NOTE:ALL THE INFORMATION IN THIS PDF IS COLLECTED BY PAREEKSHITH KATTI FROM VARIOUS WEBSITE INCLUDING, WIKIPEDIA,TINTIN.COM,OTHERS.THIS IS JUST A GUIDE FOR NEW READERS AND NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE.THIS DOCUMENT IS UNLICENCED.ITS PUBLISHED IN THE INTERNET TO HELP NEW TINTIN READERS .

About the Tintin Adventures 95

“Tintin is myself. He reflects the best and brightest in me; he is my successful double. I am not a hero. But like all 15-year-old boys, I dreamt of being one…and I have never stopped dreaming. Tintin has accomplished many things on my behalf.” -Hergé

The Adventures of Tintin series was created in 1929 by a Belgian artist who called himself Hergé. Clever and ever-curious, Tintin is a reporter-turned-detective whose pursuit of villains, criminals, treasure and the occasional artifact takes him all over the world, along with a colorful cast of friends. Hergé based his stories on real-world events and cultures that had caught the Belgian national attention — from space exploration to Arab oil wars — and brought them to life for his readers in inspiring and exciting ways.

CHARACTERS

TINTIN

Hergé drew inspiration for his star character from the career of the French foreign correspondent Albert Londres. A pioneer of investigative journalism, Londres traveled the world to uncover the truth behind business, politics, governments and the criminal underworld. Tintin represented the reporter that Hergé himself would have liked to be.

An instant icon

Tintin’s features are simple: a round head, a button for a nose, two dots for eyes and a quiff. This is the key to his success. He is flexible, distinctive yet anonymous: any child or adult, of any age or culture, can identify with him.

Although he starts out as an investigative reporter, Tintin develops into a detective. Snowy and others regularly refer to him as Sherlock Holmes, and he has a good deal of the famous English detective about him, including a sharp eye for detail and considerable powers of deduction. Like Holmes, Tintin is a master of disguise!

An all-around expert

A bit like James Bond, there is no car, motorcycle, locomotive, submarine, airplane, helicopter, horse or camel that Tintin cannot drive, ride, steer or fly. In Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, he carves an airplane propeller from a tree using a pocketknife. In Cigars of the Pharaoh, he fashions a wooden trumpet with which to communicate with the elephants. No matter what situation Tintin finds himself in, he’s never at a loss for what to do.

Tintin wholeheartedly embraces the role of the explorer, which culminates in his most memorable achievement — taking the first steps on the moon, some 16 years before the American astronaut Neil Armstrong. By this time, it is clear that Tintin has ceased to report news and is instead making it.

How Tintin is Drawn

Fun Facts about Tintin

Tintin didn’t always have a quiff on his head. During a car chase in his first adventure, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, the wind blows his hair up, and it stays that way forever after!

The Tintin books have been translated into over 100 languages. In German he is called Tim, in Turkish he is called Tenten and in Latin he is known as Titinus.

In 1935, when Belgian radio began broadcasting fitness exercises, Hergé drew Tintin listening to the program and exercising with Snowy in Tintin and the Broken Ear.

CAPTAIN HADDOCK

Captain Haddock

When Captain Haddock makes his debut in The Crab with the Golden Claws, he makes quite an impression. First, he nearly puts an end to Tintin by burning the oars of their lifeboat to keep warm. As if that weren’t enough, he cracks Tintin over the head with a bottle as he’s piloting an aircraft, causing it to crash in the desert. Despite this inauspicious beginning, the captain goes on to become Tintin’s closest friend.

As the stories progress, Captain Haddock proves himself to be much more than a clumsy, hotheaded sea captain with a colorful vocabulary. He is clearly a highly competent mariner and navigator, and his years of experience on the high seas prove invaluable in numerous adventures, including The Red Sea Sharks.

Real-life inspiration

While Hergé admitted that there was a good deal of himself in Haddock, he also acknowledged that there was a measure of his colleague, Edgar-Pierre Jacobs, who had helped him adapt the Tintin books into color. As Hergé explained it, both Jacobs and Captain Haddock were “gruff, capable of expansive gestures and prone occasionally to minor mishaps.”

As Hergé was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish — haddock.” Hergé thought it a perfect name for Tintin’s new mariner friend.

Swearing (un)like a sailor

Captain Haddock is famous for his imaginative and educational insults. In The Crab with the Golden Claws, the first adventure in which Haddock makes his appearance, he loses his temper with marksmen who have shattered his bottle of whiskey. His fury is unleashed in a torrent of colorful expletives: “Swine!….Jellyfish!….Tramps!….Troglodytes!….Toffee-noses!….Savages!….Aztecs!….Toads!….Carpet-sellers!…. Iconoclasts!

….Rats!…. Ectoplasms!…. Freshwater swabs!….Bashibazouks!….Cannibals!…. Caterpillars!…. Cowards!….Baboons!….Parasites!…. Pockmarks!”

Fun Facts about Captain Haddock

Captain Haddock is constantly voted the most popular character in The Adventures of Tintin.

Tintin fans have counted Captain Haddock’s insults, claiming that he has over 200 different variations!

In the last Tintin adventure, Tintin and the Picaros, Captain Haddock’s first name is finally revealed: Archibald.

CALCULUS

Professor Calculus In Red Rackham’s Treasure, Hergé introduces an endearing character who becomes close friends with Tintin and Captain Haddock for the rest of the adventures: Professor Calculus.

Professor Calculus is an eccentric scientist, engineer and inventor who is as clever as he is absentminded. Despite his very slight physique, he claims to have been a sportsman in his youth, leading Captain Haddock to mockingly refer to him as the “Olympic athlete.”

Although he is a capable scientist, Professor Calculus also practices the unproven method of divining using a pendulum. This mainly succeeds in infuriating Captain Haddock; however, though his odd approach does prove to have some merit in Red Rackham’s Treasure.

Real-life inspiration

Hergé’s model for Professor Calculus was a Swiss scientist named Auguste Piccard, who was a professor of physics at the University of Brussels from 1922 to

1954. Professor Piccard became famous in 1931, when he took off in a balloon of his own design and traveled 10 miles up into the atmosphere, higher than anyone else had reached before.

Professor Calculus shares many character traits with the Swiss scientist, and even wears the same style of clothing as Piccard. The main difference between the men is in size: Professor Calculus is much shorter. As Hergé himself said, “I made Calculus a mini-Piccard, otherwise I would have had to enlarge the comic strip frames!”

Fun Facts about Professor Calculus

Calculus is a secret romantic and pursues opera star Bianca Castafiore. Professor Calculus invents a rocket that can fly to the moon, but he has never learned to drive a car. The usually mild-mannered professor is prone to the occasional odd fit of anger, particularly when told he is

“acting the goat” in Destination Moon.

SNOWYSnowy is Tintin’s faithful companion, traversing continents with his adventurous master and saving his life on numerous occasions. Throughout all 24 Tintin adventures, reporter and dog are inseparable.

Real-life inspiration

Hergé chose a fox terrier as Tintin’s canine companion. At the time, the fox terrier was popular for its character and intelligence — attributes abundantly evident in Snowy. Additionally, the landlord of a restaurant Hergé frequented was the proud owner of a fox terrier, and his dog became the inspiration for Snowy. In all likelihood, however, the landlord’s dog didn’t talk. In that way, Snowy is very much his own dog!

A dog’s life

While heroic and intelligent, Snowy is still very much a dog. In The Shooting Star, he lies contentedly asleep, his stomach full of sausages. In The Black Island, he picks up a roast chicken from the British Rail restaurant

car as Tintin rushes through in pursuit of villains. When faced with the choice between helping his companion and enjoying a delicious bone in King Ottokar’s Sceptre, Snowy hesitates just a bit before he chooses Tintin and saves the day.

Fearless…nearly

Snowy proves his bravery on numerous occasions. He is a fighter with true terrier traits and is undeterred by bigger, fiercer dogs, lions, cheetahs, goats, gorillas or evil humans. Tintin can depend on his loyalty and

impressive initiative, whether neutralizing high explosives by simply cocking his leg, or repeatedly freeing his master from his bonds. Despite his courage, there is one thing Snowy is afraid of — check out the Fun Facts below to find out what it is!

Fun Facts about Snowy

Hergé named Tintin’s faithful companion after his first girlfriend, whose nickname was “Milou” (Snowy’s name in the French-language versions of Tintin).

Snowy talks less and barks more after the introduction of the chatty Captain Haddock — perhaps because he can’t get a word in edgewise!

Snowy is afraid of only one thing: spiders.

THOMSON AND THOMPSON

Thomson & Thompson, the world’s clumsiest policemen, make their first appearance in Cigars of the Pharaoh. Apart from Tintin and Snowy, they are the longest-running characters in the series, appearing in 20 of the 24 Tintin books.

Despite the fact that they spend most of their time failing to solve crimes, dressing up in hopeless disguises and falling flat on their faces, Thomson and Thompson always end up on Tintin’s side, even if they do have to arrest him first!

Real-life inspiration

Hergé’s father, Alexis Remi, had a twin brother named Léon. The brothers sometimes dressed in similar hats and suits when they went out together with walking sticks in hand. They even liked to repeat the French equivalent of Thomson & Thompson’s catchphrase: “To be precise!” It seems that the men’s antics made an impression on the young Georges Remi.

The dim-witted detectives bring the slapstick comedy of Charlie Chaplin — whose films Hergé knew well — to the world of Tintin. As the reporter’s adventures continue, Thomson & Thompson’s whining and petty arguing bring to mind another pair of bowler-hatted buffoons: Laurel and Hardy!

Fun Facts about Thomson & Thompson

When they first appeared, Thomson & Thompson did not have proper names. They were referred to by their code names: X33 and X33a.

Just like Thomson & Thompson, French and Belgian police in the early twentieth century did in fact wear black civilian suits — which were so recognizable, they were considered uniforms.

The Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte painted bowler-hatted men bearing a striking resemblance to Thomson & Thompson in some of his most famous paintings.

OTHER CHARACTERS

- Abdullah -

of Emir The spoiled son Ben Kalish Ezab, Abdullah appears at Marlinspike Hall and instantly begins to cause trouble. Abdullah affectionately calls Captain Haddock “Blistering Barnacles”, but after all the pranks and exploding cigars, this is not enough to endear him to the Captain.

First appears in

• Land of Black Gold

- Endaddine Akass -

A spiritual guru who seems to have everyone under his spell, Endaddine Akass is in fact a devious trickster with plenty of skeletons in his closet.

First appears in

• Tintin and Alph-Art

- General Alcazar -

Forever battling his rival, General Tapioca, for control of San Theodoros, in his spare time, General Alcazar likes to play practical jokes with explosive punch lines!

First appears in

• Tintin and the Broken Ear

- Professor Hector Alembick -

Professor Alembick is an expert in the study of wax seals. Little does the unsuspecting professor know that he is also the key to a ruthless plot to depose the king of Syldavia.

First appears in

• King Ottokar's Sceptre

- Alonso and Ramón -

Ruthless knife-throwing villain Ramón and his partner in crime Alonso are determined to beat Tintin in the hunt for the stolen statue.

First appears in

• Tintin and the Broken Ear

- Barnaby -

Barnaby is on the payroll of the Bird Brothers. When he decides to spill the beans to Tintin, Barnaby is ruthlessly gunned down.

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Mr. Baxter -

Mr. Baxter is the director of the Sprodj Atomic Research Centre, the secret facility in which Professor Calculus is building a rocket to fly to the moon. Mr. Baxter is kind and welcoming, but when things get serious, he doesn’t mince his words.

First appears in

• Destination Moon

- Big Chief Keen-eyed Mole -

Leader of the Blackfoot Indians in Tintin in America, Big Chief Keen-eyed Mole won’t hesitate to defend his tribe against the enemy. Unfortunately, he’s been tricked into thinking that the enemy is Tintin!

First appears in

• Tintin in America

- Bill -

As the talkative chef onboard the Sirius in Red Rackham’s Treasure, Bill is happy as long as Snowy stays out of his kitchen!

First appears in

• Red Rackham’s Treasure

- The Bird Brothers -

As greedy antique dealers in The Secret of the Unicorn, the Bird Brothers won’t let anything or anyone get in their way. They are highly dangerous criminals.

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Mr. Bohlwinkel -

In The Shooting Star, Mr. Bohlwinkel is intent on exploiting the new substance detected by Professor Phostle for his own financial gain — and uses his international business network to thwart Tintin’s team!

First appears in

• The Shooting Star

- Mr. Bolt -

In The Castafiore Emerald, Mr. Bolt is a builder who is always promising to show up and fix a broken step on the staircase at Marlinspike Hall.

First appears in

• The Castafiore Emerald

- Colonel Boris -

As the trusted aide-de-camp to King Muskar XII in King Ottokar’s Sceptre, scheming Boris uses his position to trap Tintin. The villain clearly doesn’t know who he’s up against!

First appears in

• King Ottokar’s Sceptre

- Borschtisov -

One of many Bolshevik terrorists Tintin meets in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Borschtisov is on a mission to blow up all the capital cities of Europe...after he has trapped Tintin!

First appears in

• Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

- Rascar Capac -

After this Incan mummy is brought back from Peru in The Seven Crystal Balls, Professor Tarragon keeps it at his villa until one fateful night, when it vanishes in a flash of lightning. But the sinister Rascar Capac soon reappears...in Tintin’s dreams!

First appears in

• The Seven Crystal Balls

- Al Capone -

The self-proclaimed King of Chicago doesn’t have time for pleasantries in Tintin in the Congo or Tintin in America — he just wants to get rid of Tintin once and for all.

First appears in

• Tintin in the Congo

- Lazlo Carreidas -

Despite being known as “the man who never laughs,” this billionaire tycoon from Flight 714 could also be the richest man in the world. His global businesses sell everything from soft drinks to aircraft.

First appears in

• Flight 714

- Bianca Castafiore -

The first time Tintin meets the opera singer from Milan in King Ottokar’s Sceptre, Bianca Castafiore manages to save the reporter from an ambush. In The Calculus Affair, The Castafiore Emerald, Tintin and the Picaros and Tintin and Alph-Art, she mixes spontaneous arias with the occasional diva tantrum.

First appears in

• King Ottokar’s Sceptre

- Chang -

This young Chinese orphan becomes Tintin’s best friend in The Blue Lotus. Tintin in Tibet follows Tintin’s efforts to rescue Chang, who is presumed dead after an air crash in the Himalayas.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- Captain Chester -

Just when it looks like Tintin and Captain Haddock have been beaten in The Shooting Star, one of Haddock’s old friends, Captain Chester, shows up to help!

First appears in

• The Shooting Star

- Dawson -

As the corrupt police chief of the Shanghai International Settlement in The Blue Lotus, Dawson will do anyone a favor if there is something in it for himself. He later returns as an arms dealer under the alias “Debrett” in The Red Sea Sharks.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- Lieutenant Delcourt -

In The Crab with the Golden Claws, Lieutenant Delcourt is in command of the outpost of Afghar. His men rescue Tintin and Captain Haddock when they crash their airplane in the Sahara Desert.

First appears in

• The Crab with the Golden Claws

- Corporal Diaz -

Allegiances are always shifting in the unstable Latin American country of San Theodoros. Demoted from his position as colonel in Tintin and The Broken Ear, Corporal Diaz is determined to get his revenge.

First appears in

• Tintin and The Broken Ear

- Didi -

Didi is Mr. Wang Chen-yee’s son in The Blue Lotus. Though he rescues Tintin at the beginning of the adventure, Didi becomes a sword-wielding danger when he is poisoned with Rajaijah juice.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- The Director of KIDNAP Inc. -

This ruthless character from Tintin in America likes to keep his trusty sword stick with him at all times. Watch out: he’s got a point to make!

First appears in

• Tintin in America

- Emir Ben Kalish Ezab -

In Land of Black Gold, the Emir of Khemed, Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab, refuses to make a deal with the sinister Dr. Müller — leading Müller to kidnap his son, Abdullah. The emir appears again in The Red Sea Sharks and Tintin and Alph-Art.

First appears in

• Land of Black Gold

- The Fakir -

In Cigars of the Pharaoh, weapons are no match for the malevolent fakir — look into his eyes and you are under his hypnotic power!

First appears in

• Cigars of the Pharaoh

- Henri Fourcart -

In Tintin and Alph-Art, Henri Fourcart is the director of an art gallery in which the work of Ramó Nash is displayed. He has something important to tell Tintin and sets off to meet him…but will he make it in time?

First appears in

• Tintin and Alph-Art

- Mr. Gibbons -

Gibbons is a greedy industrialist whom readers first come across in The Blue Lotus. In Tintin and Alph-Art, he turns up at a party thrown at Akass’s villa.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- The Grand Abbot -

In Tintin in Tibet, it looks like Tintin and his friends have been wiped out by an avalanche — but they are rescued by monks from a desolate mountain monastery. The abbot of the monastery makes his guests welcome and gives Tintin a new name: “Great Heart.”

First appears in

• Tintin in Tibet

- Sir Francis Haddock -

Captain Haddock’s brave ancestor, Sir Francis, was the Commander of the Unicorn (see The Secret of the Unicorn) and the archenemy of Red Rackham (see Red Rackham’s Treasure).

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Huascar -

Huascar is an Incan descendant who witnesses Tintin bravely rescuing Zorrino from cruel foreigners in Prisoners of the Sun. He gives Tintin a sacred talisman for protection.

First appears in

• Prisoners of the Sun

- Irma -

Irma, another member of Castafiore’s entourage, is usually mild-mannered. But when accused of theft by the world’s most useless police detectives in The Castafiore Emerald, it all proves too much to take.

First appears in

• The Calculus Affair

- Ivan -

Although he is only the chauffeur for the crooks in The Black Island, Ivan proves himself only too ready to carry out the real dirty work.

First appears in

• The Black Island

- Colonel Jorgen -

In Explorers on the Moon, Frank Wolff helps smuggle the dangerous criminal Colonel Jorgen aboard the moon rocket. Jorgen doesn’t think twice about leaving crew members on the moon to perish — but Tintin won’t let him get away with that!

First appears in

• Explorers on the Moon

- Mik Kanrokitoff -

A scientist who has developed a special ability to communicate by thought, Mik Kanrokitoff has been in contact with extraterrestrials for some time. In Flight 714, Kanrokitoff proves to be a key ally to Tintin and his friends.

First appears in

• Flight 714

- Dr. Krollspell -

The sinister Dr. Krollspell has invented a truth serum that he is only too willing to put in the service of Rastapopoulos in Flight 714. But when he finds out what the evil mastermind has in store for him, Krollspell is quick to change sides!

First appears in

• Flight 714

- Bunji Kuraki -

At the beginning of The Crab with the Golden Claws, this Japanese man is kidnapped — while holding a letter for Tintin!

First appears in

• The Crab with the Golden Claws

- Mike MacAdam -

In Tintin in America, this hotel detective at first appears to have an amazing sixth sense for solving crimes — but it’s not long before the incompetent investigator bungles his case.

First appears in

• Tintin in America

- The Maharaja of Gaipajama -

The dignified Maharaja of Gaipajama welcomes Tintin into his palace in Cigars of the Pharaoh, and the heroic reporter returns the favor.

First appears in

• Cigars of the Pharaoh

- The Missionary Priest -

The kindly missionary priest helps to get Tintin out of a tight spot, and shows the young reporter the school and hospital buildings that have been constructed under his direction.

