TINTIN -The Work of Hergè-
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name HergĂŠ. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century.
TINTIN -The Work of Hergè-
For my beloved friends and family who are always supporting and believing in me
Index HERGÉ...9-11 CHARACTERS... 12-21 - TINTIN...13-15 -SNOWY...16 - CAPTAIN HADDOCK...18 - THE THOMSONS...19-20 - CUTHBERT CALCULUS...21
BOOKS...22-26
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN...23
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HERGÉ G
eorges Remi, better known as Hergé, was a Belgian cartoonist and illustrator, who created the iconic Tintin comic strip among many others and is regarded as one of the greatest cartoonists to have ever lived. Remi was a gifted student at school and in fact, he emerged as the top student of his class at school upon graduation but his overriding passion lay in sketching. He had the habit of sketching the day to day activities of people and it was during his time at school that some of his works were published in a local magazine. He enrolled in art school but quit after a lecture since he found the curriculum boring and started working on his own. Remi’s first job was with the newspaper Le VingtiemeSiecle and it was a few years after joining that newspaper that he created the character Tintin. It was an instant success and although he created plenty of other noted comic strips like ‘Quick and Flupke’, but it was Tintin that became an overwhelming success. Subsequently, Remi went on to establish his own studio and an advertising firm as well but the latter met with moderate success.
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HERGÉ
Remi had developed the skill of sketching about things that he saw in his day to day life from an early age. When he studied at the Ixelles Municipal School No. 3, his favourite subject used to be that of sketching the different activities of the German soldiers who had occupied Belgium during the First World War. In 1919, he enrolled at the Place de Londres in Ixelles for his secondary education. In 1920, Remi enrolled at the Saint-Boniface School, a Roman Catholic institution presided over by the archbishop and during his time at the school, he excelled as a student. His drawing was first published for the first time
CAREER His first break came in 1926 when he started working on a comic titled ‘The Adventures of Totor’ that was published in ‘Le Boy-Scout Belge’. The comic ran for three years but with erratic regularity. In 1927, the newspaper Le VingtiemeSiecle appointed him as a photographer and cartoonist. However, he did continue to work
during his years at the Saint-Boniface School. His interests as an artist and cartoonist led him to get admission at the Ecole Saint-Luc art school in 1925 but he decided to leave the course after attending one lecture since he found it boring. He wanted to work for the newspaper ‘The Twentieth Century’ as a cartoonist but instead he was employed in the subscription division of the newspaper. After getting bored of the job, he joined the army the following year but could only stay with the army for a year since he did not like the job.
for a host of other publications and one of his most well-known works of the time was published in ‘The Children’s Corner’. Besides, his work was also published in the literary sections of the newspaper. In 1929, he created the character Tintin and the first comic strip titled ‘Tintin in the Land of the Soviets’ was published serially in the magazine Le Petit Vingtienne. Tintin quickly became a popular comic strip and the
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HERGÉ
following year he created ‘Quick and Flupke’, a comic strip on the activities of two Belgian street children. Over the next decade, Herge published plenty of new Tintin comic strips as it gained in popularity.
After the Germans invaded Belgium in 1939 during the Second World War, Herge went off to Paris but then came back and joined the newspaper Le Soir and continued to publish the Tintin comic strips successfully. He teamed up with cartoonist Edgar P. Jacobs in order to share the workload and five years later the two worked together to create the Tintin comic strip ‘The Seven Crystal Balls’. Two years earlier he had started with another popular one titled ‘Tintin and the Temple of the Sun’ comic strip titled ‘The Adventures of Jo, Zette was released in 1969, while the second one and Jocko’. titled ‘Tintin and the Lake of Sharks’ was Belgium was freed from German occupation released three years later. on 2 September, 1944 but Herge was accused of being a Nazi and in fact was jailed for a His most important work in his glittering day. However, the charges were dropped the career as a cartoonist was the creation of ‘The following year and he continued to work on Adventures of Tintin’ series of comic strips in Tintin comic strips that had gained a sizeable 1929. The comic series is without doubt one of readership. Le Soir, his employers had gone the most popular series ever created and it is out of business by then but he worked in read all over the world to the present day. collaboration with his former colleagues. In 1946, he established the Tintin Magazine and the first issue was published in the month of September. Four years later, he founded the company ‘Herge’ Studios and the company was engaged in taking care of the myriad projects in which its owner was involved. Over the next decade, Herge continued working on Tintin comic strips while at the same time trying his hand at painting. The tryst with painting however proved to be short-lived.
Hergé, whose pen name derived from the pronunciation of his transposed initials, has a museum dedicated to his work, designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc, opened in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belg., in June 2009.
Following the success of the Asterix movies, Herge allowed the production of two movies based on his Tintin comic strips and the first
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CHARACTERS
Tintin is neither a surname nor a first name, it is much more than that Tintin is a totally unique world, a myth or a saga. Tintin is created from Hergé’s subconscious desire to be perfect, to be a hero.
