Tintin the Hero
Please note: Hergé spelled his name: Tintin, not Tin Tin. Tin Tin is an illiteracy. Are you illiterate?
This is not a history of Tintin, nor a timeline, bibliography, or a
biography of Hergé, just my HTML appreciation of a character I
have known and loved since I was 5 years old, and all of his
attendant characters, places and adventures. Tintin, for those of
you who don't know him, is a reporter who did live at 26, Labrador
Road, Marlinspike, Marlinshire, land-lorded by Mrs Finch. He moved
into Marlinspike Hall with Captain Haddock at the end of The
Secret of the Unicorn and has dwelt there ever since. Chances
are, if you visit Marlinspike one day, I'm sure Cutts the Butcher
will point you in the direction of the Hall.
I don't know Tintin's age. Like all
great characters, he is timeless, as are the people he knows and
the settings he chooses his adventures in...some are prosaic in
their setting such as The Castafiore Emerald where he never
leaves home at all, to the moon itself in Explorers on the
Moon. Yet, as most people would agree, words like anacoluthon or
cercopithecus have entered more common use due to his ever-present
whisky-swilling companion, Captain Archibald Haddock of the
Merchant Navy.
I don't know Capt. Haddock's age either, who does?
He's immortal...sempiternal and destined to remain in our hearts
forever, watching Professor Calculus' Super Calcu-Colour television
or pitting his wits against insurance salesman Jolyon Wagg, he with
his anecdotes of Uncle Anatole. Tintin possibly has his ear to the
ground, wondering what Dawson is doing, or what devilish schemes
Rastapopoulos is devising, or perhaps Chang is in town and the two
are off to the movies. Professor Calculus? Well, to hazard a guess,
maybe his "Bianca" breed of rose is now world famous and he's a
celebrity at the Chelsea Flower Show...
...or Syldavia has contacted him to
do research on a Mars rocket this time! Ah! Who's that in their
fabric topped Citroen 2CV? Oh, no, it's Thomson and
Thompson...detectives at large to be sure! What skullduggery have
they unearthed? Another fragment of a crab tin? The Syldavian
underworld acting suspicious down at the "Klow"? Or has Rostov or
Dr. Müller escaped from prison? Maybe there is more opium is
those rotten cigars...chances are they have just collided with the
car parked in front of them...dear oh dear! Who's just put
explosive powder in Capt. Haddock's pipe? Abdullah! No, does this
mean his father is in trouble in Khemed again? Is that vile sheik
Bab El Ehr up to his tricks? There could be trouble at Wadesdah
airport again sometime soon. Let's hope poor Nestor doesn't lose
his wits with Abdullah...
...yes, that's General Alcazar on the
phone to Tintin. Seems like Carnaval is on again and the Jolly
Follies have been invited to perform in San Theodoros. Snowy! Leave
that cat alone! You never win! Another call...Ranko the gorilla is
doing fine in London Zoo, he's happy and he's a big attraction with
the children...a telegram? Nestor, who is it from? Loch Lomond is a
superb whisky, I must say, even Snowy likes it...the telegram,
Nestor! Ten thousand thundering typhoons! Castafiore!
Catastrafiore! Bianca is coming to stay again with Irma and Wagner
in tow...more scales on the piano...hope that magpie isn't in his
tree again! Who's at the door now? Ah Mik Kanrokitoff, author of
Space Week, calling on in on a break in his lecture tour...Capt.
Haddock is packing in bags to leave! Good thing that step has been
fixed...
...Piotr Skut has written to Tintin
from Estonia. Everything is fine over there; he has a job with a
charter plane company and will call in on the Hall soon, he
mentioned he saw Socrates Sarcophagus in India a little while
ago...Tintin laughs as he remembers that distinguished
Egyptologist...Kih-Oskh was such an elusive Pharaoh, wasn't he?
Tintin got a letter in the mail today from Lisbon...ah, Senhor
Oliveira de Figueira, what a lovely fellow...no, things aren't so
great in Khemed after all, so the dear Senhor gave it up and went
home...shame that. Where's Capt. Haddock off to? Ah, to the docks,
perhaps Capt. Chester has a sea voyage in mind for the two of
them...great, he hasn't fallen on the steps...but Bianca will miss
him so much! She knows he adores the "Jewel Song" and Iago the
parrot...so goes life in Marlinspike! Never a dull moment!
In short, seek Tintin out at your local library or find out more about him online! Buy his books! I adore Tintin, and I hope if you have never heard of him, you learn and then you will fall under the marvellous spell Hergé has woven over the course of 50 plus years with this character, his friends and their adventures...
Memorable Quote
"...you infernal impersonations of abominable snowmen!" Captain Haddock to the Thompson Twins in Red Rackham's Treasure
Some book cover art: The Black Island and Red Rackham's Treasure and (joke) Tintin in Tehran.