First appears in

• Tintin In The Congo

- Mitsuhirato -

As a secret agent and opium smuggler masquerading as a businessman in The Blue Lotus, Mitsuhirato is determined to get rid of Tintin once and for all.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- Dr. Müller -

As the evil mastermind behind the illegal operation that Tintin investigates in The Black Island, Dr. Müller won’t hesitate to use his medical training for harmful ends. In Land of Black Gold, he will do anything to get rich from the international oil trade.

First appears in

• The Black Island

- King Muskar XII -

The just and noble King of Syldavia from King Ottokar’s Sceptre comes from an established lineage of great leaders. Will the king manage to overcome plotters determined to force him from his throne?

First appears in

• King Ottokar’s Sceptre

- Ramó Nash -

In Tintin and Alph-Art, Nash is an artist specializing in what is known as “Alph-Art”— art created using the letters of the alphabet. But he may also be involved in a shady parallel business forging the work of other famous artists.

First appears in

• Tintin and Alph-Art

- Nestor -

Nestor is the dependable and loyal servant at Marlinspike Hall in Red Rackham’s Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls and Tintin and the Picaros.

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Nokzitov -

A Soviet bounty hunter in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Nokzitov thinks that he has caught Tintin and is looking forward to his reward from the OGPU. But Tintin won’t give up without a fight.

First appears in

• Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

- OGPU Agent from Stolbtzy -

This cunning Soviet agent first tries to trip Tintin up with a banana skin, then disguises himself as a beggar to take advantage of Tintin’s kindness in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.

First appears in

• Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

- The Old Shopkeeper -

A beady-eyed old man who has a diving suit for sale, the shopkeeper in Red Rackham’s Treasure appears to be able to read Captain Haddock’s mind. Blistering barnacles!

First appears in

• Red Rackham’s Treasure

- Senhor Oliveira da Figueira -

This friendly and talkative character returns several times in Tintin’s adventures, including Cigars of the Pharaoh, Land of Black Gold and The Red Sea Sharks.

First appears in

• Cigars of the Pharaoh

- Maurice Oyle -

Maurice Oyle is a manager at the Grynde industrial estate in Tintin in America. He can’t wait to show Tintin around, but perhaps he’s a little too eager to please.

First appears in

• Tintin in America

- Pablo -

Originally sent to assassinate Tintin and The Broken Ear, Pablo ends up saving the reporter’s life. In Tintin and the Picaros, Tintin returns the favor.

First appears in

• Tintin and The Broken Ear

- Sheik Patrash Pasha -

The tribal sheik seems threatening at first in Cigars of the Pharaoh, but his anger turns to joy when he realizes whom his attendants have captured!

First appears in

• Cigars of the Pharaoh

- Peggy -

In Tintin and the Picaros, General Alcazar’s dragon of a wife, Peggy, clearly wears the trousers in the General’s household.

First appears in

• Tintin and the Picaros

- Philippulus the Prophet -

In The Shooting Star, Philippulus the Prophet loves banging his drum and forecasting doom and gloom. It almost seems like he’s looking forward to the end of the world!

First appears in

• The Shooting Star

- Professor Decimus Phostle -

Together with Tintin and some top scientists in The Shooting Star, this professor sets out to find a meteorite that has fallen into the Arctic Ocean.

First appears in

• The Shooting Star

- Prince of the Sun -

In Prisoners of the Sun, the noble Prince of the Sun governs the hidden Incan civilization according to traditions that stretch back over hundreds of years. There can be only one sentence handed out to those who violate the inner chambers of the sacred temple — death!

First appears in

• Prisoners of the Sun

- Puschov -

Puschov is a member of the criminal gang that Tintin hunts down in The Black Island. The villain tries to convince Tintin to practice diving… off a cliff!

First appears in

• The Black Island

- Ranko The Gorilla -

The beast of The Black Island turns out to be a gorilla called Ranko. Although he is trained to be fierce, Tintin and Snowy bring out his true gentle nature.

First appears in

• The Black Island

- Rastapopoulos -

Tintin’s first meeting with Rastapopoulos, “King of Cosmos Pictures” in The Cigars of the Pharaoh, doesn’t go well. He appears again, stirring up trouble in The Blue Lotus, The Red Sea Sharks and Flight 714.

First appears in

• The Cigars of the Pharaoh

- Red Rackham -

Red Rackham was a ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate who lived over 300 years ago and whose legacy is rediscovered in The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure.

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Ridgewell -

Long-lost explorer Ridgewell has traded “civilized” life for the jungle in Tintin and The Broken Ear. In Tintin and the Picaros, he helps Tintin and his friends get an invitation to share a meal with the ferocious Arumbaya tribe.

First appears in

• Tintin and The Broken Ear

- Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine -

In The Secret of the Unicorn, Ivan Sakharine collects maritime memorabilia, including model ships, and seems determined to buy a model ship that Tintin has just acquired. But at what price?

First appears in

• The Secret of the Unicorn

- Omar ben Salaad -

Appearing in The Crab with the Golden Claws, Omar is the biggest trader in Bagghar — but his business is just a front for his nefarious smuggling activities.

First appears in

• The Crab with the Golden Claws

- Sophocles Sarcophagus -

Doctor Sarcophagus only has one thing on his mind throughout Cigars of the Pharaoh: ancient Egyptian pharaohs!

First appears in

• Cigars of the Pharaoh

- Shark Submarine -

The smiling shark submarine, a favorite with readers, plays a key role in the hunt for the shipwreck of the Unicorn in Red Rackham’s Treasure.

First appears in

• Red Rackham’s Treasure

- Sherpa Tharkey -

Sherpa Tharkey is a Nepalese mountain guide in Tintin in Tibet. At first he is determined to dissuade Tintin from setting off on the perilous search for Chang, but eventually he agrees to lead the expedition.

First appears in

• Tintin in Tibet

- Skut -

Skut is an Estonian pilot following orders to attack the boat Tintin and Haddock are traveling on in The Red Sea Sharks. But when he’s forced to bail out of his plane, Tintin and Haddock rescue him from the Red Sea, and Skut becomes a key ally of the heroes from this point on, showing up a second time in Flight 714.

First appears in

• The Red Sea Sharks

- Bobby Smiles -

Villain Bobby Smiles in Tintin in America is very sure of himself. He even has the nerve to offer Tintin a job in his criminal gang!

First appears in

• Tintin in America

- Spalding -

Spalding is Lazlo Carreidas’s secretary in Flight 714. Although he is publicly humiliated by his boss, this is nothing compared with the devious and dastardly surprise Spalding has in store for Carreidas.

First appears in

• Flight 714

- Colonel Sponsz -

In The Calculus Affair, Colonel Sponsz is the head of the Bordurian Secret Police, ZEP. He is a ruthless character who is determined to trap Tintin and his friends.

First appears in

• The Calculus Affair

- General Tapioca -

In Tintin and the Picaros, General Tapioca, the sworn enemy of General Alcazar, has had Bianca Castafiore arrested on a trumped-up charge. Professor Calculus and Captain Haddock set off to negotiate her release, but it seems nothing less than a regime change will do the trick.

First appears in

• Tintin and the Picaros

- Professor Tarragon -

After escaping a mysterious sickness that strikes down his colleagues in The Seven Crystal Balls, Professor Tarragon gets a visit from Tintin, Snowy, Haddock and his old friend, Calculus. It proves to be a night they will never forget.

First appears in

• The Seven Crystal Balls

- Allan Thompson -

Crooked Allan is the first mate of the ship named the Karaboudjan in The Crab with the Golden Claws. He then shows up again later as the assistant of the evil Rastapopoulos in Flight 714.

First appears in

• The Crab with the Golden Claws

- Tom -

Tom is a gangster working for Al Capone who is determined to get Tintin out of the way, through a series of nasty traps.

First appears in

• Tintin In The Congo

- Professor Topolino -

Professor Alfredo Topolino is a Swiss scientist and expert in ultrasonics. A planned meeting with Professor Calculus in The Calculus Affair is disrupted when Topolino is attacked. But there is worse to come: his house is blown up by Bordurian agents!

First appears in

• The Calculus Affair

- Mr. Trickler -

Mr. Trickler first appears in Tintin and The Broken Ear as the representative of General American Oil. In Tintin and Alph-Art, Trickler will stop short at nothing — not even war — to get rich.

First appears in

• Tintin and The Broken Ear

- Trovik -

A key member of the criminal organization planning to overthrow the King of Syldavia, Trovik coordinates multiple attempts to get Tintin out of the way… permanently!

First appears in

• King Ottokar's Sceptre

- Martine Vandezande -

Martine Vandezande is the assistant at the Fourcart art gallery in Tintin and Alph-Art. Little does she know that the pendant given to her by Endaddine Akass has been bugged.

First appears in

• Tintin and Alph-Art

- Jolyon Wagg -

Jolyon Wagg is an irritating insurance salesman in The Calculus Affair, who knocks on the door at Marlinspike Hall, expecting to be given shelter from a storm. He shows up again in The Castafiore Emerald and Tintin and the Picaros.

First appears in

• The Calculus Affair

- Wagner -

Bianca Castafiore’s obedient pianist, Wagner, comes to Marlinspike Hall as part of her entourage in The Castafiore Emerald. But is he hiding something?

First appears in

• King Ottokar's Sceptre

- Mr. Wang Chen-yee -

In The Blue Lotus, Mr. Wang Chen-yee is the leader of the Sons of the Dragon, a secret society dedicated to fighting the illegal opium trade.

First appears in

• The Blue Lotus

- Frank Wolff -

Frank Wolff seems like a helpful and intelligent assistant working on Professor Calculus’s Moon Project in Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon. But perhaps there is more to Wolff than meets the eye?

First appears in

• Destination Moon

- The Yeti -

Although the Yeti is not a human being, he is an important character in Tintin in Tibet. At first it seems that the Yeti is a dangerous animal, but by the end of the adventure, it is clear that the “Abominable Snowman” actually has deep feelings of compassion.

