PARIS (AP) — Auction house Artcurial said a rare drawing from one of Tintin's most famous cartoon books, "Explorers on the Moon," has been sold for a record 1.55 million euros ($ 1.64 million).

The record sale for a single cartoon drawing has been reached in a Paris auction on Saturday.

The original drawing in Chinese ink from the Belgian cartoonist Herge shows the fearless reporter, his white dog Snowy and his friend Captain Haddock in spacesuits, walking on the moon for the first time and looking at the Earth.

The book, first published in 1954, is mythical for comic strips lovers.

The sale comes as Herge, often referred to as the father of the European comic strip, is the subject of a major exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, until mid-January.