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The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko #1
Mr. Pump's Legacy
Mr Pump's legacy is ten million dollars. It will go to the builders of the first aeroplane to fly from Paris to New York at 1000 kilometres per hour. To save Stratoship H.22, designed by their father and now threatened by gangsters, Jo and Zette have taken off in the aircraft. Their pet monkey Jocko has gone too. Short of fuel, they land on a desert island...
52 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
12 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Hergé
1,063 books1,968 followersGeorges Prosper Remi (22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist.
His best known and most substantial work is The Adventures of Tintin comic book series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, leaving the twenty-fourth Tintin adventure Tintin and Alph-Art unfinished. His work remains a strong influence on comics, particularly in Europe.
"Hergé" is the pseudonym of George Remí, making a game with the initials of his name inverted. Throughout the evolution of his star character, Tintin, we can see the progress of this author: from the first titles marked by the ultraconservative doctrine of the director of the newspaper Le Petit Vingtième, to the breaking of conventions embodied from The Blue Lotus , as well as the evolution of the society of his time. The research carried out by Hergé to historically contextualize his Adventures, as well as his implicit social criticism, have made Tintin a masterpiece of the 20th century.
Series on Goodreads:
* The Adventures of Tintin
* Quick & Flupke
* The adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko
His best known and most substantial work is The Adventures of Tintin comic book series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, leaving the twenty-fourth Tintin adventure Tintin and Alph-Art unfinished. His work remains a strong influence on comics, particularly in Europe.
"Hergé" is the pseudonym of George Remí, making a game with the initials of his name inverted. Throughout the evolution of his star character, Tintin, we can see the progress of this author: from the first titles marked by the ultraconservative doctrine of the director of the newspaper Le Petit Vingtième, to the breaking of conventions embodied from The Blue Lotus , as well as the evolution of the society of his time. The research carried out by Hergé to historically contextualize his Adventures, as well as his implicit social criticism, have made Tintin a masterpiece of the 20th century.
Series on Goodreads:
* The Adventures of Tintin
* Quick & Flupke
* The adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 6, 2021
The Jo, Zetteand Jocko adventures were first written in the 1930's and feature the adventures of Jo Legrand, his little sister Zette and their pet monkey,Jocko.
Billionaire John Archibald Pump is killed in a car accident, in his luxury super-modern sports car.
In his last will and testament, Pump bequeaths the sum of $ 10 million dollars to the builders of the first aeroplane to succeed from flying non-stop from New York to Paris, or vice versa-within one year.Engineer Monsieur Le Grand is commisoned to build the aeroplane to do it, for SAFCA.
There are those in whose interest it is to stop the flight, including Pump's nephews, William and Fred Stockrise who stand to gain the fortune, should nobody make the flight within one year.
The villains begin their work-first Mr Legrand is injured after his car is sabotaged, then Jo is hurt after being shot,and then little Zette is kidnapped.
But the family Legrand are made of sterner stuff and are soon re-united. From there, their wits a re pitted against the relentless vilains, and much action and adventure takes place to see if the flight will succeed.
Lots of fun, lots of detail in the great illustrations and great characters.
Billionaire John Archibald Pump is killed in a car accident, in his luxury super-modern sports car.
In his last will and testament, Pump bequeaths the sum of $ 10 million dollars to the builders of the first aeroplane to succeed from flying non-stop from New York to Paris, or vice versa-within one year.Engineer Monsieur Le Grand is commisoned to build the aeroplane to do it, for SAFCA.
There are those in whose interest it is to stop the flight, including Pump's nephews, William and Fred Stockrise who stand to gain the fortune, should nobody make the flight within one year.
The villains begin their work-first Mr Legrand is injured after his car is sabotaged, then Jo is hurt after being shot,and then little Zette is kidnapped.
But the family Legrand are made of sterner stuff and are soon re-united. From there, their wits a re pitted against the relentless vilains, and much action and adventure takes place to see if the flight will succeed.
Lots of fun, lots of detail in the great illustrations and great characters.
