Tintin - Comic

Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media? 

A common misconception is that people often think that the target audience of comics are children. This is even though the images are often combined with texts which may have an underlying message. Japanese manga contains many genres that target different age groups, including children to adults. A popular Japanese manga called “One Piece” has been on-going for more than 10 years. People who have followed this series since childhood often find themselves reading well into adulthood as the adventures of the protagonist remains incomplete.

According to Farr (1991) comics similar to Tintin have a wide target audience, spanning from people aged from seven to seventy seven. Farr (1991) suggests how each person will interpret the comic differently and that there are always new things ways of interpreting the comic, no matter how many times the comic is re-read. Farr (1991) states that, “the child will be gripped by the excitement of Tintin, the comedy, even farce. The adult will additionally find political satire and parody, puns and prescience”. This comparison shows how adults and children might differently interpret the Tintin comic. For example, children reading/watching The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus would only see it for entertainment and they would not understand the racism and historical events presented in the comic. While adults who read/watch this series would see that Japanese people are viewed as being pig-nosed, bucked-toothed and short tempered. Adults also understand that this comic is used to address the opium wars that were happening in China at that time.

I think that comics can be enjoyed by people of all ages as they come in many forms and genres. For example a child can read comics such as Tintin and feel the excitement of the adventure and the mystery that comes with it, while adults can understand the underlying messages and maybe learn a bit of history while having fun.

References

Farr, M. (1991). Tintin: The complete companion. London: John Murray.

Hergé. (2005; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.