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title = The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' () is a series of Belgian Comic Book s created by Belgian artist Hergé , the pen name of Georges Remi (1907–1983). Remi's pen name Hergé came from transposing his initials "R-G", which sounds like "Hergé" in French. The series first appeared in French in a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper on January 10 , 1929 . Set in a painstakingly researched world closely mirroring our own, ''The Adventures of Tintin'' presents a number of characters in distinctive settings. The series has continued as a favourite of readers and critics alike for over 70 years. The hero of the series is the Eponym ous character, Tintin , a young Belgian reporter and traveller. He is aided in his adventures from the beginning by his faithful dog Snowy (''Milou'' in French). Later, popular additions to the cast included Captain Haddock and other colourful supporting characters. The success of the series saw the serialised strips collected into a series of albums (23 in all), spun into a successful Magazine and adapted for both Film and Theatre . The series is one of the most popular European Comics of the 20th century, with translations published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books sold to date.1 The comic strip series has long been admired for its clean, expressive drawings in Hergé's signature style."Tintin and the enigma of academic obsession" '' adventures with elements of Fantasy ; Mysteries ; Political Thrillers ; and Science Fiction . The stories within the Tintin series always feature Slapstick humour, offset in later albums by sophisticated Satire and political/cultural commentary. OVERVIEW Tintin is a reporter, and Hergé uses this to present the character in a number of adventures which were contemporaneous to the period in which he was working (most notably, the Bolshevik uprising in Russia and the Second World War ) and sometimes even present (the Moon Landing s). Hergé also created a world for Tintin which managed to reduce detail to a simplified but recognisable and realistic representation, an effect Hergé was able to achieve with reference to a well-maintained archive of images.5 Though Tintin's adventures are formulaic—presenting a mystery which is then solved logically—Hergé infused the strip with his own sense of humour, and created supporting characters who, whilst being predictable, were filled with charm that allowed the reader to engage with them. This formula of comfortable, humorous predictability is similar to the presentation of cast in the '' Peanuts '' strip or The Three Stooges .6 Hergé also had a great understanding of the mechanics of the comic strip, especially pacing, a skill displayed in '' The Castafiore Emerald '', a work he meant to be packed with tension in which nothing actually happens. Hergé initially improvised the creation of Tintin's adventures, uncertain how Tintin would escape from whatever predicament appeared. Not until after the completion of '' Cigars Of The Pharaoh '' was Hergé encouraged to research and plan his stories. The impetus came from Zhang Chongren , a Chinese student who, on hearing Hergé was to send Tintin to China in his next adventure, urged him to avoid perpetuating the perceptions Europeans had of China at the time. Hergé and Zhang collaborated on the next serial, '' The Blue Lotus '', which has been cited by critics as Hergé's first masterpiece. Other changes to the mechanics of creating the strip were forced on Hergé by outside events. The Second World War and the Invasion Of Belgium by Hitler 's armies saw the closure of the newspaper in which Tintin was serialised. Work was halted on '' Land Of Black Gold '', and the already published '' Tintin In America '' and '' The Black Island '' were banned by the Nazi censors, who were concerned at their presentation of America and Britain . However, Hergé was able to continue with Tintin's adventures, publishing four books and serialising two more adventures in a German -licensed newspaper. During and after the German occupation Hergé was accused of being a Collaborator because of the Nazi control of the paper (), and he was briefly arrested after the war. He claimed that he was simply doing a job under the occupation, like a plumber or carpenter. His work of this period, unlike earlier and later work, is politically neutral and resulted in classic adventure stories such as '' The Secret Of The Unicorn '' and '' Red Rackham's Treasure '', but the apocalyptic '' The Shooting Star '' reflects the foreboding Hergé felt during this uncertain political period. A post-war paper shortage forced changes in the format of the books. Hergé had usually allowed the stories to develop to a length that suited the story, but with paper now in short supply, publishers Casterman asked Hergé to consider using smaller panel sizes and adopt an arbitrary length of 62 pages. Hergé took on more staff (the first ten books having been produced by himself and his wife), eventually building a Studio system. The adoption of Colour allowed Hergé to expand the scope of the works. His use of colour was more advanced than that of American comics of the time, with better production values allowing a combination of the Four Printing Shades and thus a Cinematographic approach to lighting and shading. Hergé and his studio would allow images to fill half pages or, more simply, to detail and accentuate the scene, using colour to emphasise important points. Hergé notes this fact, stating "I consider my stories as movies. No narration, no descriptions, emphasis is given to images."7 Hergé's personal life also affected the series, with '' Tintin In Tibet '' heavily influenced by his Nervous Breakdown . His Nightmare s, which he reportedly described as being "all white", are reflected in the snowy landscapes. The plot has Tintin set off in search of Chang Chong-Chen , previously seen in ''The Blue Lotus'', and the piece contains no villains and little moral judgement, with Hergé even refusing to refer to the Snowman Of The Himalayas as "abominable". The conclusion of Tintin's adventures was untimely. Hergé's death on March 3 1983 left the twenty-fourth adventure, '' Tintin And Alph-Art '', unfinished. The plot saw Tintin embroiled in the world of Modern Art , and the story ended with Tintin apparently about to be killed, encased in Perspex and presented as a work of art. Lofficier , Jean-Marc & Randy (2002) ''The Pocket Essential Tintin'' - ISBN 1-904048-17-X TINTIN COMIC TITLES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH #'' Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets ''( 1929 – 1930 ) #'' Tintin In The Congo ''( 1930 – 1931 ) #'' Tintin In America ''( 1931 – 1932 ) #'' Cigars Of The Pharaoh ''( 1932 – 1934 ) #'' The Blue Lotus ''( 1934 – 1935 ) #'' The Broken Ear ''( 1935 – 1937 ) #'' The Black Island ''( 1937 – 1938 ) #'' King Ottokar's Sceptre ''( 1938 – 1939 ) #'' The Crab With The Golden Claws ''( 1940 – 1941 ) #'' The Shooting Star ''( 1941 – 1942 ) #'' The Secret Of The Unicorn ''( 1942 – 1943 ) #'' Red Rackham's Treasure ''( 1943 – 1944 ) #'' The Seven Crystal Balls ''( 1943 – 1948 ) #'' Prisoners Of The Sun ''( 1946 – 1949 ) #'' Land Of Black Gold ''( 1948 – 1950 ) #'' Destination Moon ''( 1950 – 1953 ) #'' Explorers On The Moon ''( 1950 – 1954 ) #'' The Calculus Affair ''( 1954 – 1956 ) #'' The Red Sea Sharks ''( 1958 ) #'' Tintin In Tibet ''( 1960 ) #'' The Castafiore Emerald ''( 1963 ) #'' Flight 714 ''( 1968 ) #'' Tintin And The Picaros ''( 1976 ) #'' Tintin And Alph-Art ''( 1986 - 2004 ) A comic was also released based on the film ''Tintin au lac des requins''.
CHARACTERS Tintin and Snowy See Also: Tintin and Snowy , detail of a panel from the book '' The Black Island '' by Hergé , 1965]] Tintin is a young Belgian Reporter who becomes involved in dangerous cases in which he takes Hero ic action to save the day. Almost every adventure features Tintin hard at work at his Investigative Reporting , but he is rarely seen actually turning in a story. He is a young man of more or less neutral attitudes and is less colourful than the supporting cast. In this respect, he represents the Everyman . Snowy, a white Terrier , is Tintin's four-legged companion. They regularly save each other from perilous situations. Snowy frequently "speaks" to the reader through his thoughts (often displaying a dry sense of humour), which are supposedly not heard by the characters in the story. Like Captain Haddock, Snowy is fond of the '' Loch Lomond '' brand of Whisky , and his occasional bouts of drinking tend to get him into trouble, as does his raging Arachnophobia . The French name of Snowy, "Milou", has nothing to do with snow or the color white. It has been widely credited as an oblique reference to a girlfriend from Hergé's youth, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem, whose nickname was "Milou".8 Another explanation to the origins of the two characters is possible. It has been asserted that Robert Sexé, a photographer-reporter whose exploits were recorded in the Belgian press of the mid to late 1920s, was an inspiration for Tintin. Sexé has been noted to have a similar appearance, and the Hergé Foundation in Belgium has admitted that it is not too hard to imagine how Hergé could have been influenced by the exploits of Sexé."Writer tracks down Tintin's real life inspiration" '' The Guardian '' (Manchester); May 17, 1999; Paul Webster; p. 15 At that time Sexé had been round the world on a motorcycle made by Gillet of Herstal. René Milhoux was a Grand-Prix champion and motorcycle record holder of the era, and in 1928, while Sexé was in Herstal speaking with Léon Gillet about his future projects, Mr. Gillet put him in contact with his new champion, Milhoux, who had just left Ready motorcycles for Gillet of Herstal. The two men quickly struck up a friendship, and spent hours talking about motorcycles and