Tintin Forums

Hi

It occurs to me that by the time we reach Picaros in the Tintin timeline, Captain Haddock has effectively replaced Tintin as the main character.

The first clue I noticed was the signs used by the Daily Reporter. They refer to "Haddock & Co." "Haddock Sensation," and "TAPIOCA offers HADDOCK..." Now, maybe in prior Tintin novels, Tapioca would have addressed Tintin.

Another weird thing that I never thought about much up until now: Haddock is the one who wants to go down to Tapiocapolis, whereas Tintin wants to stay at Marlinspike. Complete role reversal!!! Unless I'm very much mistaken, we have NOT seen that before.

The fact that Tintin stays home for the first few days gives the Captain even more "airtime," if you will. The scenes of him during his travels to San Theodoros and in his new apartment go on for pages (and they are quality, I might add).

Anyway, those are just examples of how I think Haddock really overshadows Tintin for the first time during the course of an album. I haven't read ALPH-ART (thinking about buying it) so I can't speak to the Captain's presence in that one.

One last thing -- how does everyone pronounce "Tapiocapolis"? I tend to think of it as sounding like "Indianapolis." So: tap-io-CAP-oh-lis.

EDIT: Blistering barnacles, I completely overlooked the fact that Sponsz and Col. Alvarez refer to the Captain as "Number One" and Tintin is "Number Three"! Would we ever have seen that in prior albums? I doubt it!

I've heard it said that Tintin represented Herge as the boyscout - honourable, humble, strong-willed, adventurous, gentlemanly, almost perfect in his innocence (who Herge wanted to be like) and Haddock was more like Herge in reality.
Haddock was the more flawed, realistic character, Tintin the almost pure, very unrealistic and idealistic character.

The shift in Picaros could be a reflection of Herge's boyhood dreams being overshadowed by reality, or maybe he was just tired of Tintin and Tintin (in the comic) reflected that attitude. While it's purely speculation on my part, it's very interesting.

morjens Wavie and everybody else

It occurs to me that by the time we reach PICAROS in the Tintin timeline, Captain Haddock has effectively replaced Tintin as the main character.

To say nothing of the Emerald, which is a real Witches' Sabbath of strong characters. Who is playing the first violin there? Or in the 714? Actually the balancing of the characters's power is the main reason I became a tintinologist. The early fussing doesn't make any influence on me, but the appearence Bianca, Archie & co does

Tintinrulz
While it's purely speculation on my part...

I don't think you or Wave are speculating wildly, Tintinrulz. This shift towards Haddock as the character with whom Hergé seems to empathise more has been commented on in several boks about Tintin and Hergé that I've read, and I think that Hergé himself admitted that as the years went by, he'd begun to find Tintin - his earlier boyhood ideal - a bit of a prig, and identified more with Haddock and his more human love of a quiet smoke and drink, a peaceful home life, nice cars etc.

This shift seems to happen as early as the 1950s (a shift that coincides with Hergé's mid-life crisis and change maybe.) It's certainly Haddock with whom Hergé is identifying at the end of The Red Sea Sharks, as I believe a local car rally group really did used to invade the peace of his rural home each year. The same goes for the frustrations and invasions endured by Haddock in The Castafoire Emerald; many were based on actual annoyances in Hergé's own life.

I think the "role reversal" in Picaros is something some biographers and Tintinologists have felt takes Hergé's subversion/development of his characters a bit too far, with Tintin being so cynical and weary of adventure. And the dialogue in the last frame of the book suggests that both Tintin and Haddock have become world weary and keen to get back to their slippers by the end, a weariness with the world emphasised by that different-uniforms-but-same-slum final picture. It seems to be few readers' favourite Tintin book.

But I agree with you, Wave, that the extended scenes of Haddock on his own without Tintin in Picaros make an interesting change.

You should get Alp Art. It's interesting to see what Hergé was considering next. It's all very under-developed and sketchy, but I seem to recall that Hergé was toying with the idea of having Haddock becoming something of a hippy and growing/smoking marajuana at Marlinspike! (I don't have the book to hand.)

I like your suggested pronounciation of Tapiocapolis. It has a more authentic sound than the way I always pronounced it in my head as a child: Tapioca-polis. I'd never thought of it before, but you've convinced me!

This is what I call an 'emotional shift'.

