The Tintins read in the childhood seemed brighter. The colours were deeper and richer. The recent prints are somehow dull, even the Dutch versions. Every reprint is slightly more off-colour than the earlier ones. It is on account of the computer prints. The colours must be rescanned and done on computer.

In Europe, comics still are a serious business, though elsewhere they are re-marketed as graphic novels. At the beginning of the previous century, comics were big as there was no TV, movies or radio. The comic artists were held in high esteem. People used to buy the newspapers often based on the comic strips they carried. It was in the US first that the value of the comic artist declined as other media emerged on the scene. In Europe, however, comics managed to hold onto their status, and were a part of cultural mainstream.