Tintin news archive, 1998–2004
This is Tintinologist.org's news archive from 1998 to 2004. Dates, prices and contact details are out of date. For Tintin news today, see the News and Events forum.
A collection of Tintin related news summaries, as reported by media from around the world, and selected by Tintinologist.org staff from scanning various news wires and press releases.
2004
Fans in Australia: Tintin in America (BW facsimile edition) on sale now.
Fans in Australia: Hergé the Tintin Collection (BBC radio series) CD boxset - 1 copy spotted at Borders on Pitt Street in Sydney.
Tintin at Sea with Michael Farr
Tintin at Sea with Michael Farr
Date/Time/Venue: 25 October 2004 18:30, Long Gallery, Sheffield Millennium Galleries, Arundel Gate Sheffield S1.
Tickets: Admission £4/£3 (concessions).
Tickets from Sheffield Theatres Box Office - Tel. 0114 2496000.
For adults and children aged over 9 years.
More information: http://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/
News item courtesy of Lesley Webster of www.offtheshelf.org.uk.
Discuss this news item.
Tintin's Influence on World Comics
Reader's Digest Indonesia and Kinokuniya Bookstore presents
Monthly Comics Discussion,
Tintin's Influence on World Comics
Keynote speaker: Surjorimba Suroto.
Date / Time: Friday, 24-Sep-2004
18:30–20:30.
Venue: Kinokuniya, Plaza Senayan Store (Level 5, Jalan Asia Afrika No.8, Jakarta Pusat 12070, Indonesia.)
News item courtesy of Surjorimba Suroto.
New English Tintin and Alph-Art released
The new English language edition Tintin Alph-art is now on sale.
Explorers on the Moon 50th Anniversary Coin set
The limited edition coin set will be available from Tintin Shops at the end of this month. The set includes a silver proof Tintin medal, twenty-four 1-Euro cent and 2-Euro cent coins, and a certificate.
'Tintin and I' honoured at film festival
The documentary film, 'Tintin et Moi' received Honourable Mention in Best International Documentary (Feature) at this year's Hot docs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival, which was held in Toronto, last month. Source: Hot Docs http://www.hotdocs.ca/media_press.cfm?media_id=184
Tintin and the Lost Letters CD-ROM
Tintin and the Lost Letters is a self-help tool designed to help young dyslexic learners. Released by the BBC in three languages (English/French/German), this educational CD-ROM is priced at 20 Euros, plus postage, and it can be ordered from Dyslexia International - Tools and Techniques (D.I.T.T).
Tintin fan site closed by Moulinsart
Eric Jenot's Tintin Parodies site closed by Moulinsart.
New site logo
Designed by Garen Ewing of Garen Ewing Design & Illustrations.
The Cult of Tintin returns as Tintinologist.org.
The Cult of Tintin is the largest and the oldest surviving English-based Tintin fan site.
Tintin turns 75
Happy birthday to Tintin!
The Adventures of Tintin at the Sea
A new exhibition at London's National Maritime Museum: The Adventures of Tintin at the Sea.
Highlight: previously unseen (in the UK) original drawings by Hergé
will be on display.
Exhibition dates: 31-Mar-2004 until 05-Sep-2004.
Entry: Kiddies enter for free; adults pay £5.00; Concessions £4.00
Tickets can be booked in advance, online (nifty!) at http://www.nmm.ac.uk
An accompanying booklet/catalogue will be released at the end of March.
Amazon.co.uk prices the Exhbition's catalogue at £7.69 (List Price £10.99); it is a paperback and written by Michael Farr (author of 'Tintin - The Complete Companion').
New Euro coin to mark Tintin's 75th birthday
The ceremonial first minting of the Tintin coin will be overseen by Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Hergé, Nick Rodwell, and Belgium's Finance Minister, Didier Reynders. Full story from EUbusiness.com: http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/031231120822.tbr247q2
2003
Tintin fan site closes in protest of Moulinsart's Internet Usage Charter
Tintin.qc.ca is taken offline today after negotiation attempts with Moulinsart failed.
Moulinsart releases Internet Usage Charter
The official Tintin Web site has released an Internet Usage Charter which is essentially the company's policy on Tintin fan sites. The document has angered many Tintin fans worldwide who find the policy unreasonably restrictive.
