King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin)

Political unrest in Europe in the late 1930s influenced Herge when he wrote King Ottokar's Sceptre, in which Tintin and absent-minded Professor Alembick travel to Syldavia to try to avert a confrontation with neighboring Borduria. The history Herge creates for his fictional Eastern European country is complex and fascinating, and a locked-room mystery and cross-country pursuit make for one of Tintin's more entertaining adventures. Syldavia and Borduria would return in later stories, as would one of Herge's most memorable characters, Bianca Castafiore, the "Milanese Nightingale" renowned for her rendition of the "Jewel Song" from Faust. --David Horiuchi

• The Broken Ear (The Adventures of Tintin)
• The Black Island (The Adventures of Tintin)
• The Crab with the Golden Claws (The Adventures of Tintin)
• The Shooting Star (The Adventures of Tintin)
• Cigars of the Pharoah (The Adventures of Tintin)
• The Seven Crystal Balls (The Adventures of Tintin)
• The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
• The Blue Lotus (The Adventures of Tintin)
• Red Rackham's Treasure (The Adventures of Tintin)
• Land of Black Gold (The Adventures of Tintin)