Following King Ottakar's Sceptre, Herge began work on what was to become Land of the Black Gold, but put that on hold due to WW2. Instead he came up with this adventure tale, which is a strong effort though a dip from Ottakar. This was presumably due to adjustments in Herge's working methods - for instance the story is so short that there are a number of drawings converted into full page ones to pad out the length.The plot involves Tintin tracking down opium smugglers in North Africa: the African locations are pleasing, especially the hustle and bustle of the towns. This was Haddock's debut: he is a pitiful creature here, very alcoholic, so much so his drinking almost causes Tintin's death on a few occasions, though his temper and bravery are present and they would come through more in other adventures. The fact this was written in wartime may explain why there is a sympathetic Japanese character (a detective) - although to be fair there are sympathetic English, too (Haddock) and the look the French colonial offficers in Africa are kindly portrayed.
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