First appears in

• Tintin in Tibet

- Ramón Zarate -

When Tintin and Haddock go out for a night’s entertainment at the Hippodrome in The Seven Crystal Balls, one of the first acts is hosted by an amazing knife-thrower named Ramón Zarate who looks oddly familiar: it’s General Alcazar!

First appears in

• Tintin and the Broken Ear

- Zorrino -

Tintin saves Zorrino from bullies in Prisoners of the Sun, and the young orange-seller is determined to return the favor. He becomes a guide for Tintin, Haddock and Snowy, leading them through the Andes to the Temple of the Sun.

TINTIN AND THE WORLDTintin's adventures take him far and wide - and even to outer space!

Europe

As a Belgian reporter, Tintin’s job — and his boundless curiosity — take him all over Europe, from Soviet Russia to Captain Haddock’s residence at Marlinspike Hall. In The Secret of the Unicorn and its sequel, Red Rackham’s Treasure, what begins as a romp through a Brussels street market turns into a sea voyage in search of buried treasure.

The Black Island takes Tintin and his canine companion to a foreboding island off the coast of Scotland. A mythical beast — based partly on the Scottish Loch Ness monster — haunts the island, and Tintin is determined to get to the bottom of the local legend, once and for all.

While it’s no mystery that Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is set in Russia, King Ottokar’s Sceptre is set in a fictitious, politically unstable Eastern European country called Syldavia. The Calculus Affair takes place in a Fascist European country called Borduria, where the government is determined to steal Professor Calculus’s latest invention for nefarious ends!

There’s no place like home, and a few of Tintin’s adventures take him no farther than his backyard. The Castafiore Emerald is set at Captain Haddock’s estate, where the arrival of opera singer Bianca Castafiore creates chaos. The last book in the series, Tintin and Alph-Art, takes place in the criminal underbelly of the art scene — right in Tintin’s home city of Brussels.

Asia

From the Middle East to the Far East, Tintin spends quite a bit of time exploring the Asian cultures and political events that filled European newspapers of the time. The Blue Lotus takes Tintin and Snowy to China, where the duo chases down a web of opium traffickers. Several adventures (and continents) later, Tintin returns in Land of Black Gold — this time to the deserts of the Middle East, where war in Europe is straining the oil supply and companies are using any means necessary to seize control of the valuable oil reserves. While chasing down international arms dealers and slave traders in The Red Sea Sharks, Tintin once again visits the Middle East, a dangerous trip that threatens to be his last!

In Tintin in Tibet, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy travel to the Roof of the World (the Himalayas) on a seemingly hopeless mission to rescue Tintin’s friend, Chang. Tintin’s unflinching determination means that nothing — not even the “Abominable Snowman” — will deter him from saving Chang’s life!

In Flight 714, Tintin and Captain Haddock get sidetracked from their Australian vacation — that is, kidnapped and taken to a remote Pacific island.

In Cigars of pharaoh he goes to India.

Africa

Belgium’s colonial presence created a lot of curiosity about different African cultures within Belgium and across Europe during the 1930s. In Tintin in the Congo, Hergé takes his readers to Africa, while sending Tintin and Snowy to combat nefarious elements threatening the local tribes. But while taking on diamond smugglers — managed by none other than American gangster Al Capone — Tintin and Snowy have lions, monkeys and all kinds of wildlife to deal with!

In The Crab with the Golden Claws, Tintin enlists the help of a testy Captain Haddock to chase down opium smugglers in Morocco. Cigars of the Pharaoh takes the courageous detective on an epic journey through Egypt and into the tomb of a pharaoh — which is full of secrets and possibly offers a helpful clue in Tintin’s search

for the opium smugglers!

The Americas

While many of his adventures take him around Europe, Asia and Africa, Tintin is no stranger to the other side of the Atlantic. In fact, Tintin in America puts him up against Al Capone, one of the most infamous American mobsters of all time. The mob wars were still going on in Chicago at the time Tintin in America was written, and Capone had yet to be caught!

Several of Tintin’s other adventures also take him deep into the South American jungles, beginning with The Broken Ear, in which Tintin and Snowy, hot on the trail of a mysterious statue, first meet the scheming dictator, General Alcazar and his archrival, General Tapioca. The setting for The Broken Ear, as well as the later adventure Tintin and the Picaros, is a fictitious banana republic called San Theodoros, full of tangled vines, lost explorers and tribal warriors. Red Rackham’s Treasure takes our heroes to the nearby Caribbean Islands in search of buried treasure.

In The Seven Crystal Balls and its sequel, Prisoners of the Sun, Tintin and Snowy return to South America with Captain Haddock. They track down Professor Calculus, who’s been kidnapped, taken across the Andes and handed over to an ancient, sun-worshipping civilization hidden in the Peruvian mountains. As usual, Hergé mixes his educational tours of far-off lands with suspense and intrigue — will the trio manage to save Calculus from his fiery fate?

Space

Who says earth is the only place for bad guys to turn up? In Destination Moon and its sequel, Explorers on the Moon, outer space is fraught with villains and traitors.

At the time the stories were written, many countries were racing to be the first to put a man on the moon, and outer space had captured the imagination of the world — Hergé included. To ensure an accurate representation of rockets and spacecraft, and to fully understand the science of space travel, Hergé left no stone unturned. He consulted with scientists, talked with experts and read everything he could get his hands on.

All that research must have paid off — Tintin ends up being the first man on the moon, a full 15 years before Neil Armstrong took his historic first steps!

THE MARLINSPIKE HALL

Marlinspike HallThis article is about the home of Captain Haddock. For Moulinsart (the Hergé Foundation's commercial and copyright wing), see Hergé Foundation.

Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy approach Marlinspike Hall (Le château de Moulinsart).

The Château de Cheverny was used as a model for Marlinspike Hall. The two outermost wings are not present, but the central tower and two wings are identical.

Simulation of Cheverny with the outer wings removed

Marlinspike Hall (Le château de Moulinsart in the original French) is Captain Haddock's country house in Hergé's comic book series The Adventures of Tintin.[1]

The hall is modeled after the central section of the Château de Cheverny. The French name is derived from Sart-Moulin, a village near Braine-l'Alleud in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; in an allusion to the Haddock family's maritime history, the hall's English name refers to the Marlinspike, a tool used in seamanship to splice ropes.

FICTIONAL COUNTRIESIn the Tintin stories, there are many real countries - Belgium, Scotland, Russia, Germany, Japan, China... But there is also a wealth of fictional countries:

Syldavia

Seen in ~ King Ottokar's Sceptre, Destination Moon, Explorers on the Moon

This small Eastern European Kingdom. Before the 6th Century, the area was inhabited by nomads, but in that century the Slavs invaded. The Slavs were later driven into the mountains by invading Turks in the 10th century. In 1127, a Slavic leader, Hveghi started to drive out the Turks, and was eventually declared King, being renamed Muskar. Muskar was a wise king, but his son, Muskar II could not keep control and Syldavia was annexed by the neighbouring Borduria in 1195. In 1275, a Syldavian baron, Almaszout, led a successful revolt against Borduria and in 1277 was crowned King, taking the name of Ottokar, and setting up the fuedal system. The first true King of all Syldavia was Ottokar IV who subdued the powerful nobles and set about a Golden Age. Ever since then, the law has stated that the King is however holds the sceptre of King Ottokar. In the early 20th century, Borduria made another attempt to invade Syldavia by stealing the sceptre from King Ottokar XII. They failed in their attempt and Syldavia remained a free nation. It comprises of 2 great valleys, those of the River Vladir and it's tributary, the River Moltus. The capital is called Klow, though was known as Zileheroum under the Turks. The people are particularly fond of mineral water. The National day is Saint Vladimir's Day. Flag put together by Pierre Gay.

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Borduria

Seen in ~ King Ottokar's Sceptre, The Calculus Affair

Borduria is a large eastern European country that wishes to annex it's small neighbour, Syldavia, because in the middle ages, Borduria controlled Syldavia. During the 1930s and early 40s they were a Tascist (basically Fascist) state trying to capture Syldavia. After World War II, it was engulfed as a part of the eastern bloc, and a communist government was put in control. The Military at this time had great control of the country, and wished to conquer the world. The first two flags are of Tascist Borduria, one of the flag's was later replaced by the second.  The third flag is from Communist Borduria. First 2 flags put together by Jorge Candeias, and 3rd by Pierre Gay.

   

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San Theodoros

Seen in ~ The Broken Ear, Tintin and the Picaros

A South American republic. There is a constant struggle between two general's - Alcazar and Tapioca, for power. It is the enemy of it's neighbour, Nuevo Rico. The capital city is on the coast, and is called Los Dopicos, but under Tapioca's rule was re-named Tapiocopolis. Flag put together by Pierre Gay.

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Nuevo Rico

Seen in ~ The Broken Ear

The neighbour of San Theodoras, the two are enemies and often at war. Flag put together by Pierre Gay.

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Khemed

Seen in ~ Land of Black Gold, The Red Sea Sharks

A Middle Eastern Kingdom ruled by the Emir Ben Kalish Ezab. However his rule is threatened by the Sheik Bab El Ehr and his band of militants. Flag put together by Jorge Candeais.

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Sao Rico

Seen in ~ The Shooting Star

A South American Republic with several big businessmen. Flag put together by Aveledo Coll.

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Gaipajama

Seen in ~ Cigars of the Pharaoh, The Blue Lotus

A state in India, ruled by a kindly Maharajah. His dynasty has been threatened by opium smugglers who terrorise the people.