June 12, 2012
For Tintinologists and casual fans alike, the adventures of Jo, Zette, and Jocko, are fascinating excursions into the embryonic narrative styles of Herge. For many, however, they remain simply unknown.
Created shortly after Tintin became a success throughout Belgium and France, "Jo, Zette and Jocko" were made for a slightly different type of readership. The weekly 'Coeurs Vailliants' was founded on principles of traditional values, and Herge was asked to provide a traditional family as the centre of his new adventures. Enter Jo and Zette, children of an engineer and his domestic wife, and their lovable pet monkey, Jocko.
It's perhaps no surprise that this scamps never became as popular as the boy reporter. While Tintin has agency on account of his age and profession, Jo and Zette are only children, and can never be as active protagonists as the blonde one - at least, not for more than a few adventures. There's also more didactism present, given the younger age group Herge was writing for, meaning there are moments of pure science or instruction. (A few of these elements seep into some of the weaker 'Tintin' installments, but they're more prolific here.) And, finally, the book shows its origins as a weekly serial, much as the early 'Tintin' works do. The first third is just set-up and continuous attempts at sabotage by a villain who threatens to become as comically inept as Wile E. Coyote. Indeed, the whole piece has a "Boys' Own" feel about it, with Jo or Zette constantly getting near the truth, only to find themselves in terrible danger.
To speak ill of this adventure, however, is to short-change it. Herge's humour abounds throughout the volume, from the very first page which creates the absurd and complex idea of the millionaire John Archibald Pump and his requirement for a butler who can roller skate. Everything about Pump's "Modern Times"-esque lifestyle is hysterical, and the misadventures of the monkey Jocko easily live up to those of his more famous canine cousin. (In the naughtiest frame of this 'family friendly' adventure, the culprit of a missing bottle of champagne is revealed to be Jocko, sleeping drunkenly behind some barrels.)
More to the point, Jo and Zette show a fair amount of chutzpah and insight, with Herge treating them equally. (It's thoroughly refreshing to see Zette get just as much action as her brother.) While the adventures rarely rise above standard chase-escape-chase fare, it's done with a level of panache and humour that equate with the increasingly complex 'Tintin' albums of the late '40s. Herge plays with our point-of-view, as when Jocko embarks on his own adventure to save Zette, even though we already know she's been saved.
There are a few other issues I had with 'Mr. Pump's Legacy', particularly the lack of dimensions to the villains, and the inadequate characterisation of poor Mrs. Legrand. However, as these are rectified in the second volume ('Destination: New York'), I retract them immediately!
It's clear that "Jo, Zette and Jocko" will never be a series esteemed as "Tintin" was. There are only five completed albums, and the first two (a two-part story entitled 'The Secret Ray') have never been translated into English. While the trio could have occasional adventures, their lifestyle didn't allow for such globetrotting as Tintin. Sure, Enid Blyton could make the English countryside a playground for decades, but Herge was never as attracted by bucolic tales. Unlike the many great works in the 'Tintin' oeuvre, 'Jo, Zette and Jocko' reveals its serialised origins far more often, and this inevitably tarnishes its reputation. Still, the album features some enjoyable characters, rip-roaring chase sequences, and an egalitarian attitude to its heroes - boy, girl, man, and monkey - which is admirable. For anyone who's enjoyed Herge's albums, it's worth a look.
Created shortly after Tintin became a success throughout Belgium and France, "Jo, Zette and Jocko" were made for a slightly different type of readership. The weekly 'Coeurs Vailliants' was founded on principles of traditional values, and Herge was asked to provide a traditional family as the centre of his new adventures. Enter Jo and Zette, children of an engineer and his domestic wife, and their lovable pet monkey, Jocko.
It's perhaps no surprise that this scamps never became as popular as the boy reporter. While Tintin has agency on account of his age and profession, Jo and Zette are only children, and can never be as active protagonists as the blonde one - at least, not for more than a few adventures. There's also more didactism present, given the younger age group Herge was writing for, meaning there are moments of pure science or instruction. (A few of these elements seep into some of the weaker 'Tintin' installments, but they're more prolific here.) And, finally, the book shows its origins as a weekly serial, much as the early 'Tintin' works do. The first third is just set-up and continuous attempts at sabotage by a villain who threatens to become as comically inept as Wile E. Coyote. Indeed, the whole piece has a "Boys' Own" feel about it, with Jo or Zette constantly getting near the truth, only to find themselves in terrible danger.