voyages, Sexé explaining his needs and Milhoux giving his knowledge on mechanics and motorbikes pushed beyond their limits. Thanks to this union of knowledge and experience, Sexé would head off on numerous trips throughout the world, writing countless press accounts. The General Secretary of the Hergé Foundation in Belgium has admitted that it is not too hard to imagine how a young George Rémi, better known as Hergé, could have been inspired by the well-publicized exploits of these two friends, Sexé with his trips and documentaries and Milhoux with his triumphs and records, to create the characters of Tintin the famous traveling reporter, and his faithful companion Milou. Captain Haddock See Also: Captain Haddock ]] Captain Archibald Haddock, a seafaring captain of disputed ancestry (he may be of English, French or Belgian origin), is Tintin's best friend, and was introduced in '' The Crab With The Golden Claws ''. Haddock was initially depicted as a weak and Alcoholic character, but later became more respectable. He evolves to become genuinely heroic and even a socialite after he finds a treasure from his ancestor, ''Sir Francis Haddock'' (''François de Hadoque'' in French), in the episode '' Red Rackham's Treasure ''. The Captain's coarse humanity and Sarcasm act as a counterpoint to Tintin's often implausible heroism; he is always quick with a dry comment whenever the boy reporter seems too idealistic. Captain Haddock lives in his luxurious mansion called Marlinspike Hall ("Moulinsart" in the original French). Haddock uses a range of colourful insults and curses to express his feelings, such as "billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles", "ten thousand thundering typhoons", " --> Hergé stated that Haddock's surname was derived from a "sad English was a "sad English fish that drinks a lot". Hergé chose this name accordingly.--> Haddock remained without a first name until the last completed story, '' Tintin And The Picaros '' (1976), when the name ''Archibald'' was suggested. Supporting characters See Also: Secondary characters and settings in The Adventures of Tintin Hergé's supporting characters have been cited as far more developed than the central character, each imbued with a strength of character and depth of personality which has been compared with that of the characters of Charles Dickens .9 Hergé used the supporting characters to create a Realistic world in which to set his protagonists' adventures. To further the realism and continuity, characters would recur throughout the series. It has been speculated that the occupation of Belgium and the restrictions imposed upon Hergé forced him to focus on characterisation to avoid depicting troublesome political situations. The major supporting cast was developed during this period.10
SETTINGS The settings within ''Tintin'' have also added depth to the strips. Hergé mingles real and fictional lands into his stories, along with a base in in the Middle East. Along with these fictional countries, he also included real countries and places; the United States, Soviet Union, Congo, Japan, Belgium, Egypt, India, Sahara Desert, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, England, Peru, Tibet and China. Another setting was the Moon , and in the first edition of ''Land of Black Gold'', Palestine , though this was later replaced by the fictional Khemed. CREATING THE WORKS Research Hergé's extensive research began with '' The Blue Lotus '', Hergé stating: "it was from that time that I undertook research and really interested myself in the people and countries to which I sent Tintin, out of a sense of responsibility to my readers."13 Hergé's use of research and photographic reference allowed him to build a realised universe for Tintin, going so far as to create fictionalised countries, dressing them with specific Political cultures. These were heavily informed by the cultures evident in Hergé's lifetime. Pierre Skilling has asserted that Hergé saw Monarchy as "the legitimate form of government", noting that Democratic "values seem underrepresented in {Link without Title} a classic Franco-Belgian strip."Skilling, Pierre (2005). "The Good Government According to Tintin." In Jeff (EDT) McLaughlin (Ed.) ''Comics As Philosophy'' pp. 173–234. University Press of Mississippi ISBN 1-57806-794-4 Syldavia in particular is described in considerable detail, Hergé creating a history, customs, and language. He set the country in the Balkans , and it is, by his own admission, modeled after Albania .Letter from Hergé to Charles Lesne, 12 June 1939 , cit. Assouline, Pierre (1996) ''Hergé'', Folio (p218) The country finds itself threatened by neighbouring Borduria with an attempted annexation appearing in '' King Ottokar's Sceptre ''. This situation parallels Czechoslovakia or Austria and expansionist Nazi Germany prior to World War II .14 Hergé's use of research would include months of preparation for Tintin's voyage to the moon in the two-part storyline spread across '', although his portrayal of the type of rocket that was actually used was a long way off the mark.". The moon rocket is based on the Nazi V2 rockets."Welcome to the Moon, Mr Armstrong". Pain, Stephanie '' New Scientist ''. Vol. 182, no. 2441, pp. 48–49. 