I believe that Tintin had become more mature-minded and who knows, he may already have a girlfriend during the interval between Flight 714 & Picaros. Tintin sudden shift in costume attire shows exactly that. Who else would want to wear plus fours when they are 18? Tintin have to be up to date in most cases. Because nowadays, teens would see Tintin as a nerd with nerdy attire. I did tried to wear plus fours before I have to admit seriously and it's not a good response when I wore it for a school event. They just don't like it. Seriously.

But that's from my point as an average teenager leaving in this ever-changing world. MAybe the older ones have a different point of view to add-on.

As far as Haddock wanting to leave, and Tintin wanting to stay at Moulinsart, although I agree it is a role revesal, I always thought it was because Tintin could smell a trap, whereas the Captain, being his rash, angry self, was manipulated into walking right into it.

This is just my interpretation of the story, based on nothing more that how I understand it.

You should get Alp Art. It's interesting to see what Hergé was considering next. It's all very under-developed and sketchy, but I seem to recall that Hergé was toying with the idea of having Haddock becoming something of a hippy and growing/smoking marajuana at Marlinspike! (I don't have the book to hand.)

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Tell me he wasn't REALLY going to have Captain Haddock do that!

That's one thing I don't like about PICAROS. Rather than being timeless, as all the other albums are, we really know we're in the '60s with that one. I for one can't stand Tintin's new pants and that peace sign on his helmet is downright idiotic. I have nothing against that era in history (my parents grew up in ths '60s), but I don't like seeing all this hippy dippy crap finding its way into a Tintin album. I can't explain it! Tintin is supposed to be timeless!! I don't know what I'd do if suddenly Haddock had exchanged his whisky glass for a hash pipe. Now I HAVE to get Alph-Art, even though it may completely shock me.

All that said, howver, I still think PICAROS is one of Herge's best works. People seem to have a lesser opinion of it but I think it's miles ahead of some of his earlier stuff.

EDIT: This is making me sound rather distraught at the notion of marijuana consumption, which, believe me, does neither shock nor appall me and I'd rather it be legalized than criminalized. However, seeing it in a Tintin context would be jaw-dropping. Maybe it's best that Herge never got around to finishing Alph-Art!

waveofplague
That's one thing I don't like about PICAROS. Rather than being timeless, as all the other albums are, we really know we're in the '60s with that one.

Have to disagree with you there. I've always thought that Tintin is far from being timeless, at least not in the strict sense of the word. Yes, they still appeal to modern readers, but the stories and drawings certainly tell about their own times. To mention few obvious examples, Blue Lotus and Ottokar are very much thirties, and I don't see how you could possibly move them into any other decade without completely rewriting the stories.

I know what you mean, Wave, about Picaros feeling more stuck in its era than other books. But maybe the adventures of the thirties, forties and fifties only seem to have a classic feel to us now, rather than a trendy feel, because those eras are longer ago.

The fashions, furniture designs, cars and political fashions in these earlier books would no doubt have seemed as iconically of their age and contemporary to people when those books were first published as the stuff in Picaros did to people around when that book first came out.

Hergé always liked to keep up with the times in his own life and wardrobe and he kept the world of his books similarly up to date. But perhaps Hergé's efforts to be up to date and contemporary in Picaros seem a little more forced and a little less natural than in the books he drew as a younger man. Or maybe the late 60s and 70s stuff looks dated because we actually remember that era first-hand, whereas the thirties stuff seems classic because it's so far before our time. Just a theory!

Mind, flared brown slacks and side-burns have become so trendy again in recent years that Picaros looks quite contemporary again now!

Regarding the CND sticker on Tintin's helmet, I think that's pertinent to the theme of Tintin's pacifism in that book in the book, rather than merely a hippy fashion gimmick.

cigee
I always thought it was because Tintin could smell a trap, whereas the Captain, being his rash, angry self, was manipulated into walking right into it.

That's a good point, cigee. In that respect both Tintin and Haddock are acting entirely according to their usual character traits. But the Tintin of earlier books, having sussed out the trap, would surely have found some way of sneaking into San Theodoras undetedcted to mount a rescue plan, rather than simply staying out of the action for a few days, and then following Haddock into the trap with no proper plan.

Great points, people!

Hey guess what! I bought ALPH-ART online today. It should get here in a couple days. I can't wait! It's a new Tintin adventure (sort of)!!!!