jock123
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#1 · Posted: 20 May 2022 15:22
A press conference held today at the Musée Hergé revelead a number of projects of interest to all Tintinologists.
The first of these is that Moulinsart SA, is to undergo a rebranding, and become Tintin imaginatio SA; it is said that there were two objectives in doing so: one is to bring the name of Tintin to a more prominent position, and the other is to give a sense of "image" and "imagination" - through this evoking the work of Hergé as artist and author - which also will reflect the work of the company to keep the world of the books evolving and developing. The new company logo is styled with the Tintin in a font like one used for the Tintin magazine, and imaginatio in a light modern face; the two are combined by the placement of red dots (symbolizing "the flowering of ideas"...) on each "i".
A consideration has been that although both derive fro the books, the name Tintin is known widely, as it has been used not just in the originals, but in the majority of translations too; Moulinsart however has more often than not been translated into something else.
The name will be retained in the continuation of the Éditions Moulinsart imprint, for which several projects have been announced.
Cigars of the Pharaoh is to get a colourized edition of the black-and-white book, which will be co-published by Casterman, available in French, English and Dutch, with a 20 page preface by noted Tintinologist Philippe Goddin giving backgrond information. It is due in shops on 26/10/2022.
There will be two "language primer" books, Tintin from A-Z; one is in French, by filmmaker Patrice Leconte, one in English, by Michael Farr. I don't yet know what is entailed by these, as the French book is described as a very personal look at Tintin; initially I thought that the books might be a sort of updated version of the dictionaries published by Harraps, but the "personal" aspect makes that seem less likely. It therefore isn't clear if the Farr book is a companion volume to the French one, with his own personal refections in it, or a translation of the Leconte. Anyway, they are coming.
Hachette and Éditions Moulinsart to are publish two Tintin car books - one on European cars in the series, the other on American cars.
These will be followed by another joint enterprise, with a part-work 1/8th scale model of the blue Wilys Jeep from Destination Moon coming late this year, or early next. As is typical with such enterprises, your week-by-week parts come with a model building guide, and a magazine of related material; issue 1 is 1.00€,
issue 2 is 5.99€, and thereafter it's 11.99€ an issue. No indication of the number of parts.
The Tintin, c'est l'aventure quarterly magazine goes into its fourth year with issue 12, featuring an issue themed around Picaros, and a visit to Brussels with Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten; the magazine will be continuing in partnership with Geo (a popular geography/ science title, akin to National Geographic). Whether as a stand-alone or as a special edition of the above mentioned title, there is to be a magazine on The Adventure of Science, in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
Other similar productions are currently "brewing", so we are advised to stay tuned...
There is to be a second volume of the Tintin magazine retrospective, collecting more of the one-off short stories which appeared there as examples of the many artists who worked there, and it is again to have 777 pages.
Perhaps the most surprising, and in some ways most innovative announcement is that there is to be a book of cartoons by Plantu (Jean Plantureux), a satirical, often controversial, political cartoonist who had a 49 year career with Le Monde, retiring from that last year. He often included Hergé's characters in his work, and the book is a retrospective of his career, framed with an imaginary meeting and interview with Hergé.
While not a new Tintin book by any stretch of the imagination, it is a sign that they are looking for new ways to cast an eye on the legacy of Hergé, and this could be interesting.
It will run to 96 pages, and as two dates are given, "in bookshops September 28 and on newsstands on October 19, 2022", I'm thinking that it may be a book first and a bookazine (upscaled magazine) after, although that may just be me not understanding what is going on...
Tintin, L'Aventure immersive is another completely new enterprise - "specially designed for the Atelier des Lumières, the first digital art center in Paris". In collaboration with an organization called Culturespaces, this will be an immersive audio-visual experience, which will "re-visit" the adventures of Tintin & Cº. It's a fascinating idea, and - should it prove popular, may travel to other venues capable of hosting this kind of event (Culturespaces are establishing a world-wide network, so this could be big!).
Finally, March 17, 2023 will see a live "imaginary concert" in association with radio France Culture and the Orchestre National de France; this is themed around Tintin in Tibet, and will use music and sound to evoke the book. (My guess is that this may be like the BBC's highly popular Doctor Who prom concerts, which used sounds, music and images, as well as "live" monsters from the series, as well as music by other composers, to suggest scenes from that series.)
It will be recorded for broadcast.
A project currently in the works is a global Tintin treasure hunt, with the intention of celebrating the centenary in 2029; this will not require participants to travel to enter, but it is interesting to imagine what it will entail.
The final announcement is of Tintin related NFTs coming in six months.
That's all I have at the moment, but I am sure that there's already a lot to digest!
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