Tintin och framställningen av det främmande : En postkolonial analys av intermedialitet i Tintin au Congo och Tintin en Amérique.

Sammanfattning: This essay examines through a postcolonial analysis of the intermedial aspects of comicbooks how stereotypes and depictions of the Other and the alien are formed in Tintin au Congo and Tintin en Amérique. The aim has been to call attention to the importance of the relationship between text and image to create meaning, as well as to gain a deeper insight into how different stereotypes are created and their function. Hergé illustrated the Tintin-books according to something that would come to be known as ”The Clear Line”, a way of drawing that focused on the readbility of the images. In this essay I argue that the simplicity of these readable images were used in his work as comic relief but also to create an awareness of deeper social issues in the world. There is a notable difference between Tintin au Congo and Tintin en Amérique where in the first album Hergé seems to be governed by these stereotypes, fully embracing them without questioning. In the second one however he is consciously and playfully using these images to make the reader aware of the problems with Othering, simultaneously using recognizable symbols that everyone can understand but with a critical gaze that not only reveals these problems but also condemns them. The use of these symbols and stereotypes highlights the importance of the relationship between text and image, as signification and meaning can differ depending on translation and the words used.