THE SERIESAfter the success of 'Le Petit Vingtieme' thanks to Herge, Father Wallez told him to create his own series. The result was a rework of 'Totor', Herge's much earlier work for 'Le Boy Scout Belge' (see 'other works') about a boy reporter called Tintin. Nobody knows where that name comes from, though Tintin's dog, named 'Milou' by

Herge, was named after one of Herge's old girlfriends. It would be amazingly popular with the children of Brussels. Herge wanted to send Tintin to a place that had always fascinated him, the USA, but Father Wallez, Herge's 'guiding light', a staunch right wing supporter, encouraged Herge to send Tintin to Russia, (or what was Russia, because a few years previously  it had been taken over by Lenin and the Bolsheviks - a left wing communist party, who renamed it the 'Union of Soviet Socialist Republics', or 'Soviet Union' for short), where Tintin could expose the evils of Bolshevism. The result was 'Tintin in the Land of the Soviets', drawn in a primitive style, and printed in black and white in 'Le Petit Vingtieme', a children's supplement of the newspaper 'Le XXieme Siecle'. It was a huge success, with a few pages printed weekly. As it ended, it was decided that a boy should dress up as Tintin, with a little white dog, and arrive at Brussels train station from a train coming from Germany. A huge crow came to meet him - many believed that this was really Tintin.

Soon a second story was started, but again Father Wallez stopped it being a trip to America, and instead insisted on the Congo - the pride of the Belgian Empire, and a place where Herge could show the Catholic missionaries as saviours in the land of the savage. Again, at the end of the adventure, a boy dressed as Tintin came back to Brussels with huge crowds turning up.

Finally Tintin was sent to America, and this was the first book that really showed good structure. The next story had a real plot running through it, but it was not until the next - 'The Blue Lotus', that a story had real plot and excellant structure. It has been declared Herge's first masterpiece.  

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THE 24 ALBUMS 

01. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

Tintin travels to the Soviet Union, a country that was formerly the Russian Empire, but has since been taken over by the 'evil' communist Bolshevik's, to report on the situation. Little does he know that the Cheka - Soviet secret police, will do anything to stop him...

Tintin's first adventure was little more than an attempt by Father Wallez to teach children the evil's of Communism and the Bolsheviks. But it's impact was far more than that. It's huge appeal led to the continuation of the series, and it captured the hearts of the children of Brussels. Many children believed it to be true, and Wallez did much to encourage this. As an April fool's letter he published a faked letter from the Bolsheviks to prove Tintin's existence.He also got a boy to dress up as Tintin and come home from the train station, as the story was ending publication. This drew many crowds. It was the only of Herge's finished books to not be re-drawn into a modern colour version, because Herge was ashamed of it. He only agreed to allow it to be republished to stem the flow of pirated books.

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02. Tintin in the Congo

Tintin travels to the Belgian Congo, where he must battle wild animals, savage tribes, evil witch doctors, and diamond smugglers.

Tintin in the Congo was again a story that Father Wallez told Herge to do. In it, it showed the good work of missionaries, and reflected the beourgoise attitude of the time about big game hunting and the depiction of the natives. It was started in 1930, and ran for a few months. In 1947, Herge redrew it all in colour. It was the first book to be published by Casterman.

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03. Tintin in America

It is the 1930s, and the city of Chicago in the USA is virtually ruled by mob rule. Tintin goes there to sort things out, but gets caught up in the gang war between Al Capone and Bobby Smiles, and eventually ends up in the wild west.

'Tintin in America' was the book that Herge had always wanted to do. It has been criticised for it's depiction of the Native Americans, though Herge had a great interest in them, and in his book showed how they were being exploited. Al Capone was the only real life character ever to be shown in the Tintin books. It was originally published in it's black and white version in 1931, and was re-drawn into colour in 1945. The book was originally called 'The Adventures of Tintin, Reporter in Chicago'.

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04. Cigars of the Pharoah

While on a holiday in Egypt, Tintin becomes involved with a mysteriuos archaeologist, Professor Sarcophagus, and together they discover the lost tomb of Kih-Oskh... But it contains more than ancient artifacts, and soon Tintin finds himself in India, facing mysterious drug smugglers...

The first of the books to have a real plot to it, rather than just a series of events. The black and white edition, entitled 'Tintin in the Orient' was first serialised in 1932, with a colour version being published in 1955, the last of the b&w books to be re-done, due to the popularity of the first version. Therefore it has some of the highest quality drawings of the first 9 books. It is the first part of the 'Tintin in the Orient' arc, which continued in the next story. One interesting point is that a copy of 'Destination Moon' appears on page 15, a story that would not take place for 20 years. Herge changed this from 'Tintin in the Congo' that had been in the previous version as a sort of joke.  Another little joke in the book that was added was that one of the mummified people was 'E.P. Jacobini', a joke on Herge's friend, E. P. Jacobs.

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05. The Blue Lotus

While enjoying his stay in India, Tintin is suddenly caught up in an adventure in China, where he must battle drug smugglers as well as a mysterious buisnessman - Mitsihurasho, who is aiding the Japanese invasion.

The second book in the 'Tintin in the Orient' arc. It was originally serialised in 1934, entitled 'Tintin in the Far Orient'. It was coloured and re-drawn in 1946. It was during his preparation for the story that Father Gosset contacted him and told him to meet a China man before writing about China with the same beourgoise attitude that were found in the previous books. Herge met Chang Chon-Chen. Chang would have a huge effect on Herge, teaching him to look at the world differantly. Herge incorporated Chang into his story, where he became Tintin's best friend. It showed the Chinese in a good light, though it caused outrage from the Japanese, who were shown in a bad light. The book was famed for being based on many true events.

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06. The Broken Ear

A tribal fetish is stolen from a local museum, and Tintin sets out to investigate. His search will lead him through murder and forgery, to a South American country called san Theodoras, where he encounters revolution and a mysterious tribe deep in the jungle.

This story was originally serialised in 1935, and it was redrawn in colour in 1943. The colour version is considered the least well drawn of all the colour books. The book was highly political, just like the previous book.

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07. The Black Island

When Tintin is shot for no apparent reason, it leads him to Sussex, England, on the trail of forgers, and eventually to Scotland, where he encounters the beast of the black island!

Originally serialised in 1937, the book was later re-drawn in colour in 1943. In the 1960s, the British publishers, Methuen, asked herge to re-draw it again. So Herge sent Bob de Moor to Britain to do research. With this, Herge created a 3rd version, released in 1966. This 3rd version has a high drawing quality far more reminiscent of the later works.

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08. King Ottokar's Sceptre

Tintin joins a man on a trip to the eastern European country of Syldavia. Once there, Tintin discovers a plot to overthrow the king and annex Syldavia to the neighbouring Fascist state of Borduria...

The first version, serialised in 1938, in Le Petit Vingtieme as 'Tintin in Syldavia'. In 1947 the book was re-drawn, mainly by Edgar P. Jacobs, instead of Herge. Jacobs' influence is everywhere, such as the uniforms of the guards and castle, which originally were very differant. Jacobs and his wife can also be seen in the crowd of dignitaries at the end of the book.

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09. The Crab with the Golden Claws

When a body is found floating in the dock, Tintin is drawn into a fight against the crew of the 'Karaboudjan', who are smuggling drugs in crab tins. Tintin must ally himself with the innocent ship's captain, Haddock, to battle first mate Allan.

Originally serialised in 'Le Soir' in 1940, under Nazi occupation, it was re-drawn and coloured in 1944. It borrowed a lot from 'Cigars of the Pharoah'. It also introduced Captain Haddock, who would become a main character after that.

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10. The Shooting Star

A meteor is headed for Earth, and when it crashes in the ocean, Tintin and Haddock join an expedition to find it.

Originally serialised in Le Soir, under Nazi occupation, in 1941, it was the first book to be drawn in the new coloured Ligne-claire style.

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11. The Secret of the Unicorn

Part One of the treasure hunt arc. After buying a model ship in a local market, Tintin is embroiled in the hunt to find the 3 pieces of a treasure map belonging to Haddock's ancestor - Sir Francis Haddock.

The first part of the 'Treasure Hunt' arc.

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12. Red Rackham's Treasure

Part two. Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, and the Thom(p)sons, along with the bizarre tag along, Professor Calculus, go on a treasure hunt to the Caribbean.

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13. The Seven Crystal Balls

Part One of the Inca arc. As Haddock settle's into Marlinspike as lord of the manor, Tintin begins to investigate the mysterious Inca curse of 'the 7 crystal balls'.

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14. Prisoners of the Sun

Part two. With Calculus kidnapped by the mysterious Peruvian Indians, Tintin and Haddock pursue them to their homeland, where a young boy - Zorrino, leads them through jungles and mountains to the lost city of the Inca!

15. Land of Black Gold

With the world on the brink of war, Haddock is shipped of to the navy while Tintin travels to Khemed in the Middle east to find out who is sabotaging the west's oil... and an old enemy - Muller, is back!

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16. Destination Moon

Tintin and Haddock are summoned by Calculus to Syldavia, where he shows them that he's created a moon rocket with the Syldavian government. But there are many spies, and soon things excalate out of control.

17. Explorers on the Moon

Tintin, Haddock, Snowy, Calculus and Tintin head off to the moon aboard the rocket, and if they are successfull they will become the first men in the moon.

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18. The Calculus Affair

Tintin and Haddock race to Switzerland to save Calculus from Bordurian spies... Their search will lead them to Borduria, a brutal dictatorship in the communist bloc...

Benoit Peeters, the famous tintinologist, said that this was Herge's greatest masterpiece. It was a spy story - a fight against eastern bloc Communism.

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19. The Red Sea Sharks

When Abdullah comes to stay, Haddock and Tintin rush of to the middle east to reinstate Emir Ben Kelish Ezab to the crown of Khemed and defeat two old enemies - one who is using the situation to slave trade...

This book is one of the most controversial as it has been said that it contains racist attitudes towards black people. Herge had problems defending himself that he had not had with 'Tintin in the Congo', because 'TITC' had been written at a time of beourgoise attitudes and this book had not. However in the book, Tintin saves the black people from the slave traders and helps his friends who are Arabs. These do not seem like the things a racist would do.

