Tintin and Alph-Art
- Tintin © Hergé/Moulinsart.
Original French title
Tintin et l'Alph-Art
Publishing history
Sketches of Tintin's 24th and unfinished adventure - first published in book form in 1986.
UK editions:
1990
Title details: Tintin and alph-art / Hergé
Publisher: [London] : [Sundancer], 1990
Physical description: [96]p : chiefly ill (some col.) ; 31cm
ISBN: 0951279920
Note: English text in booklet attached to the inside of the front cover.
2004
Title details: Tintin's last adventure: Tintin and alph-art / Hergé
Publisher: [London] : Egmont Books, 2004
Physical description: 62p : ill (some col.)
ISBN: 1405214481
Related link: First publication dates of The Adventures of Tintin
Plot
While in town, Captain Haddock saw Castafiore. In order to avoid her, he dashed into the nearest doorway. Little did the Captain know that he was walking into the Fourcart Gallery where an exhibition of Ramo Nash's Alph-art was being held - precisely the place where Castafiore was heading! Unable to escape, the Captain met the gallery's owner and Castafiore, the latter talked him into buying a piece of Alph-art, a letter H in perspex. While in the gallery, Mr Fourcart mentioned to Haddock his wish to see Tintin about an important matter. Later, before he could see Tintin, Fourcart met an untimely death. Tintin suspected that Fourcart's death was linked with the recent deaths of other famous art dealers. Tintin's investigation led him to the villa belonging to Endaddine, a famous Cult leader, and a friend of Castafiore. The villa turned out to be a factory for faking old Masterpieces. Soon after discovering this criminal operation, Tintin found himself a prisoner of Endaddine's, dreading the prospect of becoming the next piece of Alph-art (Endaddine planned to pour liquid polyester over Tintin). [IM]
Trivia
- Martine Vandezande's surname may have been taken from a publisher that produced a Tintin calendar in 1947, "l'imprimerie Vandezande". [RW. Source: Herge: Chronologie d'une Oeuvre volume 5.]
Title in other languages
- Catalan - Tintin i L'art-alfa
- Chinese - 丁丁和字母艺术 Ding Ding he zimu yishu
- Danish - Tintin og alfabetkunsten
- Dutch - Kuifje en de Alpha-kunst
- German - Tim und die Alpha-kunst
- Japanese - タンタンとアルファアート Tintin to Alpha Art (Not yet published)
- Portuguese - Tintin e Alph-art
- Spanish - Tintin y el Arte Alfa
- Swedish - Tintin och alfabetskonsten - title for the 1989 edition, which translates in English as "Tintin and the alphabet art"; Tintin och alfakonsten - title for the 2005 edition, which translates in English as: "Tintin and the Alph-Art".