Snowy and (by mistake) the Thompson Twins travel to the Moon in a rocket that looks like a cross between the Nazi V-2 and a Swedish polkagris. Unknown adversaries attempt to hijack the rocket on the Moon (!) with the aid of a renegade Syldavian agent. Syldavia is the fictitious nation launching the moon rocket – in a previous Tintin adventure, it was described as “the smallest Balkan state” and was ruled by a semi-feudal monarchy!
Meanwhile, Tintin becomes the first human ever to walk on the surface of our
desolate satellite, and he even discovers ice and the previous existence of
liquid water. Fans of Forteana might be interested to learn that Tintin's
creator Hergé was a friend of Bernard Heuvelmans and discussed the contents of
the Moon adventure with “the father of cryptozoology”.
It's also interesting to note that “Explorers on the Moon” scandalized the
Catholic Church, since one of the characters commit suicide, forcing Hergé to
slightly rewrite the adventure in a later edition.
In my opinion, “Explorers on the Moon” is better than “Destination Moon” (the
first part of the story), since the plot, including scheming great power agents
and traitors, is allowed to take precedence over the slapstick/whiskey elements
of which Hergé was so fond. I therefore give it three-and-a-half stars.
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