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Things I never noticed in Tintin comics until now

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waveofplague
Member
#1 · Posted: 5 Feb 2008 03:03
Some of us, like myself, are relatively new to the Tintin books. But we read and re-read them time and again to discover new and endearing little things hidden in the drawings or in the characters' speech -- things that we might not have noticed before, when we were less involved in details and more wrapped up in the forward progression of the plot.

I would like to point out one such small detail that I'd never noticed until now. I think such clever little details are part of what make the Tintin books so special!

RED SEA SHARKS, when Tintin, the Captain, and Skut are about to be "rescued" by the Scheherazade. The Captain has taken his jersey off in order to use it as a flag to capture the attention of the persons aboard the Scheherazade. When he puts it back on, he's wearing it backwards for the first few panels.

Haha!! :D Brilliant!

If anybody else has had any such moments with the Tintin books, let's hear them!
mct16
Member
#2 · Posted: 5 Feb 2008 14:46
Little things like that appear throughout the book, but I think that it is the really big issues that have lead to Tintin's appeal. At their best the books would raise political and social issues such as the treatment of minorities and the conflicts engineered by big businesses in the pursuit of profit.

Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page includes entries on each of the individual books and the themes raised in them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broken_Ear#Politics for example tells of how the war in "The Broken Ear" was based on real events.

The entry for "Land of Black Gold" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_black_gold) gives a detailed history of the various publications the story went through before the final version.

Unless some idiot has made these pages blank (anyone can edit them) I think that you might be interested.
Etterbeek
Member
#3 · Posted: 5 Feb 2008 15:49
I thought it was really funny in "The Castafiore Emerald" when Bianca had commented on Captain Haddock's clothes and the very next day, he'd changed clothes and combed his hair! The first time I read it, I didn't notice that.

But then again, "Emerald" is full of things like that. Another example is Mr. Bolt who fails to come to Marlinspike as a builder, but as a member of the brass band...
cigars of the beeper
Member
#4 · Posted: 5 Feb 2008 17:36
Etterbeek

Mr. Bolt who fails to come to Marlinspike as a builder, but as a member of the brass band...



I noticed that too. While he was drunk, Captain Haddock should have convinced him to fix the step.
John Sewell
Member
#5 · Posted: 26 Feb 2008 19:23
One thing I've just noticed is that the evil bespectacled henchman of Rastapopoulos who arranges the planting of the bomb on the plane in The Red Sea Sharks, looks rather like the evil bespectacled henchman of Rastapopoulos in Flight 714 who spies on Carreidas and seems to be giving Spalding his orders. (the mysterious "Walter"?) In the latter we don't see his face clearly, but the hair colour, general build, cigar and taste in disreputable hats are very similar. Wonder if it was intentional on Herge's part? Maybe he's old Bignose's special "hanging around in airports being evil" expert? ;)
Jeeves
Member
#6 · Posted: 26 Feb 2008 23:13
Here are a few random things I just noticed:
1. In Red Sea Sharks Tintin and Haddock carry green passports;
2. In Seven Crystal Balls Tintin talks about how he and Haddock have run into Castafiore in Bourdoria and the Red Sea but that happens after Crystal Balls and Haddock has never met her before;
3. Same sort of thing with Alcazar, Tintin says "you remember my friend Captian Haddock?" but the two have never met;
4. Alcazar wears reading glasses at the end of Picaros
5. Also Picaros, Peggy spends the entire book wearing rollers but when her hair is in a ponytail at the end it's perfectly straight
6. Despite the fact that Castafiore is high up in fashionable society her clothing is consistently ugly
7. At least in the English editions you can make out the Union Jack on The Unicorn
Those are just some that I could think of; random details, but oh well...
cigars of the beeper
Member
#7 · Posted: 26 Feb 2008 23:21
John Sewell

If you want to know about Walter, check out this page by member Tintin Quiz on his website. I personally think that maybe Mitsuhirato's bespectacled and orange haired henchman in The Blue Lotus is him too (look on page 20 panels 2,9 and 10)

Jeeves
At least in the English editions you can make out the Union Jack on The Unicorn

I was wondering about that too. Maybe I'll ask Dupondt. He has a whole collection of French edition Tintin books.
Jeeves
Member
#8 · Posted: 27 Feb 2008 01:57
I have some in French I figure it's a good way to learn the language, but not that one, also Unicorn related when Tintins in the Birds study he sees an envelope that says that Marlinspike is in England, do you know about that in the French additions?
waveofplague
Member
#9 · Posted: 27 Feb 2008 02:14
Jeeves wrote:
Despite the fact that Castafiore is high up in fashionable socioty her clothing is consistantly ugly

I must disagree with you there! I thought Castafiore's outfits, especially in Emerald, looked exquisite.
Jeeves
Member
#10 · Posted: 6 Mar 2008 02:16
Well maybe I just get a little picky because I am a theatrical costume designer but some outfits needed help, here are some standouts
1. The yellow and purple one in Seven Crystal Balls
2. The Faust dress in Ottokar's Sceptre
3. The coat she's wearing in her car, also in Ottokar's Sceptre
4. Her dressing-gown in Emerald
5. Her orange and green dress, Emerald
6. Orange isn't her color but she wears it again in Emerald
7. I don't like bright pink on her either but she wears it in Picaros

Thanks for reading!

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