TINTIN
Tintin was created in 1929. He was like Totor’s (the first cartoon created by Hergé) young brother, a kind of Totor who had become a journalist but kept his boy scout’s spirit. He is aged between 16 and 18. As a profession, he’s a top reporter. He went to Russia to cover a story for his
“Tintin is me wanting to be heroic and perfect...” “Tintin is me... my eyes, my feelings, my lungs, my guts!... I believe I am the only person able to animate him, the only person able to give him a soul.” (Hergé)
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newspaper and wrote his first reportage there His distinguishing feature is of course his little quiff! In the beginning, there was no such distinguishing feature. Most notably the first strips (the first 8 pages) show Tintin with smooth and combed hair. The famous hairstyle only appears when Tintin jumps into a car and races away. The sudden acceleration gives Tintin the distinctive quiff with which he is synonymous. The little tuft of hair will remain, and never droops.
Tintin in Tibet page 50 Tintin is free, and a very moral person with great integrity. He was considered by the Tibetan monks as a guileless person. These words reveal the true nature of the Tintin’s personality. He is the hero that everyone wishes to become, or at least the friend that everyone would like to have. Tintin supports his friends all the way and pushes himself to the limit and fights to the last.
Tintin appears on each of the 24 covers. That makes sense! He was always accompanied by Snowy except on the final album cover, Tintin and Alph-Art. This is understandable, because this cover was not designed by HergĂŠ. Although Captain Haddock plays an important role in the Adventures of Tintin, the latter is always in the limelight.
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SNOWY Snowy is an exceptionally white wire Fox terrier. In French, Snowy is called Milou.The name came about thanks to a girlfriend of Hergé, MarieLouise Van Cutsem, who was called “Milou”. Snowy was called Morning Snow by the Tibetan monks (Tintin in Tibet). Sometimes Snowy succumbs
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to temptation. Especially when food is concerned. He remains curious and let’s not forget that dogs have their own instincts. However, when courage is required, you can rely on Snowy to help his master. Snowy enjoys wearing certain outfits, a furcoat for when it is freezing, a space-suit. Sometimes he dresses-up just for fun!
Illustration by Harry Edwood
CAPTAIN HADDOCK
Captain Haddock is the most popular character in the Tintin family. Haddock has always been a bit naĂŻve and is a man of moods, good and bad, and this is part of his charm.
Haddock is his surname, and his first name, Archibald, is only revealed in the penultimate adventure, Tintin and the Picaros. The haddock is a sea-fish which is popular on both sides of the North Atlantic, and should not be
confused with the names, Drydock, Paddock, Padlock or Harrock, some of the names which Haddock is called by Bianca. Captain Haddock was a seafaring captain and is the archetypal sailor, depicted with a hot temper and capable of infuriating actions. He sailed for over twenty years. In the later adventures Haddock who has clearly retired, lives in Marlinspike Hall, his ancestral home. Haddock is an officer and a gentleman.
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THE THOMSONS If you are afraid of catastrophes, stop reading, now! This is the portrait of two experts in upheaval, disorder, blunders, upsets, trouble, disturbance, disruption, confusion, misunderstandings and arrogance. They appear in 20 of the 24 Tintin books, they are the heroes of a serialised story in which they star, and they are also actors in two plays. Give them a mission, and they get into an even bigger muddle in an already complicated situation. If they are supposed to be discreet, they make themselves even more conspicuous. Courageous but not reckless, they end up afraid of their own shadows, or even their own X-ray images, as in Destination Moon. Why clothing that is so easily-recognisable? At the time, policemen were given a small subsidy for their “workclothes�, which they had to buy themselves, along with hard-wearing hobnailed boots.
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CHARACTERS
Explorers on the Moon page 56 They are so keen. The trouble with the Thomsons is that they are so noticeable when they are attempting to be inconspicuous.
and Haddock, who have disappeared in Peru, the Thomsons embark on a world tour in their search. How does this happen? Due to their constant misinterpretation of the clues they find. It’s not enough for them to see a mirage. In The Land of Black Gold, they even attempt to dive head first into one. Thanks to their stupidity, they are looking at a mirage, and are brought back to reality when they fall flat on their faces. It is not often that the phrases of comic book characters end up as part of everyday language. However, the Thomsons manage to do this in French. A couple of excellent examples, translated into English, are: “That’s my opinion, and I agree” and “Here we are on the Moon, where the hand of man has never set foot!”