To speak ill of this adventure, however, is to short-change it. Herge's humour abounds throughout the volume, from the very first page which creates the absurd and complex idea of the millionaire John Archibald Pump and his requirement for a butler who can roller skate. Everything about Pump's "Modern Times"-esque lifestyle is hysterical, and the misadventures of the monkey Jocko easily live up to those of his more famous canine cousin. (In the naughtiest frame of this 'family friendly' adventure, the culprit of a missing bottle of champagne is revealed to be Jocko, sleeping drunkenly behind some barrels.)
More to the point, Jo and Zette show a fair amount of chutzpah and insight, with Herge treating them equally. (It's thoroughly refreshing to see Zette get just as much action as her brother.) While the adventures rarely rise above standard chase-escape-chase fare, it's done with a level of panache and humour that equate with the increasingly complex 'Tintin' albums of the late '40s. Herge plays with our point-of-view, as when Jocko embarks on his own adventure to save Zette, even though we already know she's been saved.
There are a few other issues I had with 'Mr. Pump's Legacy', particularly the lack of dimensions to the villains, and the inadequate characterisation of poor Mrs. Legrand. However, as these are rectified in the second volume ('Destination: New York'), I retract them immediately!
It's clear that "Jo, Zette and Jocko" will never be a series esteemed as "Tintin" was. There are only five completed albums, and the first two (a two-part story entitled 'The Secret Ray') have never been translated into English. While the trio could have occasional adventures, their lifestyle didn't allow for such globetrotting as Tintin. Sure, Enid Blyton could make the English countryside a playground for decades, but Herge was never as attracted by bucolic tales. Unlike the many great works in the 'Tintin' oeuvre, 'Jo, Zette and Jocko' reveals its serialised origins far more often, and this inevitably tarnishes its reputation. Still, the album features some enjoyable characters, rip-roaring chase sequences, and an egalitarian attitude to its heroes - boy, girl, man, and monkey - which is admirable. For anyone who's enjoyed Herge's albums, it's worth a look.
October 13, 2020
چقدر چسبید یک کمیک از هرژهی عزیزم...
این ژو و زت هیچوقت به پای تن تن نمیرسن ولی بعنوان نوستالژی و زنده کردن خاطرات بچگی ازشون واقعا لذت بردم
این ژو و زت هیچوقت به پای تن تن نمیرسن ولی بعنوان نوستالژی و زنده کردن خاطرات بچگی ازشون واقعا لذت بردم
August 30, 2021
Eksentrinen miljonääri herra Pumppu on testamentannut omaisuutensa taholle, joka ensimmäisenä pystyy lentämään New Yorkin ja Pariisin välisen matkan yli tuhannen kilometrin tuntinopeudella. Sisarukset Veikko ja Tette sekä heidän lemmikkiapinansa Jykke tempautuvat mukaan hengenvaaralliseen seikkailuun kun heidän insinööri-isänsä suunnittelema Stratonef-lentokone joutuu toistuvien sabotaasi-yritysten kohteeksi.
Hergén "Herra Pumpun testamentti" (Otava, 1974) ja sen jatko-osa Matkalla New Yorkiin julkaistiin alun perin jatkokertomuksena 1930-luvun loppupuolella. Vaikka tekijä ei tiettävästi itse ollut kovin tyytyväinen luomukseensa, on se ilmestymisajankohtaansa nähden kestänyt aikaa ihan mukavasti. Jännittävää, varsin onnistunutta lastensarjakuvaa!
Hergén "Herra Pumpun testamentti" (Otava, 1974) ja sen jatko-osa Matkalla New Yorkiin julkaistiin alun perin jatkokertomuksena 1930-luvun loppupuolella. Vaikka tekijä ei tiettävästi itse ollut kovin tyytyväinen luomukseensa, on se ilmestymisajankohtaansa nähden kestänyt aikaa ihan mukavasti. Jännittävää, varsin onnistunutta lastensarjakuvaa!
