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Red Rackham: What happened to Max Bird?

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jockosjungle
Member
#1 · Posted: 20 Feb 2005 21:51
Howdy all

Not really started a discussion thread in a while so I was reading Red Rackham's Treasure and I wondered about this little conundrum.

The reason that the Thompsons come aboard the Sirius near the beginning of the book is because Max Bird escaped from prison and was seen skulking around the boat the night before the departure.

So do you think that this whole Max Bird scenario was merely a flimsy pretext to bring the detectives on board to take part in the adventure OR do you think Herge perhaps had the intention of bringing him into play but came up with better ideas?

When i first read the adventure I really did expect him to rear his ugly head at some point. Maybe since he had escaped Scotland Yard used it as an excuse to ship off the bumbling detectives for a few months so they can investigate properly.

Of course a stowaway was used to excellent effect in the Moon series do you think a story involving Max Bird would have improved the story

So what are your opinions on this...

Rik
MoonRocket
Member
#2 · Posted: 20 Feb 2005 23:19
I think that having Max Bird as a stowaway would have had different effects on the story... For one, it would undoubtedly make the plot more complicated and probably more exciting -- there is a lack of opposition to Tintin and Haddock in this adventure -- no bad guys.

But adding Max Bird to the story would also take away from the adventure, in some respects. I think that Red Rackham's Treasure is liked by so many people because it is what it is: a pure adventure story with hidden treasure and little violence.
Harrock n roll
Moderator
#3 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 01:25
I think the Max Bird scenario was partly used - as Rik said - to bring in the Thompsons, but mosly as a device to build up suspense for the discovery of the real stowaway - the Prof.

Motto: Too many stowaways spoil the plot!
harishankar
Member
#4 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 01:59
I think that Red Rackham's Treasure is one of the most charming and delightful Tintin adventures - refreshingly different and has a very nice, old-world feel to it.
snafu
Member
#5 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 04:24
What happens to the Bird Brothers becomes irrelevant. Each and every one of us has had problematic people in their lives, but most of them will just fade into irrelevance. Why can't this also be done in Tintin, which is supposed to represent many life experiences of real people?
OJG
Member
#6 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 13:13
I think that the main reason Max Bird was mentioned was as an excuse to get the Thompsons onto the ship and so into the adventure. It may have also been a tactic used to further interest readers, and to tie-in more with Unicorn.

MoonRocket
But adding Max Bird to the story would also take away from the adventure, in some respects. I think that Red Rackham's Treasure is liked by so many people because it is what it is: a pure adventure story with hidden treasure and little violence.

That's pretty much what I was thinking too. There was no slightly dark or menacing aspect to the story, and that's part of its appeal to me. Max Bird would have changed that.
edcharlesadams
Trivia Challenge Score Keeper
#7 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 15:44
I've got to agree with Harrock n Roll, in that tension is built up for the arrival of Calculus. However I must confess to liking Rik's suggestion that Scotland Yard used it as an excuse to send the Thompsons off on a long sea voyage!

Ed
jockosjungle
Member
#8 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 17:47
Some great suggestions so far!

Snafu - I don't really see it as irrelevant, if Tintin had me in prison and then found a big stash of treasure, I'd hold a grudge for a long time.

Speaking of which, was Max Bird at all discussed as being the villain in Alph-Art?

Rik
MoonRocket
Member
#9 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 18:35
Speaking of which, was Max Bird at all discussed as being the villain in Alph-Art?

Now *that* would make sense...
jockosjungle
Member
#10 · Posted: 21 Feb 2005 19:21
It would make perfect sense wouldn't it?

1. A known collector of fine arts and antiquities.
2. Perhaps at the docks to get himself abroad rather than extracting immediate revenge on Tintin.
3. A definite grudge against Tintin.
4. Never knowingly recaptured.
5. He did know Tintin.
6. Tintin says he recognises the voice in Alph-Art, Tintin's first encounter with the Bird Brothers is via an intercom, perhaps making the voice more recognisable than the face to which it was attached?

Rik

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