Hergé used the Thomsons’ disguises to poke some gentle fun at the simplistic views of far-off lands held by his contemporaries. People didn’t travel much before the 1960’s. A constant theme in Hergé’s work is breaking down prejudices, using humour as a powerful weapon. If you want to experience a collection of misunderstandings, open Prisoners of the Sun. Whilst they are looking for Tintin, Calculus
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CUTHBERT CALCULUS The absurdly deaf, absentminded inventor of genius was here to stay, if only because his money allowed Captain Haddock to purchase Marlinspike Hall, his ancestral home, at the end of adventure. The Professor’s first name in French is Tryphon, and was based on a carpenter whom Hergé knew. His French surname, Tournesol, means sunflower. The combination of the two names sums up the Professor’s character, as does the English version, Cuthbert Calculus. Both his appearance and his manner are an anachronism, and there is a subtle contrast between his behaviour and his highly advanced inventions. Calculus is very absent-
minded, hard of hearing, intuitive and very sentimental. He is capable of the most unexpected, and sometimes really weird,connections with reality, by simply using his pendulum. He is an outstanding scientist and a physicist. As already mentioned he has also some ability as a chemist. He has all the selfassurance and stubbornness of the scientist determined to see his idea through. In the late adventures, Calculus is keen on thinking on inventions less dangerous for human being such as the rose “Bianca”. Like other inventors, he is worried about the military use of his inventions.
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BOOKS
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THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN The Adventures of Tintin were a veritable initiation into geography for entire generations. At a time when television didn’t exist, the international expeditions undertaken by the young reporter opened young people’s eyes to countries, cultures, landscapes and natural phenomena which were still relatively unheard of. From the sands of the Sahara to the glaciers of the Himalayas, from the Amazon rainforests to the Scottish highlands, Hergé’s pictures overflow with details revealing a world full of wonder, danger and excitement a passionate introduction to Planet Earth.
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BOOKS
TINTIN IN THE LAND OF THE SOVIETS Now a very rare book.
the twentieth century.
On 10 January 1929, a young reporter boarded a train from Brussels to Moscow accompanied by his dog, Snowy. It was the start of Tintin’s first great adventure and the beginning of Hergé’s career. The Adventures of Tintin, Reporter for “Le Petit Vingtième”, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, was published as a book in 1930. That year marks the birth of a legend and the start of one of the most engaging relationships between fiction and reality, of
This adventure was issued in album form and the first 500 copies were numbered and signed by “Tintin et Milou”. The first edition of this comic book is now very rare and costs a fortune! With the exception of a reissue in 1969 for the personal use of Hergé, again limited to 500 copies, more than forty years elapsed before this adventure was published again in 1973.
TINTIN IN TIBET Tintin in Tibet was first published in Tintin magazine in the autumn of 1959. Hergé presented his proposed front cover for the upcoming book, to Casterman. The principle behind the concept was simple: Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and Sherpa Tharkey, examining the yeti’s snowy footprints. Apart from the colourful characters and a red oval at the top of the cover, which contained the title of the story in black font, the whole composition was
bathed in white, accentuating the majesty and purity of the surroundings. The proposal was so radical that it did not manage to get beyond prototype stage. In Casterman’s opinion the illustration was too abstract for children and a risky bet commercially. Hergé, usually intransigent over such matters, agreed on this occasion to add some sky and mountains in the background.
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BOOKS
THE CRAB WITH THE GOLDEN CLAWS This story was first published in French in 1941 and returns to the theme of an exotic adventure. Tintin sets off for North Africa. He thwarts a scheme thought-up by a gang of criminals who have hidden opium in tins of crab-meat. Thanks to this adventure, Tintin meets Haddock who will become his side-kick in the future. With Captain Haddock, we discover that he got a funny way of using languages. His words adds a bit of spice and sounds to the story. Among
PRISONERS OF THE SUN This adventure, was the first story published in TINTIN magazine when it was launched on 26th September 1946, and heralded the opportunity for the continuation of an adventure which had been interrupted two years earlier. Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock fly to Peru in search of Professor Calculus, who has involuntarily committed sacrilege, and has been condemned to suffer the ultimate punishment.
When drawing the scenery for The Temple of the Sun, Hergé was inspired by several real places, including the Sacsayhuaman fortress, the Tiwanaku site and also the sanctuary of Machu Picchu. He also found an image of a mummy’s head from the Chancay culture, which he incorporated into the design of the cover for Prisoners of the Sun.
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them, one is very strange “vegetarian”... For more information consult the dossier “Bachi-bouzouk” (In french). While chasing after the strange tins of crab-meat, Tintin meets his side-kick of the future: Captain Haddock. Haddock is not at his best, to say the least. He is both Allan’s prisoner and totally alcoholic. Before being cured, we shall have the pleasure of hearing the famous insults: pockmark, gibbering ghost, freshwater swabs and many more, blistering barnacles!
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This book was printed on April 26, 2018 in Yorozuya Odd Jobs, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0021
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Discover and join Tintin, Snowy and the rest of the crew on all the incredible adventures. They are all waiting for you!
Tintinis the fictional hero of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy. The character was created in 1929 and introduced in Le Petit Vingtième, a weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. He appears as a young man, around 14 to 19 years old with a round face and quiff hairstyle. Tintin has a sharp intellect, can defend himself, and is honest, decent, compassionate, and kind. Through his investigative reporting, quick-thinking, and all-around good nature, Tintin is always able to solve the mystery and complete the adventure.