Tintin and Alph-Art Review

Rating: 5/5
  
Synopsis: After local art gallery owner Henri Fourcart is murdered, Tintin investigates (as usual) leading him to spiritual leader Endaddine Akass.

My Thoughts: Since Hergé died before finishing the story in 1983, this volume mostly consists of rough sketches and story drafts ending in a troubling cliffhanger with Tintin being mugged by Akass who intends to kill him by covering him in liquid polyester to sell as an artwork by César Baldaccini. It raises several questions regarding our protagonist's eventual fate:

"Does Tintin die a tragic hero or survives and defeats the villains with justice served as always?"

"Did Hergé write this with the intention of it becoming his final book given his leukemia diagnosis three years before his demise?"

"Was Fourcourt's assistant supposed to be Tintin's love interest and/or play any major roles throughout the series in the future?"

    While I am aware of the finished unauthorized version of the story by Yves Rodier (which I haven't read as of yet), it still would never clearly answer the question of Hergé's true intentions when he wrote the book and would merely give out a broad conjecture of how he wanted to end it which in itself would likely be partially influenced by how Rodier hoped the plot would conclude. It's almost similar to that last significant jigsaw puzzle piece you lost as a kid and replaced with your own fabricated piece based on how you believe it would/should look like. Sure it 'finishes' the puzzle in your mind, but it still isn't quite the same as the original. That being said, I probably will the 'complete' version out of curiosity if I ever have the chance to find it.

Final Thoughts: While I wouldn't recommend Tintin and Alph-Art to a new reader, it is worth collecting for any Tintinologist (like myself) who has already read the previous volumes.
 
Update: I just read the completed Yves Rodier version of the story. While I still stand by my acknowledgment that no one could ever predict Hergé's true visions for the story, I do have to give Rodier credit for putting as much effort as possibly could into making it as faithful to the spirit of the previous books. The rendered ligne claire art and dialogue felt very in line with a traditional Tintin adventure along with the twist near the climax

where Rastapopoulos returns to avenge Tintin in an intense showdown

. The ending was also quite satisfactory and gave our beloved characters a fairly dignified closure while leaving the door ajar for more opportunities. Overall, it's worth the look if you've read the original and are dying to see more beyond the cliffhanger.