In Search of Lost Tintin

Hardcover available Fall 2024! eBook available NOW!

Ricardo Leite, a brilliant Brazilian designer and artist, is a twin soul—his love of comics has informed and directed his life. In 2013, an exciting trip to Belgium for a visit to Brussels and the Hergé Museum led Ricardo to weave the threads of a grand tribute to the world of Comics. The result is his graphic novel In Search of Lost Tintin, a conscious echo of Marcel Proust's masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time. Ricardo describes his graphic novel as a grand psychological reflection on the art of comics, memory and time, an "autobiographical fantasy."

When Ricardo came to us with his book, it would have been easy to say "Not what we do. Best of luck." But first, we read it. Then we realized it IS what we do—we're all about celebrating great comics and particularly about bringing forward masterpieces that might otherwise get lost in the blizzard of new material and the latest fan craze. From that larger perspective, In Search of Lost Tintin fits perfectly with the Carol Day books as part of our core mission.

The novel presents Ricardo's travels through the symbolic and cultural universes that enchanted him throughout his life, as he maintains a semi-real, semi-dreamlike relationship with Hergé, his world and his work, in particular The Adventures of Tintin.

As he travels, Ricardo has an ongoing imaginary dialogue about the art, technique and history of comics with the great creators, particularly seeking advice in relation to his own frustrations in trying to become a published comic artist. Sometimes these conversations are based on real encounters, while other times they are inspired by wide reading. Will Eisner, Winsor McCay, Joe Kubert, Art Spiegelman, Scott McCloud, Chris Ware and many others participate in Ricardo's return to his dream of creating and drawing comics.

In Search of Lost Tintin is a powerful "autobiographical fantasy" about one man's pursuit of his dreams, who stands for all of us who have struggled with their path in life, and particularly for those who have spent a lifetime obsessed with comics.

The title, In Search of Lost Tintin, is a triple play: an explicit echo of Marcel Proust's great novel, In Search of Lost Time; a reference to the Hergé character so inspirational to Ricardo, and a reference to contemporary French slang in which "lost tintin" means to be frustrated or deprived of something.

Many readers may lack Ricardo's comprehensive knowledge of the history of comics, and so at the back of the book, he provides extensive annotations on the characters and scenes of the novel, the history of comics and his recommended works such that the notes combine to form his personal history of comics.

Awards and Honors:

Published in late 2022 in France, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Brazil, In Search of Lost Tintin combines art worthy of the greatest masters, inventive compositions, and a highly personal and moving story that gets at the heart of what comics do to us and for us. It has already been awarded several honors in Brazil, Portugal and Belgium.

This will be its first publication for English-speaking markets.