The Black Island
Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier described "The Black Island" as "a clever little thriller" that bore similarities with the popular detective serials of the era. The Lofficiers thought that the 1966 version "gained in slickness" but became less atmospheric, awarding it two out of five. Biographer Benoît Peeters thought "The Black Island" to be "a pure detective story", describing it as "Remarkably well constructed" and highlighting that it contrasted the modern world of counterfeiters, airplanes, and television, with the mysteries of superstition and the historic castle. He described it as "an adventure full of twists and turns", with the characters Thompson and Thomson being "on top form". He nevertheless considered the 1966 version to be "shorter on charm" than the earlier versions. Elsewhere he was more critical, stating that "under the guise of modernization, a real massacre occurred", and adding that "the new "Black Island" was more than just a failure; it also showed one of the limitations of the Hergéan system", in that it was obsessed with repeated redrawing.