Tintin movie is almost certain to go ahead
Variety reports that Nick Rodwell, head of Moulinsart, is 95% certain about the plans to bring Tintin to the big screen again. The last live-action Tintin movie was made in the 1960s, and it was a flop.
Twentieth anniversary of Hergé's death
Hergé died today in 1983.
2002
Live-action Tintin movie on the horizon
BBC News reports DreamWorks and Universal Pictures are planning a live action Tintin movie. The film is to be co-produced by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy. Full story from the BBC News site: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2502495.stm
Chinese edition of Tintin in Tibet launched with proper title
BBC News On the 95th anniversary of Hergé's birth, Tintin's adventure in Tibet is re-launched in Beijing today, under its original title 'Tintin in Tibet'. When the book was published in China last year, it was published under the title 'Tintin in Chinese Tibet'. Full story from the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2002554.stm
Did you know: 10,000 sets (22 albums per set) have been printed and are available in major bookshops in China. Each set is sold at between RMB400 to 550, excluding postage and handling, which is close to an average worker's monthly income over there. RMB550 converts to roughly AUD130/USD70. [Irene Mar 13 June 2001 01:42]
2001
Tintin CG animated movie
According to Dark Horizons' Film News, Rumors and Scoops Belgian newspapers are reporting that Spieberg has had contact with the Hergé estate about turning the internationally successful illustated books into a CG animated movie. Source: Dark Horizons http://www.darkhorizons.com/news10/010828.htm
Naming of Tintin album causes furor
The first Chinese edition of Tintin in Tibet had been renamed by the Chinese publishers to Tintin in Chinese Tibet, to reflect the Chinese government's claim that Tintin is part of China. Casterman, the Belgian publisher of Tintin, has demanded the Chinese to restore the album's original name and to withdraw all wrongly titled albums from sale. Full story from the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1349028.stm
Chinese edition Tintin comics launched in Beijing
Belgian and Chinese officials launched the first official edition of Tintin books in Beijing today. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets will not be released in China due to its anti-communist theme. Full story from the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1346606.stm
Tintin forgers strike back
Salon.com reports that earlier this month a Belgian undercover police officers posed as potential buyers and arrested bootleg publishers of the X-rated 'Tintin in Thailand' comic book in Tournai. Now authorities are pursuing another group of forgers who has taken the bootlegged 'Tintin in Thailand' and produced thousands more copies. Apparently the reprints are of better quality than the copies seized in Belgium.
X-rated 'Tintin in Thailand' seized by Belgian police
Belgian police have seized about 650 copies of a pirated Tintin book depicting the cartoon hero and his dog Snowy on a "sex holiday" in Bangkok. The forgeries, which were printed in Thailand for distribution in Belgium, are believed to have been in circulation since December 1999. Full story from the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1170301.stm
2000
Frenchman owes new found wealth to Tintin question
A Frenchman wins the jackpot in the French version of Who wants to be a Millionaire. The million-dollar question: "In the adventures of Tintin, which doctor is it who tends Captain Haddock - Dr Rotule (Dr Patella, in the English edition), Dr Omoplate, Dr Meniscus or Dr Tympan?" Seventy-three per cent of the voting audience answered "Dr Rotule" correctly; but given Dr Rotule appears only twice in the twenty-two volume Tintin series, some suspect the show's production company of cheating. Full story from the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ entertainment/970435.stm
The World of Tintin Exhibition in The Hague
Exhibition closes:
30 January 2000
Venue: Museum of Communication
Address: Zeestraat 82, 2518 AD, The Hague.
Tel: +31 70 330 75 00
Opening hours: Mon–Fr 10:00–17:00, on Sat/Sun and holidays 12:00–17:00.
Entry: ƒ7.50 for adults, ƒ6.00 for seniors over 65 and youths between 4–15.
Access by public transport: from Central Station take tram 7, bus route 4 or 22; from Station 'Hollands Spoor' take tram 8 and bus 5.
Step out at the Mauritskade (street).
1999
New Tintin stamps
Royal Dutch Post releases limited edition Tintin stamps and memorabilia
Items include: First day covers (two designs); telephone card (mounted in an envelope); écu-letter (first day covers with Tintin coin mounted); booklet of four stamps featuring Tintin and Snowy in space gear; booklet of two stamps featuring Tintin and Haddock in the lunar reconnaissance tank; and limited edition Tintin bookmarks which come free with the purchase of any Tintin stamp booklets.
