Tintinesque

Yeti may yet exist!

2008-07-25T18:09:31Z

According to this article, there is new evidence that yet may really exist!

Cigars of the Pharaoh

2008-03-02T22:29:23Z

This may be common knowledge to everyone but myself, but I have never seen it mentioned in any of the fan websites or even books about Tintin. In such books it should come under the sections titled "Continuity". Have you noticed that as late as "Flight 714", Rastapopoulos is still smoking the "Cigars of the Pharaoh"? They have the mark of Kih-Oskh on them. Have a closer look:

Herge, prisoner of his own characters

2007-10-20T04:42:11Z

Herge might have had taken some time off during the writing of the "Land of Black Gold". Here he is shown arrested by his own characters and forced back to work to finish the story. I cannot read what Segneur Oliviera da Figuera is saying, but the rest are loosely translated as follows (clockwise, from the left):

Haddock: "Blistring barnacles! You must fill these pages fast, dude!"
Oliviera:"..." [something about the servants of Professor Smith].
Thomson: " No more fun, my son! Back to work!"
Dr. Mueller: "Damn, he is going to send Tintin after me again!..."
Thompson: "To be precise: No more sun!"
Emir Ben Khalish Ezab: "Are you finally going to let Tintin rescue my darling Abdallah?"
Tintin: "That's right, my firends! Herge has been found! We are finally going to know the rest of "The Black Gold""!
Snowy: "How upsetting! I was quite enojying the break! He will be sending me again on new adventures"
Calculus: "I always said that you would find him if you look towards the west..."

Original ending to "The Shooting Star"

2007-10-20T03:57:59Z

Here is the original ending to "The shooting Star", omitted from the books. Capitan Haddock, Professor Calys (renamed Phostle in the English edition) and Tintin are interviewed on the radio after returning form the North Pole about the significance of their trip. Herge plays a joke on his editor and the paper shortages during the war: Tintin's says in the last frame "There is a lot more I would like to say, but our editor tells me there is no more paper." This is adopted from the controversial book "Tintin mon copain" by Leon Degrelle. More will be coming from this book.

Chrismas card by Yves Rodier

2007-04-04T00:52:22Z

From the year 1994:

Breaking Free

2006-08-30T21:13:26Z

Here is a new entry in my favorite category of Tintin albums by people other than Herge. This book called 'Breaking Free' shows Tintin and the captain as anarchist construction workers in Britain, challenging their evil employer and the workers union. Many other characters from the Tintin universe drop in during the story which is a few hundred pages long!

I don't know the author's name for sure; it has been listed as 'J. Daniels' online. So drop me a comment if you happen to know. The whole book can be viewed at Breaking Free.

Tintin and Thermezero

2006-05-08T19:30:04Z

Here is another example of the works of the Canadian Yves Rodier, who is most famous for having completed 'Tintin and Alph-Art'.

In my opinion Rodier deliberately distorts the lines drawn by Herge in his reworkings to make the drawings 'his'. Compare Tintin's innocent face in Herge's drawing and the angular lines in the same face redrawn by Rodier in the bottom left frame. Many thanks to a correspondent who prefers to stay anonymous.

'Tintin and Thermezero', page 4, as redrawn by Yves Rodier :

The original drawing for that page by the master himself, Herge:

Tintin arrives in Quebec

2006-02-13T19:40:46Z

A heads up to Tintin fans in Canada:

"Musée de la civilisation" Québec city, QC will host the first major Tintin exhibit to visit Canada since Montreal's « Le musée imaginaire de Tintin » in 1980. According to the Tintin official website, the exhibit "In Peru with Tintin" will stay there from October 2006 to January 2008.

One of my best Christmas presents ever!

2005-12-29T20:34:19Z

Photo from store.tintin.com.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2005-12-29T20:22:12Z

Original page of 'The Seven Crystal Balls'

2005-11-11T19:44:47Z

An alternate version of the scene near the end of "The Seven Crystal Balls": Tintin accidentally sees General Alcazar who informs him of Chiquito's disappearance. Click on the image to enlarge.

The absence of captain Haddock is strange. Unlike the final version, where Gen. Alcazar states that Chiquito has never talked to anyone other than him (correct me if I am wrong), here he names 'Fernando Ramirez', the major exporter of Guano (fertilizer) as a frequent visitor of Chiquito. We of course remember the bags of Guano on the pier where Pachacamac is supposed to dock in 'Prisoners of the Sun'.

Herge had published the story in "Le Soir" newspaper during 1944 under German occupation. With the end of the war, Le Soir stopped publishing and Herge started his famous "Journal Tintin" after a short while. He continued the story there. This is the last page published in "Le Soir".

The Syldavian Language

2005-11-05T07:41:44Z

Here is a very interesting linguistic article about deciphering the Syldavian language based on the fragments in different Tintin books. Most interesting is the translation of the ancient text about the significance of the sceptre in Ottokar's time. It really means something!!

Tintin in Congo

2005-10-10T22:04:10Z

The color edition of Tintin in Congo has become available in English for the first time. The reason for its unavailability in the past has been said to be its racist overtones in the way Herge ridicules the Africans. It should soon be found on www.store.tintin.com

Tintin at Sea

2005-09-06T00:54:23Z

The National Maritime Museum (Greenwich, LONDON) in association with Moulinsart have put up a very interesting exhibition of items related to Tintin's adventures at Sea. They have a nice website showing Herge's working steps and nice Tintin games. My favorite part of the exhibit was a map of the kingdom of Khemed, drawn by Herge to help him think the moves of the several different ships and aircraft in "The Red Sea Sharks". Have a look:

Tintin vs. Asterix

2005-06-26T06:48:06Z

While Astrix does not have a perfect universe like that of Tintin the level of humour and the complexity of the verbal jokes in Astrix cannot be surpassed. Just take the creative names of the charactersin Astrix as an example.

In Tintin, specially in the later books, it is the story and the interactions between the characters that make the book. In Astrix, a series of hilarious jokes are fitted next to each other along a relatively loose story line.

Also, let us not forget that the magic of Astrix lies 80% in the words, which is mostly lost when translated from French to other languages; while in Tintin almost any frame can be taken out and posted on the wall as a work of art. I love both...

Here is what someone else thinks about Asterix meeting Tintin