The Sunflower Case Album Release delayed Due to Printing Issues
The upcoming release of The Sunflower Case from Tintin, presented as it originally appeared in the 1950s weekly magazine Tintin, is currently facing delays. While the French edition has been withdrawn from sale,a revised edition is under consideration by publisher Casterman,though a firm decision is not yet finalized.
The issue stems from the unique format of the original publication.The final twenty pages were designed as a horizontal double-page spread in the center of the weekly magazine, relying on the staple binding to keep the artwork and speech bubbles legible across the fold. Adapting this to a bound album required adjusting the layout to avoid text being lost in the gutter. Regrettably, this adjustment proved problematic, resulting in illegible text in the printed copies – a problem also affecting the Dutch edition, leading to its release being cancelled. The dutch release is contingent on the decision regarding the French edition.
This new edition presents The Sunflower Case as it was originally serialized in Tintin between December 23, 1954, and February 22, 1956. This period coincided with hergé reorganizing his studio, moving Studios Hergé to a separate building and working with a small team on this Cold War-era spy story.
The album features a fully restored version of the weekly magazine serialization, differing significantly from later album publications, particularly in the layout of those final twenty pages. it also includes a 100-page edition with a richly illustrated dossier offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the story, featuring sketches, preliminary studies, and other original materials.
