Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and lock Tintin in a dungeon, but he escapes with the aid of Snowy, who has dressed himself in a tiger costume. The last OGPU agent attempts to kidnap Tintin, but this attempt is foiled, leaving the agent threatening, "We'll blow up all the capitals of Europe with dynamite!" Tintin returns to Brussels amidst a huge popular reception. Georges Remi—best known under the pen name Hergé—had been employed as an illustrator at (""The Twentieth Century""), a staunchly Roman Catholic and conservative Belgian newspaper based in Hergé's native Brussels. Run by the Abbé Norbert Wallez, the paper described itself as a
Tintin (character) from his stories." It is this sense of humour that makes the appeal of Tintin truly international. "The Adventures of Tintin" was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, and it remains popular today. By the time of the centenary of Hergé's birth in 2007, "Tintin" had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies. The study of Tintin has become the life work of many literary critics, observers sometimes referring to this study as "Tintinology". A prominent literary critic of Tintin is Philippe Goddin, "Belgium's leading authority on