My review, as posted in Tintin Books

For his sixth "Tintin" work, Hergé continued his character's trips to far-flung societies, in this case South America. As with [b:Tintin in America|790192|Tintin in America (The Adventures of Tintin)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178382359s/790192.jpg|2874939] and [b:The Blue Lotus|146144|The Blue Lotus|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172178189s/146144.jpg|1928886], Herge sought to incorporate thinly-veiled political tensions. As such, San Theodoros is at war partly due to the machinations of big oil companies from superpower nations.

The story remains picaresque, leading Tintin through several smaller episodes which are tied together by an overarching plot, but is much more controlled and tightly plotted than anything Herge had done previously. The treasure hunt plot, beginning with an item whose significance is far from obvious, echoes that which will be used in later stories such as [b:The Secret of the Unicorn|179174|The Secret of the Unicorn (The Adventures of Tintin)|Hergé|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172468324s/179174.jpg|1275077]. Although the atmosphere wasn't as praised as that of "The Blue Lotus", "The Broken Ear" is a fun and exhilirating adventure.

On a personal level, I find a lot to love in this album, with its speedy feel which doesn't sacrifice plot. A lot of the native culture, and Herge's grim satire on big oil and Western countries exploiting second-world combats for their gain, is quite mature. However, there are some negative elements: for instance, Tintin still finds himself in a lot of situations (several firing squads, for instance) where he is saved by blind chance rather than through innovation, wilfulness or anything more clever. (It's the difference between "Buffy" and "Veronica Mars", too, if you want my opinion...) ( )

Ce n'était pas un de mes favoris à l'époque, mais je trouve qu'il a plutôt bien vieilli. Aussi rythmé que les Cigares du Pharaon, bourré de péripéties avec un Tintin téméraire qui manque se faire fusiller plusieurs fois, et plutôt drôle avec le running gag de l'apprenti terroriste qui rate tous ses attentats à la bombe, il joue cependant moins la carte de l'exotisme qu'espéré et se contente de quelques clichés bien sentis sur les Républiques bananières et les coups d'État à répétition. La partie se déroulant dans la jungle, qu'illustre la première de couverture, est la portion congrue et manque d'impact.
Restent des protagonistes sympathiques, du général Alcazar aux deux malfrats maladroits et un Tintin qui s'en sort un peu trop grâce à la chance (des fusils sabotés, une révolution, un éclair et quelques interventions providentielles). ( )

In diesem Band ist Tim auf der Suche nach dem namensgebenden Arumbaya-Fetisch und reist dafür nach Süd-Amerika, wo er zunächst auf dauer-putschende Militärs in zwei fiktiven Ländern stößt, um dann auf der Flucht auf die indigene Bevölkerung zu treffen.

Immer gehetzt von zwei Kriminellen, die ebenfalls den Arumbaya-Fetisch an sich bringen wollen, findet er schlußendlich eine Werkstatt, in der der vermeintlich einzigartige Fetisch in großen Stückzahlen produziert wird.

Eine eher langatmige Abenteuer-Geschichte mit sich wiederholenden Motiven. Wenigstens aber zumindest weniger rassistisch als die vorherigen Bände, obschon auch hier “black-facing” als Verkleidung genutzt wird und am Schluß buchstäblich ein paar “schwarze Teufel” einen kurzen “Auftritt” haben.

Alles in allem: Vergleichsweise harmlos, aber eher langweilig.

Drei von fünf Sternen.

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Not the easiest thing to read aloud, but my son loved it. I hope he will try reading other Tintin books on his own. ( )

It's weird reading the stuff of my childhood and discovering just how farcically stupid some cultures are portrayed as being. Granted, I'm reading the English translation of a French series, but I rather doubt is that far off - and it while I still enjoy the humorous elements that aren't treating other cultures as purely stupid, it's an uncomfortable experience. ( )