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20. Tintin in Tibet

While on holiday in the Alps, Tintin has a vision of Chang, his old friend, and rushes off to Tibet in his sheer belief that he survived a plane crash - but he now faces the mysterious Yeti...

'TIT' was Herge's most personal work. At the time of writing, he was having a mental breakdown, and his psychiatrist suggested that he abandon the story. Herge refused, and as he finished the book, his problems began to disappear. The book is about Tintin's search for his friend Chang, and it echoed Herge's search for his old friend Chang.

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21. The Castafiore Emerald

Disaster strikes as Castafiore comes to stay at Marlinspike, but when her famous jewel is stolen, our heroes have an adventure at home...

The only adventure where Tintin stays at home. It has been said that this would have been a good adventure to end the series on.

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22. Flight 714 aka Flight 714 to Sydney

While on a journey to Australia, Tintin and his friends join millionare Lazlo Carreides on his private jet. But the plane is hijacked by Rastapopolous, and taken to a small Sondonesian island, and the only way to escape is not of this world...

This caused quite a stir for including extraterrestrials in the plot. Many believed that this was just too far-fetched. A similar occurence occured when the Asterix book 'Asterix and the Falling Sky' was released in 2006, because it too was about aliens. The English version was originally translated as 'Flight 714' and kept so till 2006 when the publishers

Egmont had it renamed 'Flight 714 to Sydney' - a direct translation of the French. Most fans believed that the original English title had more dynamism and effect.

23. Tintin and the Picaros

When Castafiore and the Thom(p)sons are arrested in the South American state of San Theodoras by the tyrannical government of General Tapioca, Tintin and Haddock go there and join General Alcazar and his revolutionaries - the Picaros, in the revolution.

Tintin's final finished adventure had many signs of change. Tintin no longer wore his plus-four trousers, but wide ankled jeans. He wore CND symbols on his motorcycle helmet, and his personality had changed into a far less rash, peace loving young man. The book also left a cliffhanger - Haddock's inability to drink alcohol, which would never be truly resolved..

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24. Tintin and Alph-art

Tintin is drawn into the world of cults and modern art as he faces a forgery ring led by Rastapopolous, and this unfinished adventure will lead him to the Mediterannean.

Tintin's final adventure was left unfinished, a pile of notes and a few sketched out pages, when Herge died. Herge had originally planned to set a whole book in an airport, but he changed his mind, and it instead was set in the world of modern art. Initially it also involved drugs, but this was dropped in favour of a mysterious cult. In Herge's notes he revealed that he had intended to find a cure for Haddock's inability to drink alcohol. There was originally a debate as to whether it should be finished by Bob de Moor, but this was rejected, as to Herge's wish that no one should continue Tintin after his death. Herge believed that only he could give life to his characters...

PLAYSTintin has had several appearences on stage throughout his history.

Tintin in India - The Mystery of the Blue Diamond ~ 1941

On 15 and 17 April and 1 and 8 of May 1941, a play was put on at the theatre des Galeries in Brussels. It was written by Herge himself and Jacques van Melkebeke, and directed by Paul Riga. Tintin was played by a girl, Jeanne Rubens, and she also played Snowy. It was performed in 3 acts.

It starts off in Padakhore in India, where several guests, the Thompsons, and Tintin, are staying. The Maharajah has his famous blue diamond stolen and it must have been one of the guests who took it. Tintin begins his investigations into which one of the guests is the thief while aboard the ship - the 'Rampura', and reveals his findings in Syldavia.

The Disappearence of Mr. Boullock ~ 1941/42

After the success of the previous play, Herge and Jacques van Melkebeke wrote another play, also directed by Paul Riga. It followed the pattern of the previous play, being in 3 parts, and it was again held in the 'theatre des

Galeries', in Brussels, but this time Tintin was played by Roland Ravez, who was only 9. It ran on 26, 29 and 30 December 1941, and the 3rd and 8th January 1942.

The story is based around the wealthy Mr. Boullock who disappears, and as the Thompsons and Tintin start to investigate, two Mr. Boullocks turn up, and one of them is an imposter. Tintin must find professor Doryford, the only man who can work out which is which, but is on a trek across the globe...

Tintin's Great American Adventure ~ London, 1976/77

This play, presumably based on 'Tintin in America' was adapted by . It was performed by the Unicorn theatre company from 18th December 1976 to 20th february 1977, at the Unicorn Theatre arts centre in Great Newport Street, London.

Tintin and the Black Island ~ 1980, London

In 1980, Geoffrey Case released a new Tintin play based upon 'The Black island' for the Unicorn Theatre Company. It was first performed at the Arts in London. It then went on a tour, even being translated into French and being shown in Quebec in December 1984. It starred Richard Drabble as Tintin, Haluk Bilginer as Dr Muller, Hugh Hayes as Ivan, Carl Heap as Ranko and Leda Hodgson as Olga, who was a new edition to the play. It was directed by Tony Wredden.

De Zonnetempel/Le Temple du Soleil ~ Belgium, 2001-2002

This highly publicised musical was a huge hit. It was actually 2 different musicals, one in Dutch, and a later one in French. It was based on the books 'The 7 Crystal balls' and 'Prisoners of the Sun'. It was written by Seth Gaaikema and Frank van Laecke, with music by Dirk Brossé. It was adapted into the French version by Didier van Cauwelaert. Tintin was played by Tom Van Landuyt in the Dutch version and Vincent Heden in the French. The first (Dutch) version was huge success, with it being professionally filmed and shown on Canal+. The play ran from 15th September 2001 to 17th February 2002 in Antwerp. One interesting point was that the Great inca was played by Bob de moor's grandson, Chris. The second version, in French, was performed in Charleroi, in 2002. A third version was planned to be shown in Paris in 2003, but this was cancelled, probably because a key investor pulled out. 

Tintin in Tibet ~ 2005/06 and 06/07 London

This popular show was held at the Barbican in London, and produced by the acclaimed Young Vic theatre company. Clearly based on the book, 'Tintin in Tibet', it did not deviate from the book's story too much. It was highly popular, with very few seats empty in it's whole running. It was done over the Christmas/New Year period, so many families came. A brochure was released, which has since become collectable. It was directed by Rufus Noriss and the script was written by David Greig. The Young Vic summarised the play as...

'Criminal gangs, a friend lost in a plane crash and a trek through the snows of the high Himalayas... Just an ordinary day in the lives of young reporter Tintin and his loyal dog Snowy. The Young Vic is delighted to present the first major UK adaptation of Hergé's legendary cartoon hero, as Tintin and Captain Haddock battle to rescue Chang from the infamous Yeti.'

The play also contained a scene from 'The Blue Lotus' where Tintin meets Chang. Tintin was played by Russell Tovey, Haddock by Sam Cox and Snowy was played by Simon Trinder in a suit, and at other times they used a Westie, despite the fact that Snowy is a Fox terrier. Many fliers were produced (see above) as well as an email flier - http://youngvic.e-flyers.org.uk/tintin/ . The program was fairly small and contained several sections by Michael Farr, most of them taken from previously published books, pictures of the actors rehearsing, a section on Haddock's insults taken from 'Tintin and Snowy album 1', a cast list, advertising by the Brussels tourist board, the Tintin shop, HMV, the sponsors and Egmont.

 

Moulinsart have recently announced that they have managed to get the show a second run, in the west end of London in late 2006, early 2007. This is to commemorate Herge's birth centenary year - 2007.

FILMS

Crab with golden claws The Crab with the Golden Claws (French: Le crabe aux pinces d'or) is a 1947 Belgian stop motion feature film produced by Wilfried Bouchery for Films Claude Misonne and based on the comic book of the same name from The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé. This was the first Tintin story to be adapted into a movie and follows the story of the comic almost exactly. There were only two theatrical screenings of the film; the first at the ABC Cinema on 11 January 1947 for a group of special invited guests, while the other one was shown in public on

December 21 of that year, before Bouchery declared bankruptcy and fled to Argentina. All of the equipment was seized and a copy of the film is currently stored at Belgium's Cinémathèque Royale. The copy is available to watch for paying members of the Tintin club.

Tintin and the mystery of the golden fleeceTintin and the Golden Fleece (in the original French, Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'or, meaning Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece) is a film first released in France on 6 December 1961. Featuring characters from the The Adventures of Tintin comic book series written and drawn by the Belgian writer-artist Hergé, it was a live-action film with actors made-up to look like the characters and featured an original storyline not based on any of the books.

PLOT Captain Haddock (Georges Wilson) learns that an old shipmate, Paparanic, has died and left him a ship, the Golden Fleece. Tintin (Jean-Pierre Talbot), Snowy and the Captain travel to Istanbul only to find that it is an old cargo ship in a really dilapidated state. A businessman named Anton Karabine (Demetrios Myrat) claims to be an old friend of Paparanic and offers to buy the boat for "sentimental" reasons, but the huge amounts that he offers makes Tintin suspicious and on his advice Haddock turns the offer down.

During their stay in Istanbul, a stranger offers to take Tintin and Haddock on a guided tour during which there are two attempts on their lives. This makes them all the more determined to find out what is going on. One of the clauses of Paparanic's will was that Haddock, on accepting the ship, should also fulfil his current obligations and thus they set off for Athens to deliver some carpets. During the journey Tintin catches a member of the crew, Angorapoulos (Marcel Bozzuffi), searching through Paparanic's papers. He is subdued and locked in the hold but escapes.

In Athens, Tintin and Haddock go to the carpet seller Midas Papos (Darío Moreno) who turns out to be another of Paparanic's old shipmates. He is grief-stricken to learn of his friend's death and is about to make a comment about him when he is shot by a man from the window and the gun tossed into the room. Caught holding the gun, Tintin and Haddock are arrested but released thanks to the influence of their friends Thomson and Thompson and Papos, who has recovered in hospital.