August 2, 2025
I read Mr. Pump’s Legacy in 1996, tucked under a flickering study lamp, one foot tapping to the rainy rhythm of a monsoon evening. That was my board exam year, and it was an odd kind of book to find back then—neither Tintin nor quite new. A friend had passed it on like a whispered secret: “This one’s Hergé too, but different.” And oh, it was.
Unlike the globe-trotting, eternally bachelor Tintin, the protagonists here—Jo and Zette—were relatable in a curiously grounded way. A brother-sister duo, full of pluck and invention, with actual parents who worried about them. The world of Mr. Pump’s Legacy was less about chasing spies in deserts and more about outwitting corporate sabotage, test-flying experimental aircraft, and being kidnapped in ice. You know—standard childhood Tuesday.
The titular “legacy” was simple: build a working Stratonef H.22 and win a massive prize. But, being Hergé, what should’ve been an aviation drama quickly escalates into a whirlwind of intrigue. From sabotage plots to snowy mountain hideouts, from hidden bomb threats to press-fueled chaos, the story pulses with tension. But never too dark. Always balanced. Always brisk.
What I remember most, though, is the plane itself—the sleek, silvery H.22 with its twin fuselages and futuristic promise. It wasn’t just a machine—it was a dream. For a 12-year-old, that was the closest thing to holding onto science fiction with grease-stained fingers. The technical illustrations of its interiors were like blueprints to adventure.
And Jocko the monkey? Mischievous and loyal, a small creature constantly flinging chaos into the gears of adult logic. Basically, how I saw myself at that age.
Was it Tintin-level brilliance? No. But it had something Tintin didn’t: the emotional push-pull of family, the ache of being responsible and young, and the thrill of being part of something bigger than yourself. It was the first time I felt the emotional lift-off of reading about flight while secretly dreaming of escape.
It’s 2025 now, and I still think of that evening. Of Stratonefs and snowstorms. Of a family on the run. Of flying dreams that first took off not in the skies but in the soft hush of turning pages.
Unlike the globe-trotting, eternally bachelor Tintin, the protagonists here—Jo and Zette—were relatable in a curiously grounded way. A brother-sister duo, full of pluck and invention, with actual parents who worried about them. The world of Mr. Pump’s Legacy was less about chasing spies in deserts and more about outwitting corporate sabotage, test-flying experimental aircraft, and being kidnapped in ice. You know—standard childhood Tuesday.
The titular “legacy” was simple: build a working Stratonef H.22 and win a massive prize. But, being Hergé, what should’ve been an aviation drama quickly escalates into a whirlwind of intrigue. From sabotage plots to snowy mountain hideouts, from hidden bomb threats to press-fueled chaos, the story pulses with tension. But never too dark. Always balanced. Always brisk.
What I remember most, though, is the plane itself—the sleek, silvery H.22 with its twin fuselages and futuristic promise. It wasn’t just a machine—it was a dream. For a 12-year-old, that was the closest thing to holding onto science fiction with grease-stained fingers. The technical illustrations of its interiors were like blueprints to adventure.
And Jocko the monkey? Mischievous and loyal, a small creature constantly flinging chaos into the gears of adult logic. Basically, how I saw myself at that age.
Was it Tintin-level brilliance? No. But it had something Tintin didn’t: the emotional push-pull of family, the ache of being responsible and young, and the thrill of being part of something bigger than yourself. It was the first time I felt the emotional lift-off of reading about flight while secretly dreaming of escape.
It’s 2025 now, and I still think of that evening. Of Stratonefs and snowstorms. Of a family on the run. Of flying dreams that first took off not in the skies but in the soft hush of turning pages.
