Tintin Forums

I don't think the guy there is Rastapopoulos. This was before Hergé had created the character, and a man looking like that with a large monacle would have been an obvious kind of figure to draw in my opinion.

Well, in terms of the creation of the books, that's probably true. Hergé may well have decided that it was a distinctive look for a character, and recycled it for Rastapopoulos, entirely unaware of the possibility that people would be discussing it over 70 years later!

From the fictional point of view though, it's fun to speculate that it could be him. He turns up in the colour version too, which was done over a decade after the Rastapopoulos character was established, so by then it could be intended by Hergé as an in-joke for alert readers to spot, similar to that little chap who turns up at both beginning and end of The Seven Crystal Balls as Tintin makes his way to Marlinspike...

If you mean how did he know of the Marquis's existence, it's because the Emir Ben Kalish Ezab told him about the Marquis while the two were in his mountainside hideout.

As far as I remember the Emir says that they must put a stop to Arabair and it's owner, Di Gorgonzola to which Tintin responds: "Arabair belongs to Di Gorgonzola?". To me, this seems to indicate that Tintin knew about the Marquis before he met the Emir. The plot thickens....

As far as I remember the Emir says that they must put a stop to Arabair and it's owner, Di Gorgonzola to which Tintin responds: "Arabair belongs to Di Gorgonzola?". To me, this seems to indicate that Tintin knew about the Marquis before he met the Emir. The plot thickens....

This may be because Di Gorgonzola was quite famous for his money as the party on his yaught proves, so saying that Arabair belongs to Di Gorgonzola would be like saying that Arabair belongs to Onasis; one doesn't have to be personally acquainted with him to know about him because there were often references to him in newspapers, TV etc.. So Tintin was merely surprised because he did not know that Arabair belonged to this particular well-known millionaire. I too wonder why he was not surprised when Di Gorgonzola is revealed to be Rastapopoulos and whether he knew that they are the same person all the way. To me it seems like Herge just did not want to make too many references to previous albums so as not to confuse first time readers (well done Mr Herge, you ended up confusing those who are *not* first time readers).

And as for that character in Tintin in America I have always thought that he is more likely Rastapopoulos; when I was younger it was the only way for me to explain what Tintin meant by saying that they have met before. Of course at that time I didn't know about the difference in translations between French and English and I also didn't know about the different order in which the albums were published which ended up in other mistakes such as the cover of Destination Moon appearing in that one frame in more recent editions of Cigars of Pharaoh, Milou using the word "Marlinspike" in the same album etc, but at least I was satisfied by assuming that Tintin had met Rastapopoulos in America.

Somebody who looks oddly similar to this famous villain appears sitting next to Tintin on page 57 of "Tintin in America."

Later, when he bumps into Rastapopoulos on the 'Isis' in "Cigars of the Pharaoh", Tintin comments, "...And it's not the first time we've met..."

Does Tintin meet his archenemy at a banquet in Chicago? And if he does, is Papa Rastapopoulos walking straight at that time, or is he even then secretly conniving against the law?

[Moved from deleted thread]

Yes! He did met him and Rastapopoulos took him as an enemy once he bumped into Tintin on the Isis. Tintin was defending Sarchophagus. Rastapopoulos sent a warning to the Fakir secretly in the book. That's when Tintin took Rastapopoulos as his Long-Sworn-Enemy.

[Moved from deleted thread]

It's a 'prototype' in the B+W version and it's him in the colour version(s)

As for those of you who are wondering why he's at a banquet done in honour of Tintin (who has just managed to send the 2nd biggest crime lord off to the clink, and most likely also the 'chair'), don't forget that Rastapopoulos would have at this point been best known as the owner of 'Cosmos Pictures', and thus would have to make sure that he did not lose face, or more importanly publicity.

Maybe he was even looking for a leading lady for his next - and, as it turned out, last - film (or even chapter play, as we don't know if it was even a feature!)

After all why not get a real bimbo?

I used to confuse Gibbons with Rastapopoulos when I first began reading Tintin novels.
Is there any possibility they were one and the same person?
After all Rastapopoulos seems to be a man of many faces.

At the end of "Blue Lotus" Gibbons is shown with Dawson fuming over Tintin's moment of glory at a time when Rastapopoulos is in jail, so it seems unlikely.

On the other hand, I've always suspected that this was the time that Dawson and Rastapopoulos got to know each other and would explain why Dawson is working for him as an arms dealer in "Red Sea Sharks". They certainly had a lot in common: they are both corrupt, greedy, unpleasant and detest Tintin.

Yes, that's what would make most sense.