The World of Tintin Exhibition moves to Newcastle
Exhibition will be on until 5 September 1999.
Venue: Discovery Museum,
Blandford Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Tel: 0191 230 4220
Opening hours: Mon - Sat 10:00 - 17:00; Sunday 14:00 - 17:00
Entry: Free.
Related events
There will also be a number of Tintin events around the time of the exhibition including screenings of the videos and showings of Moi Tintin, subtitled for an exclusive UK showing. Phone hotline for further details. The major evening events are:
Tintin and the Big Debate: Hergé vs. Georges Remi 20 July, 18:30–20:00.
Journalist Michael Farr, author of the forthcoming biography of Tintin "The Tintin Adventures: From Moscow to the Moon", sets the scene for a lively debate about the relationship between the life and work of Tintin's creator. With Jane Taylor, founder of The Tintin Shop concept and representative of Fondation Herge in the UK; Nigel Todd, author and historian, and Simon Puttock, children's author, editor and bookseller.
Tintin and the Translation Affair: The English Connection 27 July, 18:30–20:00.
Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner, as translators, worked closely with Herge to enable Tintin to achieve the international following he has today. They provide an entertaining and illuminating illustrated guide to the translation of a Tintin strip which tackles such questions as: How do you find the equivalent of a Belgian joke in English? What do you do when your characters speak patois? How do you remain true to Hergé's original intentions?
[Information courtesy of Tim Jones of Egmont Children's Books, London. Egmont is the publisher of Tintin books in the UK.]
Piracy jeopardises Tintin's entry to China
The effort to bring Tintin into China has been plagued by legal problems, caused largely by China's inability to crack down on piracy.
Tintin books were once legally published in Chinese in the late 1970s by Epoch, a publishing house in Taiwan.
Epoch's "The Adventures of Ding Ding" (Tintin) were never officially exported to China due to the political rivalry between Taiwan and China.
Since the 1980s, several editions of "The Adventures of Ding Ding" (Tintin) have surfaced in China, with the Wen Lian and Qinghai editions being the most well known. First published in mid-1998, the Qinghai edition books are still found in book shops throughout China.
Angered by the Chinese publisher's blatant disregard of copyright, Casterman issued a protest and threatened legal action against Qinghai People's Publishing House.
Qinghai People's Publishing House responded to Casterman's threat by claiming they had been mislead by a Beijing-based book dealer who had told them that Hergé had been dead for over fifty years and therefore his work was in the public domain. To show their innocence and good faith, Qinghai promised Casterman that they would recall and destroy all unsold copies of "The Adventures of Ding Ding".
Meanwhile, at least three other Chinese publishers have expressed interest in acquiring the rights to publish the Tintin series in China.
In May, the Executive Director of Casterman went to China to select the next new official Chinese Tintin publisher. And just as Tintin was to be given the passport to China, a new scandal arose: it was discovered that in April, a new series, "The New Adventures of Ding Ding", published by Haitun, had begun to appear on the bookstands. To make matters worse, the supposedly recalled Qinghai edition books were still widely available. Outraged, Casterman immediately suspended discussions with the prospective licensee and began to pursue Haitun and Qinghai.
Qinghai have kept their "we-are-as-much-a-victim" stance; and Haitun have claimed that their "The New Adventures of Ding Ding" series is actually the official Chinese edition of Willy Vandersteen's "Bob and Bobette".
To Casterman's objection of Haitun's use of the name "Ding Ding", which Tintin is known to the Chinese, Haitun's response is tongue-in-cheek: they argue that by adopting the name "Ding Ding" for their Bob and Bobette books, they have helped to reduce sales of pirated "Ding Ding" (Tintin) books. By releasing their series as "The New Adventures of Ding Ding", Haitun claimed to have steered fans of Herge's "Ding Ding" (Tintin) away from pirated books to their new and legitimate books. In other words, Haitun are saying they have been doing Casterman a favour.
Casterman will likely sue Haitun and Qinghai for damages. The case with Qinghai is a simple one of breach of copyright. However, the trouble with Haitun is complicated: Haitun have registered the use of the name, "Ding Ding", with the Chinese copyright authorities; this means even if Tintin gets his passport to China, he may need to be called "Ting Ting" or some other name, for the name "Ding Ding" is now the collective name, in Chinese, for Bob and Bobette!