April 14, 2018
বইটা হাতে নিয়েছিলাম দেখে ছোট বোন বলে উঠেছিল, তুমি বড় হয়ে এখনও কমিকস পড়ো? মেজাজ খিঁচড়িয়ে উঠলেও কিছু বলি নাই। মাঝে মাঝে ছোট হয়ে যেতে মন আকুলি-বিকুলি করে। শৈশবের অ্যাডভেঞ্চার ও দুরন্তপনায় সে হারিয়ে যেতে চায়। সেই রকম বোধ নিয়ে বইটি পড়া। তাই, কাহিনীতে অবাস্ততা ও অসঙ্গতি থাকলেও বইটি থেকে মজা নিতে এতটুকুও বাঁধেনি।
February 4, 2019
One of my absolute favorite comics from my childhood! it is still as amazing to me now, as it was back then
August 29, 2022
ছোট ছোট মানুষদের বড় বড় কাজ করে ফেলার অনায়াস-গল্প, টিনটিনের স্রষ্টার লেখা এই সিরিজটা। শীর্ষ ধনী, জন পাম্প, ঘোষণা দিয়ে যান দ্রুতগামী বিমান আবিষ্কারককে সম্পত্তির বড় এক অংশ দান করে যাবার। প্রতিযোগিতায় নামে আবিষ্কারকেরা, আর ষড়যন্ত্রে নামে দুই ভাগ্নে। কারণ ঠিক সময়ে বিমান তৈরী না হলে উক্ত সম্পত্তি তারা পাবে।
প্রকৌশলীর ছেলে-মেয়ে জো আর জেট সে ষড়যন্ত্র বানচাল করতে লেগে পড়ে, সাথে থাকা বাঁদর, জোকো, যোগায় কমিক রিলিফ। দিব্যি ঘোড়া চড়তে জানে তারা, প্লেন ওড়াতে আর ল্যান্ড করতেও জানে, দুঁদে অপরাধীদের ঘোল খাওয়াতেও তাদের জুড়ি নেই। সহজ, মজার, আর হইচই এডভেঞ্চার-ভরা একটা ছোট কমিক পড়ে ফেলতে চাইলে একটা ইস্যু পড়ে দেখতেই পারেন।
টিনটিনের মতোই, এটার অনুবাদও আনন্দ থেকে প্রকাশিত হয়েছে।
প্রকৌশলীর ছেলে-মেয়ে জো আর জেট সে ষড়যন্ত্র বানচাল করতে লেগে পড়ে, সাথে থাকা বাঁদর, জোকো, যোগায় কমিক রিলিফ। দিব্যি ঘোড়া চড়তে জানে তারা, প্লেন ওড়াতে আর ল্যান্ড করতেও জানে, দুঁদে অপরাধীদের ঘোল খাওয়াতেও তাদের জুড়ি নেই। সহজ, মজার, আর হইচই এডভেঞ্চার-ভরা একটা ছোট কমিক পড়ে ফেলতে চাইলে একটা ইস্যু পড়ে দেখতেই পারেন।
টিনটিনের মতোই, এটার অনুবাদও আনন্দ থেকে প্রকাশিত হয়েছে।
August 8, 2022
Oh! Why do neither Egmont nor Ananda Publishers publish this exhilarating series anymore? Turning books into castoffs merely at the sheer mercy of the publishing houses keep me wistful nowadays. I want Tintin, but not without Jo, Zette and Jocko.
February 12, 2023
I heard good reviews of this series , so started it.
Jo really feels like the young tintin , i guess joko is the snowy. I really liked all those illustrations of the plane model , herge really did lot of homework for it. The plot isnt anything interesting, but still it was fun to read
Jo really feels like the young tintin , i guess joko is the snowy. I really liked all those illustrations of the plane model , herge really did lot of homework for it. The plot isnt anything interesting, but still it was fun to read
December 15, 2020
Mr Pump has got the need for speed.
July 12, 2015
The first in a two-book series, this is a good book for folks who have read all the Tintin entries and are looking for some more from Herge. I preferred it to the entry I read from his other sideline series, Quick & Flupke. This one has Tintin's fun and familiar action/slapstick formula, minus the characters Tintin fans know and love. The story centers around a science fiction premise of the sort that doesn't seem all that fictional in hindsight--a race to build a plane which can make a transatlantic flight at 1000 km/h (a speed which had already been attained when this was written, though perhaps not yet sustained over the Atlantic). For several decades now, certain planes have flown twice that fast. Like Jules Verne and as with Herge's Tintin episodes on space flight (written around the same time), Herge was just a little ahead of his time. This series was intended to be a little more "family oriented" than Tintin, which means that instead of just one goody-two-shoes Tintin, there is a family of four uncomplicated and uninteresting good guys. The only good guy who is a little mischievous is the chimpanzee Jocko, whose role parallels Snowy's from the Tintin books. Recommended, but only as a postscript to reading the Tintin series.
