 In the early 1960s , Hergé 's English language publishers , Methuen , were planning on translating and publishing The Black Island for the British market . Methuen believed that many British readers would find the depiction of Britain in the comic inaccurate and out @-@ of @-@ date , and drew up a list of 131 errors that they asked Hergé to rectify before they would publish it in English . They were also aware that the work would appear particularly dated when compared with some of the most recently published Adventures like Destination Moon and The Calculus Affair , which made use of advanced technologies in their plot . At the time , Hergé was busy producing the twenty @-@ second Tintin story , Flight 714 , and so did not have the time to undertake research into contemporary British society and culture . Instead , he sent his assistant Bob de Moor to Britain in October 1961 , where he visited such sites as Batemans and the White Cliffs of Dover , making many observations as to new developments in clothing and architecture . While in England , de Moor sought out various contemporary uniforms to use as a basis for more accurate illustrations . A police constabulary lent him a police uniform , although when he asked British Rail if he could borrow one of their uniforms , their staff were suspicious and refused . 