3 April . 2004 Influences In his youth Hergé admired , feeling they were "so much fun that I used them, without scruples!"16 During the extensive research Hergé carried out for ''The Blue Lotus'', he became influenced by Chinese and Japanese illustrative styles and Woodcut s. This is especially noticeable in the seascapes, which are reminiscent of works by Hokusai and Hiroshige .1718 Hergé also declared Mark Twain an influence, although this admiration may have led him astray when depicting Incas as having no knowledge of an upcoming eclipse in '' Prisoners Of The Sun '', an error attributed by T.F. Mills to an attempt to portray "Incas in awe of a latter-day ' Connecticut Yankee '". CRITICISMS OF THE SERIES The earliest stories in ''The Adventures of Tintin'' have been criticised for society that surrounded me." In '''' (London); 30 January 1999 ; p. 79 '' called for the book to be pulled from the shelves after a complaint, stating that "it beggars belief that in this day and age that any shop would think it acceptable to sell and display 'Tintin In The Congo'. The only place that it might be acceptable for this to be displayed would be in a museum, with a big sign saying 'old fashioned, racist claptrap'."2021 In August 2007, a complaint was filed in Brussels, Belgium, by a Congolese student, claiming the book was an insult to the Congolese people. Public prosecutors are investigating, the Centre For Equal Opportunities And Opposition To Racism warned against Political Over-correctness .22 Some of the early albums were altered by Hergé in subsequent editions, usually at the demand of publishers. For example, at the instigation of his American publishers, many of the black characters in '' Tintin In America '' were re-coloured to make their race white or ambiguous.23 ''The Shooting Star'' album originally had an American villain with the Jew ish surname of Mr. Blumenstein. This proved to be controversial, as the character looked very Stereotypically Jewish. Blumenstein was changed to an American with a less ethnically specific name, Mr. Bohlwinkel , in later editions and subsequently to a South America n of a Fictional Country - São Rico . Hergé later discovered that 'Bohlwinkel' was also a Jewish name. While Tintin has been criticised on many occasions for not being much of a reporter, given he is rarely seen filing copy, Harry Thompson advanced a rebuttal in his work ''Tintin: Hergé & His Creation''. Thompson argues that the 1920s had seen a change in the role of reporting, with "adventurer-journalists, who created their own news and reported it from a very personal perspective" becoming very much the vogue of the day. Thompson asserts that Tintin was filing "news back in the shape of a cartoon strip." Tom McCarthy has noted that ''Tintin in the Land of the Soviets'' is presented as being the copy of a real journalist, with the illustrations purportedly photographs, which he avers "would allow it to invoke notions of documentary rigour". At the end of the serial publication of this first adventure an actor was hired to pretend to be Tintin, arriving back from the Soviet Union by train on 8 May 1930 . ADAPTATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS See Also: Tintin books, films, and media ''The Adventures of Tintin'' have been adapted in a variety of Media besides the original comic strip and its collections. Hergé encouraged adaptations and members of his studio working on the animated films. After Hergé's death, the Hergé Foundation became responsible for authorising adaptations and exhibitions. The Foundation has stated that its role is to protect "Hergé's work ... ensuring that it is respected, both in its content and in its spirit."24 Film There have been both Live-action and Animated film adaptations of ''The Adventures of Tintin''.
Dreamworks is handling the Movie Version of Tintin. Steven Spielberg , a lifelong fan of ''The Adventures of Tintin''.25 Spielberg's love of the character is thought to have influenced the atmosphere and lead characterization in his Indiana Jones trilogy.26 Documentaries Two documentaries have been made about Tintin and his creator Hergé .
Television Two animated television series have been made, both of which were adaptations of the comic strips rather than original stories. The first was '' Hergé's Adventures Of Tintin '', produced by Belvision . The series aired from 1958 to 1962, with 104 five-minute episodes produced. It was adapted by Charles Shows and then translated into French by Greg (Michel Regnier), then editor-in-chief of '' Tintin '' magazine. This series has been criticised for differing too greatly from the original books and for its poor animation. |
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