Tintin Forums

There is a thread about brilliantly written scenes, but sometimes, what impresses me more, are briliantly designed plot structures, ideas, or devices. These are a bit more abstract to define, but three exemples :

I love how stories start from little local things before leading to some worldwide adventure. Crab with the Golden Claws is exemplary for that : I love how it starts with a tin of crab meat, and a drowned body. The connection of insignificant puzzle pieces propel the story from the mundane to the epic. For me, Karaboudjan is the comics' version of Rosebud (the object being hinted for in the movie Citizen Kane. Possibly the best 'adventure trigger' of the whole series.

Other example : Jorgen on the moon. This could go in the "best scenes" thread, except it's a sum of scenes. I love the whole idea behind Wolff's treason (and his noticed change of mood), the commentating baddies (you're never sure why they rejoice or are anxious for the rocket's crew), and the scene where Wolff manipulates Tintin into descending into the cargo hold. As if the expedition wasn't perillous enough, you get an 8th passenger aboard, bringing a surprisingly earthly threat (gunpoint) with cosmic consequences (the rocket firing its engines in front of the returning moon tank). It's all very down to earth, end yet immense because of the context. Classic cold-war flavored spy stuff, magnified by moon setting.

And of course, Hergé's take on the whole "curse upon the archaeologists" thing is a classic.
Maybe not extremely original, as it borrows from many cliches, but it's very classy in its crafting, and walks the thin thread between supernatural and rational - or keeps crossing it both ways - with much subtlty (Is it magic? No it is a gas. Is it a ghost? No, it is a cultist. Is it an old curse? No it's a current one, yet performed through some sort of sorcery, by a people out of time).
It's a perfect feeling of strangeness, not hopeless nor overwhelming, just rationalized enough to be investigated, fought against, and traced back to its source.
More magical randomness, and Tintin would have been helpless. Less magical randomness and the atmosphere would be gone. Gas + dolls = perfect balance.

This is a great idea, but maybe even harder to discuss than well-written scenes, simply because all the plots have elements of genius in them. Well. Not quite all. But most. ;)

Hunting through the books to find a plot trigger that I could reproduce - that is to say, something Tintin does that I could do too in the hope of finding my own adventure - proved absolutely pointless, as on most occassions Tintin is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, something I have been doing for years without success. It did, however, give me a chance to examine all the events that set off the plots. And I have to agree with you completely about the tin of crab meat. The early books all seem to be set in motion by a chance encounter with a nutcase. Crab is a wonderful break from this. (Not that I don't enjoy the lunatics as much as anyone else.)

Again, I'll have to agree with you about the moon adventures, because I've always maintained that they are some of the best, if not the best. The atmosphere throughout is wonderful and everything that happens brings the characters into sharper focus until you can see every little detail of their relationships and hopes and fears.

The Red Sea Sharks, for me, is a prime example of the genius of the Tintin books. When my family ask me - as they often do, having realised that Tintin is the only thing we all have in common - why I'm so fond of it, I say that it has everything: political tension, smuggling, shipwreck, an exploding plane, Abdulla, Alcazar, Skut, Allan, Oliveira de Figueira, and that scene with the megaphone. If Hergé can make a coherent plot that includes all these, he can do anything.

Yes, as a kid I used to not like "The Blue Lotus" that much, putting it in the same category as "America" and "Congo" : plot-less random little events in a given country. Growing up, I realised how all these events are meticulously articulated to each other in "Blue Lotus", and flow perfectly logically, like a devilish machinery (the Gibbons encounter being one of the main "trigger devices" there). Now it's one of my favorites, plot-wise. I'm impressed by the implacable order behind its appearent chaos. It's the same with "Red Sea", "Black Gold", "Golden Claws", etc... (hey, what's with the colours pattern?)

On the other hand, one of my favorite plot devices is the exact opposite. I adore Haddock's deus ex machina appearance in "Black Gold", and the (quite simple really and at the same time rather complicated) justification for it. It's absolutely shameless, and it makes me laugh each time. I guess Hergé earned it, given how flawless and meticulously crafted is the rest of his plots, and his cynicism there is absolutely disarming. He could have come up with a far-fetched excuse for parachuting Haddock there, but indeed, what the hell - he's not even trying, and I take it as a sign of respect. Still, he manages to make it some strange elaborate "fourth wall" joke, and maybe the first hint of the distance he'll take later from the conventions of classic adventuring.

That's my favourite book! And you're right, what a plot! I love how it starts with a just quiet trip the movie theatre, the Captain and Tintin discussing the plot like old friends... not realizing the plot they're about to encounter of their own! And then the wallet on the sidewalk... how they sit and go through the contents, and the greater mysteries are hinted at (money? photos of planes? cryptic notes??!) but nobody knows quite what it's all about. Then onto more Marlinspike... only the mystery is picking up speed now.

Them being turned away by customs, only to survive the plane crash, escaping through the desert, then then covert meetings in caves or dark houses... Tintin getting more and more pieces of the puzzle. Though the true scope and horror hasn't been revealed yet. Then it's onto a raft in the middle of the ocean, the deck of a fancy party ship, and then locked deep a freighter only to emerge and save it... and then eventually, back home again. It all flows wonderfully, and it's quite the adventure with so many great moments and quite a scary plot. One of my favourite frames ever is Tintin sticking his head out of the barrel with the REWARD sign by his head.

I think the Captain really shines in this book too. We see him being his usual humorous, hollering, whiskey self but I just love when he gets to take over a ship and is really in his element. He even seems a little more daring than usual when dealing with a certain opera singer! Tintin is in great form throughout as well. They work so well together. (And who doesn't love the beard under or over the sheet scene! "Did... did you fall out of your bunk?")


Aha, I agree! "Forgive me Captain, I'm sorry I interupted... You were saying..." only to interrupt him again for about the third time.

And yeah, the plot of the moon books is probably second to none.

You're so right there. Tintin and Archie go so well together they ought to be a flavour of crisps. :)

It's always shocked and delighted me that Hergé let himself get away with the ending of Black Gold. While I definitely prefer to watch a brilliant plot slide perfectly into place - as in Crab or Sharks or the moon books - it's so thrilling not to have any idea how something so improbable came about. Great writers can get away with the odd deus ex machina. Like Amilah says, Hergé earned it.

I haven't read the comic version of America, but the TV adaptation always made sense to me. Did they cut out the more rambling bits?