January 4, 2011
Mr. Pump’s Legacy is the first part of two comic books (part two being: Destination New York) that featured the adventures of Jo and Zette Legrand and their pet chimpanzee Jocko. Their father, M. Legrand, is currently racing to design and build Stratoship, a super-fast, prop-driven, stratospheric altitude aircraft, which is hope to fly the first ever trans-Atlantic flight over 1,000 km/h to claim a $10 million prize promised in the will of an eccentric millionaire who loved speeding, Mr. John Archibald Pump.
With so much at stake, some bad guys were ruthlessly attempting to stop the Stratoship project from succeeding, which made the children caught up in a string of seemingly endless violence, sabotage, drugging, bombing and kidnapping.
Those who loved Tintin and Snowy’s (or Milou, depending which version you read) many adventures, usually found these adventures of Jo and Zette Legrand plus Jocko less fascinating. But if you already read all Tintin series, this might be a good reminder that Herge also brought other characters to live. And they’re sure funny, lovely and adorable. Just like their older brother, Tintin.
With so much at stake, some bad guys were ruthlessly attempting to stop the Stratoship project from succeeding, which made the children caught up in a string of seemingly endless violence, sabotage, drugging, bombing and kidnapping.
Those who loved Tintin and Snowy’s (or Milou, depending which version you read) many adventures, usually found these adventures of Jo and Zette Legrand plus Jocko less fascinating. But if you already read all Tintin series, this might be a good reminder that Herge also brought other characters to live. And they’re sure funny, lovely and adorable. Just like their older brother, Tintin.
October 3, 2014
Love the first part of this. We have Idiosyncratic speed obsessed John Archibald Pump auditioning a new butler and the main skill needed - the ability to roller-skate. Alas Mr. Pump dies in a car crash and his will leaves his money to the creation of a highspeed plane rather than his nephews.
Jo and Zette's father is commissioned to create the super-speed plane but the nephews wish to foil his attempts because if he fails they get the money.
This is the first of a two parter so you will need book two on hand to find out what happens next!
Fun, but not as interesting as TinTin. I love the caricature of Mr. Pump, but found the second half of this rather predictable. Still it will no doubt delight children, especially the escapades of Jocko the monkey who accidentally gets carried off by a weather balloon their father is testing.
Jo and Zette's father is commissioned to create the super-speed plane but the nephews wish to foil his attempts because if he fails they get the money.
This is the first of a two parter so you will need book two on hand to find out what happens next!
Fun, but not as interesting as TinTin. I love the caricature of Mr. Pump, but found the second half of this rather predictable. Still it will no doubt delight children, especially the escapades of Jocko the monkey who accidentally gets carried off by a weather balloon their father is testing.
February 19, 2013
So, I thought it was time I read some of the other comics by Hergé. This is not up to the same standard as Tintin. Or rather, it's about the same standard as the early Tintin stories. The humour is quite good, the art is decent, the storyline is fine and there's a nice element of inventiveness. What's lacking is the dialog and excitement. Reading it out loud to my kids, the dialog is lacklustre and sometimes stilted. Having said that, it reads fine if you're just reading in your head to yourself.
December 19, 2020
I had heard this series criticized as basically just watered-down Tintin because Herge was asked to create a similar comic starring a nuclear family (which, remember, was more relatable for most kids at the time). But it's not watered down at all. It's true that the characters are just sweet and not much else, but they're endearingly, disarmingly sweet, and their blandness makes the amount of death-defying stuff they get up to really funny. I also appreciated that Jocko gets more sympathy than Snowy. :p
August 10, 2023
3 stars is very low on my scale for something made by Herge, and this is among his lesser-known works for good reason.
