Land of Black Gold
Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier believed that "Land of Black Gold" suffered from having been "rebaked", being "pulled between the 'old' pre-war Tintin and the more modern one". The Lofficiers opined that the story's "clear concern about war and rumours of war" enable it to fit well after "King Ottokar's Sceptre", at the point at which Hergé had initially developed it. They felt that this pre-Second World War atmosphere also pervaded the second, coloured version of the book, but that they had nevertheless been partly removed by the creation of the third version. Despite this, they felt that the third version of the story was "better" because it incorporated elements from the spy thrillers that had become increasingly popular in Western Europe during the 1950s. Despite its problems, they thought that the Thom(p)sons' ingestion of Formula 14 was "virtually inspired", showing that Hergé "had lost none of his touch when it comes to creating unforgettable images". They opined that the character of Abdullah "indisputably steals the show" in "Land of Black Gold", commenting on his "love-hate" relationship with Haddock and suggesting that he is "possibly the only character to have ever succeeded in driving Tintin so batty that he loses his cool". Regarding Haddock's inclusion in the later editions of the story, the Lofficiers felt that he was retroactively "shoehorned" into the narrative, but noted that the running gag of Haddock's failed attempts to provide an adequate explanation for his appearance ― each beginning with the phrase "It's quite simple really, and at the same time rather complicated" ― anticipates the "self-referential and second-degree" humour Hergé would employ in "The Castafiore Emerald". They ultimately awarded the story two stars out of five, feeling that Hergé had been unable to develop its "greater potential".