Notes: Original Flemish title Suske en Wiske. Bob et Bobette in French and Willy and Wanda in English.
Sources: Zhao Chenyu: Trouble with the Chinese Passport, Zhonghua Dushu bao, 16 June 1999.
English edition Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
The long-awaited album is soon to be reprinted.
The World of Tintin Exhibition opens in London
The exhibition will be on until 11 July 1999.
Venue: Science Museum,
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London.
Tel: 0171 938 8000/8080/8008
Web site: www.nmsi.ac.uk/visitors/tintin.html [URL no longer working]
Opening hours: Daily 10:00 - 18:00
Entry: adults £6.50, Children, Pensioners and unemployed £3.50 - gives entry to entire museum. Free entry after 4.30pm.
Review of The World of Tintin exhibition in London.
French researcher links Tintin to real-life adventurer
The Australian - The uncanny coicidences between a real-life reporter's life and that of his fictional rival. Read more: Robert Sexé: the real-life Tintin?
Tintin Theme Park due to open in Belgium
Paul Chapman of the UK reports that a Tintin theme park is due to open in Belgium some time in the not so distant future. There is some information on the Bande Dessinee site: http://www.imaginet.fr/universbd/herge/parctintin/moulinsart.html, in French.
French National Assembly celebrates Tintin's birthday by debating his political leaning
Does Tintin hold the views of his NAZI collaborating creator Hergé? The debate was not intended to produce firm conclusions, thus there was no vote on the matter. Full story from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/271249.stm
French Communists breaks taboo by reprinting Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
L'Humanite, the French Communist Party's newspaper is to bring out a special report asking whether Tintin may have been right about Stalinism. The report will feature extracts from Tintin's adventure in the Soviet Union - a fiercely anticommunist story showing the excesses of Stalinism.
Tintin turns 70 - The Land of the Soviets: Hergé's Black Sheep
Have you noticed that to mark the 70th anniversary of Tintin's first mission abroad, bar the Casterman's reprint of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, there is almost no sign of other commemoration merchandise or souvenir produced?
Even the reprinting of Hergé's first book is not widely publicised. Why is this so, why all the hush hush?
One needs to trace back to Georges Remi, better known as Hergé, the creator of Tintin. He was ashamed of his maiden piece, which had been harshly criticised by the media and public for sometime. His work was commented as being racist, anti-soviet and overtly right-winged. Hergé defended himself by blaming it all on his young age (22 years old at the time) and inexperience.
So embarrassed by the criticism, Hergé had Tintin in the Land of the Soviets withdrawn from circulation in the 1930s, and had since always made it clear that in his life time and after his death, the book must be kept out of circulation as much as possible. His wish has been respected by his second wife, Fanny Rodwell, who owns the body (Moulinsart SA) that grants Tintin licensing rights. Consequently, not only the number of Tintin's first adventure is kept down to a minimum, even Tintin merchandise have always been deliberately produced in limited quantities only.
But it is not all bad news for the Tintin collectors, special limited edition (3000) t-shirts have been produced and distributed world-wide to mark Tintin's 70th birthday. Packaged in a neat blue box, the t-shirts are expected to be in hot demand.
BBC news article 'Tintin celebrates his 70th birthday' links to The Cult of Tintin
View BBC page: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/252196.stm
1998
Chang dies at 93
According to the New York Times, Artist-sculptor Chang Chong-jen died of complications from a cold on 8 October, in France. Chang met Hergé in the 1930s in Brussels and helped Hergé during the preparation and production of The Blue Lotus, Tintin's adventure in China.
Tintin memorabilia sold for a fortune
Tintin memorabilia sold for over 350,000 dollars at recent Paris auction.
Full story from the BBC News site.
Before 1998
- 31 August 1988
- Inauguration of the Stockel Station of the Brussels metro, decorated with a double fresco mural in which Hergé had collaborated since the project began in 1982.
- 1986
- Posthumous publication of the complete sketches of Tintin and Alph-Art.
- 1984
- Steven Spielberg buys the cinematic rights of Tintin. Debut of the collection L'Oeuvre intégrale d'Hergé (Rombaldi). Thirteen volumes will be published in the next four years.