 Contrastingly , biographer Pierre Assouline stated that in 1930s Belgium , Hergé would have had access to literature by the likes of André Gide and Albert Londres that was critical of the colonial regime . Assouline claimed that Hergé instead chose not to read such reports because they conflicted with the views of his conservative milieu . Laurence Grove — President of the International Bande Dessinée Society and an academic at the University of Glasgow — concurred , remarking that Hergé adhered to prevailing societal trends in his work , and that " [ w ] hen it was fashionable to be a colonial racist , that 's what he was . " Comic book historian Mark McKinney noted that other Franco @-@ Belgian comic artists of the same period had chosen to depict the native Africans in a more favourable light , citing the examples of Jijé 's 1939 work Blondin et Cirage ( Blondy and Shoe @-@ Black ) , in which the protagonists are adopted brothers , one white , the other black , and Tif et Tondu , which was serialised in Spirou from 1939 to 1940 and in which the Congolese aid the Belgians against their American antagonists . 
 Contrastingly , biographer Pierre Assouline stated that in 1930s Belgium , Hergé would <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>have</mark></a> had access to literature by the likes of André Gide and Albert Londres <a href='null_relcl' title='2'><mark>that</mark></a>was critical of the colonial regime . Assouline claimed that Hergé instead chose not to read such reports because they conflicted with the views of his conservative milieu . Laurence Grove — President of the International Bande Dessinée Society and an academic at the University of Glasgow — concurred , remarking that Hergé adhered to prevailing societal trends in his work , and that " [ w ] hen it was fashionable to be a colonial racist , that 's what he was . " Comic book historian Mark McKinney noted that other Franco @-@ Belgian comic artists of the same period <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>had</mark></a> chosen to depict the native Africans in a more favourable light , citing the examples of Jijé <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>1939 work Blondin et Cirage ( Blondy and Shoe @-@ Black ) , in which the protagonists are adopted brothers , one white , the other black , and Tif et Tondu , which was serialised in Spirou from 1939 to 1940 and in which the Congolese aid the Belgians against their American antagonists . 
Contrastingly , biographer Pierre Assouline stated that in 1930s Belgium , Hergé would done had access to literature by the likes of André Gide and Albert Londres was critical of da colonial regime . Assouline claimed that Hergé instead chose not to read such reports cuz they conflicted w/ the views of his conservative milieu . Laurence Grove — President of tdaInternational Bande Dessinée Society and an academic at the University of Glasgow — concurred , remarking dat Hergé adhered to prevailing societal trends in his work , and that " [ wid ] hen it was fashionable to be a colonial racist , that 's wht he was . " Comic book historian Mark McKinney noted tdatother Franco @-@ Belgian comic artists of the same period done chosen to depict the native Africans in a more favourable light , citing the examples of Jijé  1939 work Blondin et Cirage ( Blondy and Shoe @-@ Black ) , in which thdarotagonists are adopted brothers , one white , the other black , and Tif et Tondu , which was serialised in Spirou from 1939 to 1940 and in which the Congolese aid the Belgians against their American antagonists .