YESS!!! I think Tintin is vastly underrated as a character. People say he's bland compared to some of the side-characters-- but that's not true, his personality is just more subtle. I have this thing I do where I go to the 16 personality website and take the test, as a character. It makes reading their stories even more enjoyable, and can turn out pretty accurate-- the one I got for Tintin (ENFJ, Protagonist) seems written for the character. It's quite incredible what 'Herge' did-- he created this vibrant, highly tangible world, and a character the reader can safely slide into, so they can explore the world without feeling overwhelmed.

Haddock is awesome! I think of him as being in the line of the god Thor, of Norse mythology. His mighty temper, his loyal good-nature, his thundering typhoons and his eminent beard! I also like that he is very sensitive to nature, and is actually quite sentimental.

And Professor Cuthbert Calculus. I like that he's so deaf and quirky. but actually quite brilliant, completely absorbed in his work. And that he's generous, with a sense of humor. I also lke when he goes ballistic in Destination Moon XD

I'm not sure which is my favorite volume-- I like the first ones because the esstablish the characters, and the plotlines are generally more exciting. I like the later ones for the artwork-- everyone looks more streamlined and realistic. In the first ones, too, Tintin is a little less compotent-- he's continually getting whacked over the head. In the later ones, we have Haddock to supply more of the humor, and so Tintin steps into a more able role, having to look after Haddock and Calculus and the Thompson twins, sometimes all at once. In the earlier ones, Tintin is the most prominent chatacter, and you get a lot of his thought process. in the later ones, the other characters take up much of the spotlight, and Tintin often operates on a train of thought concealed to the reader, and we are left to scratch our heads along with Haddock and everybody. 

Backwards, Nebula? :D :D :D I think I'll try reading it that way.

I think oen of my favorites is Explorers on the Moon, as it involves a new kind of danger, and a highly human feel. Wolff is a very interesting character. And I like that the characters still act themselves, even in a highly alien setting.