An old newspaper article shows that in their youth Paparanic, Papos and Karabine were adventurers who were involved in a coup in the Central American republic of Tetaragua. The article includes a photo of the three of them, plus two strangers, who formed a short-lived government.

Tintin later spots Angorapoulos in a barber's shop and follows him to the local offices of Karexport, which Tintin knows is run by Karabine. When Angorapoulos leaves by car Tintin and his friends follow him to a village out in the countryside where he and some accomplices kidnap a musician at a wedding. Tintin and the captain give chase on a motorbike. The crooks' car is forced off the road when it almost colides with a coach and the villains flee on foot. The kidnap victim, Scoubidouvitch (Dimos Starenios), was the fourth man in the photo. He suffers from "memory loss" but reveals that a large amount of gold is involved and suggests that Tintin and Haddock consult a Father Alexandre (Charles Vanel) who lives in a mountain-top monastery.

Father Alexandre, the fifth man in the photo, is himself a former adventurer who has repented and now spends his days in prayer and meditation. He reveals that when forced out of government in Tetaragua, he and his four comrades took a large quantity of gold from the central bank. Paparanic took the lion's share of the loot while the rest was spread among the others. It's now clear that Karabine wants Paparanic's gold. Before Tintin and Haddock leave, Father Alexandre gives them a bottle of red wine which Paparanic gave him while visiting him last Christmas and told him to drink after his death. Since the priest now abstains from alcohol he entrusts it to his visitors. On the way down from the mountain, Haddock accidentally breaks the bottle, the label of which turns out to be a map, obviously showing the location of Paparanic's gold.

Tintin and Haddock return to the Golden Fleece where they have been joined by their friend Professor Cuthbert Calculus. Another crew member drains the oil out of the engines in order to prevent the ship from leaving port but Calculus has invented a special tablet called Super-Cuthbertoleum which, mixed with the remaining fuel, is more than enough to get the boat started and enables them to reach their destination, the island of Thassika.

The map includes an X just off the island's coast and, using his pendulum, Calculus locates the gold's location. Swimming underwater, Tintin discovers a chest filled with strange dark bars but which he guesses is the gold which has been painted over. No sooner have the members of the Golden Fleece got the chest out of the water that they are held at gunpoint by Karabine, Angorapoulos and their men who got discreetly aboard. Tintin is shot at and falls back into the water while his friends are locked into a cabin and a fuse is set to blow the ship up with dynamite.

Karabine and his men take the chest back to their helicopter only to come under attack by the police, including Thomson and Thompson. Karabine gets aboard the helicopter which suddenly takes off. It turns out that Tintin has replaced the pilot! Karabine tries to force him to land, but Tintin disarms him. Beaten, the crook announces that no-one will get the gold, opens a hatch and lets the chest fall into the ocean.

Tintin's dog Snowy manages to put out the fuse that was about to blow up the ship. Unfortunately the chest is in a deep part of the sea and beyond recovery. However, using his pendulum, Calculus insists that they are still right above the gold. Cutting away at the paint on the ship's railings Tintin realises that they are in fact the camouflaged gold. The chest contained the real railings and was just a red herring.

Back home at Marlinspike Hall, another letter arrives for Captain Haddock, this time from the Government in Tetaragua, thanking him for the return of their gold. Furthermore, it reports that the main square in the capital has been renamed Paparanic Square, and Haddock awarded Tetaragua's highest decoration, the Order of the Scarlet Ocelot - a large medal is enclosed with the letter. Then he and Tintin are treated to a visit by the local band to help celebrate.

Tintin and the blue orangesTintin and the Blue Oranges (originally Tintin et les oranges bleues) is a 1964 French film directed by Philippe Condroyer and starring Jean-Pierre Talbot as Tintin. It was the second live-action movie, with an original story based on characters from the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by the Belgian artist Hergé. The accompanying book version is in photos and text rather than the usual comic-book style.

Professor Calculus on (B&W) TV broadcasts an appeal to help end world hunger. He receives many letters and parcels and among them a blue orange which can grow in desert conditions (and glows in the dark) from Professor Zalamea, but no letter of explanation. That night, two thieves break into Marlinspike Hall and steal the blue orange. With no other choice, Calculus with Tintin, the Captain and Snowy go to Valencia (filmed in Burjassot and Játiva).

Arriving, they find he is not present at his hacienda and are met by his cousin. Professor Calculus is kidnapped to help Zalamea perfect the blue oranges which with neutron bombardment can mature in just five days. Unfortunately they taste bitter and salty so are presently no good.

Tintin befriends a local boy who takes him to his gang hideout and he finds out that a boy who was to take the parcel to the Post Office for Zalamea was attacked by a man with a blue dragon tattoo on his hand. Thomson and Thompson turn up from Interpol, investigating Zalamea’s disappearance and have an unfortunate incident with a bull.

The local boys find Fernando, the man with the tattoo and Tintin and the Captain go to his hotel. Tintin picks the lock and gets into his room, and when Fernando returns, overhears him talking on a radio set to his chief, about a rendézvous. Tintin and the Captain follow Fernando but are knocked unconscious and taken away.

Thomson and Thompson check into a hotel, but are tricked by the villains, who use doubles to coax them from their rooms. Tintin and the Captain revive and find themselves in a grain silo but are rescued by Snowy dropping a rope into it. Back in town, they find themselves pursued by the police, who chase them all around a market. Tintin and Haddock escape thanks to Bianca Castafiore. After an unexpected visit by a delegation from the visiting Emir of Sakali, Tintin and Haddock meet up again with their young friends. They decide to sneak back into Prof. Zalamea's hacienda to test some new information; that is, the collusion of Esposito (Zalamea's manservant) in the kidnapping. After successfully using animals with pans tied to their tails as a distraction, Tintin & Haddock find a radio identical to Fernando's in Esposito's room, proving his involvement. Haddock's decision to drink Esposito's whisky accidentally leads them to discover Zalamea's secret documents, and his own suspicions about the identity of his enemies.

Back at the villains' hideout, the Professors manage to make a broadcast describing their whereabouts. Esposito hears the broadcast and races off to inform his boss. Luckily, Tintin & Haddock also hear the broadcast and set off in hot pursuit. After a brief struggle, Esposito is overcome but the Professors are nowhere to be found – kidnapped again! The new kidnappers evidently had no use for the Thom(p)son twins, as they are discovered still tied up (much to the Captain's enjoyment). Snowy discovers an agal belonging to one of the Arab kidnappers, and Tintin realises that the rich Emir of Sakali (who had courted Bianca Castafiore earlier in the film) was the same man as the Arab enemy described by Professor Zalamea.

The rich Emir of Sakali’s yacht is moored up at the docks, so Tintin and the Captain try to rescue the Professors. Unfortunately, the Professors have been drugged, and their loud voices raise the alarm and Tintin & Haddock are caught by the Emir. They escape and a fight ensues as a horde of children turn up (warned by Snowy). The villains are thrown in the sea, the Emir is subdued and the police arrive to clean things up.

All turns out well and they are back at Marlinspike Hall for a celebration and photos. It is said that they hope to perfect the oranges within ten years and also to learn to grow wheat, potatoes, eggplants etc. in the desert. Just then, Thomson and Thompson turn up in their car, crash and end up in the fountain, to the amusement of all. Greedy dogs eat a "THE END" sign.

Tintin and the lake of sharksTintin and the Lake of Sharks (French: Tintin et le lac aux requins) an animated film based on The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Raymond Leblanc (1972). It was not written by Hergé, who supervised, but by the Belgian comics creator Greg (Michel Regnier), a friend of Hergé.[2] It was later adapted into a comic book with still images from the film used as illustrations.

Plot

One night, in Brussels, Belgium, a pair of crooks discreetly break into the aquarium and steal a priceless pearl. As soon as the security guards on duty see the empty shell, they rush away to raise the alarm. The crooks take advantage of the guards' absence by putting a fake pearl, the same size as the real one, in the shell. When the guards return with the director and the director sees the fake pearl, he thinks the guards were making it up, but then has second thoughts about the incident as a similar case happened at another museum two weeks before.

Some time later Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock arrive in Syldavia, a country in the Balkans. They have come to join their friend professor Cuthbert Calculus who has rented a villa near a lake in order to build his latest invention. At the airport they run into Thompson and Thomson, who are also heading for Calculus on a special mission.

The four men and dog fly by hired plane to Calculus' house, but during the flight they get into some engine trouble and the pilot bails out with the only parachute. Tintin attempts to safely land the plane, but it ends up on the edge of a cliff and on fire. They are saved with the help of two local children, Niko and his sister Nouchka, and their dog Gustav. But as it turns out, the crash was deliberately set up, as the pilot contacts his superior ("Mr. Big"/"Shark King") via walkie-talkie.

The children give their new friends a lift in their wagon, but as they learn of their destination, they warn them that there is a curse on the lake, at the bottom of which is an old submerged town. The party finally arrives at Calculus' villa where he demonstrates his invention: a camera which can project holographic images. It is part of a far more ambitious project: a machine which will make actual copies of physical objects. Later, over dinner, Thompson and Thomson explain that they are Calculus' bodyguards as they suspect that a criminal organization specializing in making art forgeries wants to steal his machine. Eventually, everybody goes to bed. In the middle of the night, Snowy wakes up Tintin at one point after hearing a noise outside, but Tintin shakes it off as bird calls. In fact, the noise is made by Calculus' housekeeper, Madame Black, who is in league with "Mr. Big" as well.

