This is one of several Tintin adventures which gives Thomson and Thompson more prominent roles. Opening with an episode that culminates in their car blowing up, the stage is set for an adventure that will take Tintin to the Middle-East.
Tintin soon encounters an old adversary, Müller, first encountered in The Black island, who is involved in nefarious paramilitary oil-related activities. Müller eventually kidnaps the wonderfully appalling oily little tyke Abdullah, hugely irritating much loved son of Ben Kalish Ezab, in an attempt to fuel conflict between Ezab and Sheikh Bab El Ehr. Abdullah, rather like Jolyon Wagg, or Castafiore (who has a small cameo in the adventure), is one of Hergé’s great irritating characters, and gives him the chance for some excellent character development, not only in terms of Abdullah himself, but also in the way adults react to him, alongside some good old-fashioned simple slapstick.
So, Tintin must rescue Abdullah – not at all easy when one takes Abdullah’s mischievous temperament into account – and get to the bottom of the exploding fuel mystery to prevent WWIII, and reunite Abdullah with his doting ‘papa’. All in a days work for our plucky ‘boy reporter’ hero! Rather unusually for a later period Tintin adventure, Captain haddock is virtually absent. When he does, rather fortuitously, show up, towards the end of the story, Hergé turns his ever-delayed explanation of his sudden and unexpected re-appearance into an enjoyable running-gag.
Thompson and Thomson, on the other hand, take up the role of being Tintin’s foil, and provide a lot of fun. From sticking out like sore thumbs on board the Speedol Star, to getting lost and suffering from an inability to discern between reality and mirages in the desert, they annoy everyone from pump attendents to worshippers at a mosque along the way. This is also the adventure in which they pick up the strange hair and skin condition that recurs during Explorers On The Moon.
At this point in his career Hergé and his team are really flying, and this is an excellent adventure, jam-packed with character, wit, slapstick, action, intrigue and all-round fun. It’s superbly written, and beautifully drawn. An absolute pleasure from start to finish.