 Like Land of the Soviets , Tintin in the Congo was popular in Belgium . On the afternoon of 9 July 1931 , Wallez repeated the publicity stunt he had used when Soviets ended by having a young actor , Henry de <unk> , dress up as Tintin in colonial gear and appear in Brussels and then <unk> , accompanied by 10 African bearers and an assortment of exotic animals hired from a zoo . Co @-@ organised with the Bon <unk> department store , the event attracted 5 @,@ 000 spectators in Brussels . In 1931 , Brussels @-@ based Éditions de Petit Vingtième collected the story together into a single volume , and Casterman published a second edition in 1937 . By 1944 the book had been reprinted seven times , and had <unk> each of the other seven books in the series . The series ' success led Wallez to <unk> Hergé 's contract , giving him a higher salary and the right to work from home . 