Next morning, while Tintin explores the local country with Niko and Nouchka (unaware that there are cameras spying on his every move), and the Captain and the detectives play a game of golf, Snowy runs into a man in scuba gear who has obtained from Madame Black some plans stolen from Calculus' laboratory. The man escapes by jumping into the lake, but Snowy manages to bite off a part of one of his flippers. After the Captain and the detectives tell Tintin what has happened, he gives the dogs the bitten-off flipper to sniff. While Gustav leads Haddock to a pile of abandoned tires, Tintin follows Snowy to a buried chain which, when pulled, opens a passage to a hidden cave where the criminals have stashed the stolen art. After getting sealed inside the cave, Tintin finds an underwater tunnel leading out to the lake. On his way through, Tintin gets trapped by a wire net, but Snowy (who remained outside the cave) dives in and chews through the net, saving Tintin from drowning.

Back at home, Calculus demonstrates his new invention to the children — a machine that can copy any object from a piece of special soap. Unfortunately the effects are as yet short-lived, as the copied objects shortly turn back into their original substance. The criminals attack Calculus and the detectives with laughing gas and take the children away. Tintin and Haddock pursue them but fail to rescue Niko and Nouchka. The criminals leave behind a message on a tape player from their leader, "King Shark", who tells the heroes (with a voice which is startingly familiar to Tintin) that they will get the children back in return for Calculus' invention. Tintin himself is to do the exchange and is not to call the police.

Tintin, Haddock, Calculus and the detectives search the house for bugs, and Tintin discovers a secret passage that leads to Madame Black's walkie-talkie hidden in the empty well, catching Madam Black in the process. Tintin decides to contact the police and comes up with a ruse to cover his tracks. Tintin and Snowy set off to the local town and just happen to meet their old friend, the opera singer Bianca Castafiore, who gives him a lift in

her car to the town and even helps him in getting to the police. The chief of police listens to his story, but he is limited in what he can do since half the lake is in the jurisdiction of Borduria, a rival nation, and there are thus risks of a diplomatic incident.

Two days pass before Tintin finally returns to Calculus' house with the shark-like submarine which Calculus built during the search for Red Rackham's Treasure. The plan is that Tintin will meet the crooks on the beach, and Haddock will follow him in the sub. At the meeting point, criminals pick Tintin up in a submarine, and they head underwater to the flooded city where their base is situated. The mastermind behind this operation is revealed to be none other than Tintin's nemesis Rastapopoulos, now calling himself "King Shark"/"Mr. Big". Rastapopoulos promises to set Niko and Nouchka free for the device, but, unaware of Tintin's arrival, the children escape from their cell and hijack an underwater tank.

Rastapopoulos takes over control of the tank with his computer, but he then notices Captain Haddock's sub on his monitor and uses the tank to fire torpedoes at Haddock, which provokes a fight between Tintin and the other gangsters as he attempts to stop Rastapopoulos. Haddock's mini-sub is hit, jamming its propulsion, and the tank is returned to the base by remote control. While waiting for the children to return, Rastapopoulos takes Tintin to his office and shows him his art collection, gloating that with Calculus' machine, they can make multiple copies of all the stolen masterpieces and sell them off for huge amounts of money.

Rastapopoulos tries out Calculus' machine by cloning a cigar box, but the imitation proves highly unstable and grows to monstrous size, almost crushing Rastapopoulos and his lieutenant. In rage, Rastapopoulos locks Tintin and the children in a chamber, but then learns that police boats are patrolling the lake. He therefore decides to evacuate the base and orders his men to take all the art he has in the underwater city to the cave. He then floods the chamber Tintin and the children are in with water. As soon as the water has reached a device high on the wall, the base will self-destruct.

Haddock manages to regain control of the disabled submarine and makes his way to the surface, encountering Thompson and Thomson and the chief of the Syldavian police in a patrol boat. Down below, with all of his men having evacuated the base, Rastapopoulos and his lieutenant leave the base in the submarine. Tintin and the children manage to get free and escape through an airlock in life jackets, just before the base explodes. They then reach the surface and rejoin their friends and the police. The police have captured all of Rastapopoulos' men, but the mastermind himself has already crossed the border in his submarine. Since they are not Syldavian officials and therefore not bound by international conventions, Tintin and Haddock insist in going after Rastapopoulos in a motor boat.

In order to pass the border posts, Rastapopoulos tries to navigate the sub through an underwater tunnel, but forgets to lower the sub's periscope, which hits a low rock and breaks, causing the sub to crash and get flooded. The villains make for the surface, but they are captured by Tintin and Haddock as soon as they attempt to leave the wrecked vessel. Tintin, Snowy and Haddock return to Calculus' villa and are welcomed by a huge party of villagers who want to celebrate the end of the terror imposed by the gang, and Bianca Castafiore, who makes Haddock flee the party.

As a final gag, the 2 E's from THE END are stolen by the prisoners.

Tintin-Secret of the unicorn

The Adventures of Tintin, known as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn outside North America,[5] is a 2011 American 3D motion capture computer-animated epic adventure film based on The Adventures of Tintin comics by cartoonist Hergé. Directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Peter Jackson, and written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, the film is based on three of Hergé's albums: The Crab with the Golden Claws (1941), The Secret of the Unicorn (1943), and Red Rackham's Treasure (1944).[6] The cast includes Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg.

Spielberg acquired rights to produce a film based on The Adventures of Tintin series following Hergé's death in 1983, and re-optioned them in 2002. Filming was due to begin in October 2008 for a 2010 release, but release was delayed to 2011 after Universal opted out of producing the film with Paramount, who provided $30 million on pre-production. Sony chose to co-produce the film. The delay resulted in Thomas Sangster, who had been originally cast as Tintin, departing from the project. Producer Peter Jackson, whose company Weta Digital provided the computer animation, intends to direct a sequel. Spielberg and Jackson also hope to co-direct a third film.[7] The world première took place on October 22, 2011 in Brussels.[8] The film was released in the UK and other European countries on October 26, 2011, and in the USA on December 21, 2011, in Digital 3D and IMAX.[9]

The Adventures of Tintin grossed over $373 million,[4] and received positive reviews from critics,[10] being compared to Spielberg's previous work Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was the first non-Pixar animated film to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.[11] Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was nominated for six Saturn Awards, including Best Animated Film, Best Director for Spielberg and Best Music for Williams.[12] It is also the highest grossing film to be released by Nickelodeon Movies to date.

Plot

Tintin (Bell), a young journalist, and his dog Snowy are browsing in an outdoor market in Brussels, Belgium. Tintin buys a miniature model of a ship, the Unicorn, but is then accosted by Barnaby (Joe Starr) and Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Craig), who both unsuccessfully try to buy the model from Tintin. Tintin takes the ship home, but it is accidentally broken, resulting in a parchment scroll slipping out of the model and rolling under a piece of furniture. Meanwhile, detectives Thomson and Thompson (Frost and Pegg) are on the trail of a pickpocket, Aristides Silk (Toby Jones). Tintin finds that the Unicorn has been stolen. He then visits Sakharine in Marlinspike Hall and accuses him of the theft when he sees a miniature model of the Unicorn, but when he notices that Sakharine's model is not broken, he realizes that there are two Unicorn models. Once Tintin returns home, Snowy shows him the scroll and after reading a message written on it, Tintin puts the scroll in his wallet—but it is stolen by Silk.

Later, Tintin is abducted by accomplices of Sakharine and imprisoned on the SS Karaboudjan. He learns that Sakharine formed an alliance with the ship's staff and led a mutiny to take over control. On board, Tintin meets Captain Haddock (Serkis), the ship's nominal captain. Haddock is permanently drunk and thus unaware of the happenings on board his ship. Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy eventually escape from the Karaboudjan in a lifeboat but the ship's crew tries to ram the lifeboat. This fails because they instead notice an empty lifeboat that the Captain accidentally released before the escape and ram it instead. Presuming them to have survived by the number of lifeboats; Sakharine sends a seaplane to find them, which the trio seize and use to fly towards the fictitious Moroccan port of Bagghar, but the seaplane crashes in the desert.

Haddock hallucinates and remembers facts about an ancestor of his, Sir Francis Haddock (Serkis), who was a 17th-century captain of the Unicorn: Sir Francis' treasure-laden ship was attacked by the crew of a pirate ship, led by Red Rackham (Craig) and after his eventual surrender, Sir Francis sank the Unicorn, and most of the treasure, to prevent it from falling into Rackham's possession. It transpires that there were three Unicorn models, each containing a scroll; together, the scrolls can reveal the location of the sunken Unicorn and its treasure.

The third model is in Bagghar, possessed by Omar Ben Salaad (Gad Elmaleh). Sakharine causes a distraction in a concert that results in him successfully stealing the third scroll. After a chase he gains all the scrolls by having his gang toss Captain Haddock in the ocean to force Tintin to go after him instead of saving the scrolls. After the boat leaves, Tintin is ready to give up but is persuaded by Haddock to continue. With help from officers Thompson and Thomson, Tintin and Haddock track Sakharine down, who is revealed to be a descendant of Red Rackham. They head back to their starting point and set up a trap but Sakharine uses his pistol to resist arrest. When his gang fails to save him Sakharine challenges Haddock to a final showdown. Sakharine and Haddock sword-duel with cranes and swords eventually resulting in Sakharine being defeated and pushed overboard the ship. When climbing ashore, Sakharine is arrested by Thomson and Thompson. Guided by the three scrolls indicating the location of Marlinspike Hall, Tintin and Haddock find there some of the treasure and a clue to the Unicorn's location. The film ends with both men agreeing to continue their search of the shipwreck.

VIDEO GAMES

Tintin on the MoonTintin on the Moon is a first person shoot 'em up/side scroller video game based on Hergé's popular comic book series, The Adventures of Tintin.

This video game was originally made by Infogrames for various home platforms in 1987 and was converted to MS-DOS by Probe Entertainment in 1989. The game's storyline is based loosely on the plot of the "Explorers on the Moon" comic book from the series. The object of the game is to land on the moon, while avoiding asteroids and thwarting enemies within the rocket.

Tintin on the Moon was the first PC game to feature the character Tintin.

Tintin in tibet