As part 1 of the two-parter 'Stratoship H-22' story, it holds up somewhat better than its sequel, probably only because it is the start of the build up for a story that will soon plateau and just roll along. (This may be unduly harsh criticism for what was intended to be a kids' story that is now sought largely by grown-up enthusiasts.)
Saving graces: The Jo, Zette and Jocko series often features some truly funny whimsical (and stereotypical) characters that actually make you smile, and this book has one of them. The art is good in the way Herge's art always is, but not exceptional by his standards.
As part 1 of the two-parter 'Stratoship H-22' story, it holds up somewhat better than its sequel, probably only because it is the start of the build up for a story that will soon plateau and just roll along. (This may be unduly harsh criticism for what was intended to be a kids' story that is now sought largely by grown-up enthusiasts.)
Saving graces: The Jo, Zette and Jocko series often features some truly funny whimsical (and stereotypical) characters that actually make you smile, and this book has one of them. The art is good in the way Herge's art always is, but not exceptional by his standards.
December 24, 2022
This was a fun little read although there is a cliffhanger. Luckily I have access to the second book. These read just like les aventures de Tintin. Here we follow the exploits of two children and their monkey. This book focuses on their father and his quest to earn the 10million dollar prize for a very fast airplane. I am reading these in french and they are right at my level with a few new words for me to learn but easy enough to understand the story. At this point I still prefer Tintin but good to know that these are available after I have finished all the Tintin books.
November 21, 2022
Hergé’s children’s adventure series opens here with a comedic salvo (a four-page cameo from the speed-obsessed Mr. Pump) before settling into the improbable thriller/action sequences and manifold lucky escapes that dominate early Tintin volumes. Eyebrows raise at such derring-do from pre-teen protagonists.
September 7, 2024
230×305 ¦ A.I. 06/1985 ¦ D.L. ²tri/1952 ¦ 5 JZJ tomes backside
I strongly appreciated learning about how a plane is made to fly in the stratosphere and not being spared the technical/mechanical specifics.
I strongly appreciated learning about how a plane is made to fly in the stratosphere and not being spared the technical/mechanical specifics.
March 18, 2021
Takový Tintin pro mladší. Není to úplná bomba, ale pořád je to příjemné počtení. Kresba je klasický Hergé v nejlepší formě.
November 24, 2021
brings back old memories
January 18, 2022
Tintini seikluste autori teine vähemtuntud sari.
Idee sarnane Tintiniga, kuid nüüd on mõistatuste lahendajaks poiss tüdruk ja ahv.
Kellele seiklused meeldivad, kannatab lugeda küll.
Idee sarnane Tintiniga, kuid nüüd on mõistatuste lahendajaks poiss tüdruk ja ahv.
Kellele seiklused meeldivad, kannatab lugeda küll.
April 17, 2022
Huomattavasti parempi tämä oli kun muistin tai kuten annettiin ymmärtää. Mainiota viatonta seikkailua.
April 8, 2024
A little more age-appropriate for a 6 year-old boy than the author’s more well-known series, Tintin.
June 27, 2024
More exciting and less racist than the sequel which I read first.
March 18, 2026
me encanta es muy parecido a Tintín y me encanta Tintín.
January 13, 2024
A great mental detox for frazzled me.
hergé-revisited
February 5, 2026The first part of the second adventure of Jo Zette and Jocko, but the colour version was published before that of The Secret Ray so it's sometimes assumed to be the debut.
Original Version: 1937/9 (red and green half-tone colours). Full-colour version: 1951.
I don't think the original versions were collected as albums as the black and white Tintin adventures were, only in weekly newspapers.
I really enjoyed reading these again, it's a more plausible and tightly plotted adventure compared to The Secret Ray - but I had to read those via a Google Glass translation so not the best circumstance.
Original Version: 1937/9 (red and green half-tone colours). Full-colour version: 1951.
I don't think the original versions were collected as albums as the black and white Tintin adventures were, only in weekly newspapers.
I really enjoyed reading these again, it's a more plausible and tightly plotted adventure compared to The Secret Ray - but I had to read those via a Google Glass translation so not the best circumstance.
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