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I just thought i'd make a center for all things calculus and well, here it is.

Yes, credence to Cuthbert. I've always wondered why he hasn't more of a fan base. Some people dismiss him as another archetypal potty professor, but there's more to him than that. If he was just another Professor Branestawm type he'd be pretty dull; thankfully Herge gave him layers...

Here are the top five reasons why I'm fond of Cuthbert.

1) Young at heart

No one can deny that Cuthbert's sprightly for his age (he has to be at least sixty). Whether joyriding, skating around Marlinspike (and in the turbo powered ones later), joyriding or demonstrating his skill (!) at battledore, he has plenty of energy. He's also very honest about this: "I was a great sportsman in my youth... To be honest, no. It was mostly walking."

2) Scholar AND a gentleman

He's not only an egghead but a poetic romantic. Bear witness his love of horticulture and crush on Castafiore. His role as the one red-blooded male in Marlinspike is very important; true, his appreciation of the fair sex may also extend to Dragon Lady Peggy Alcazar, but I suspect that in his salad years he was a real lady killer!

3) ... More Complexities

Herge is careful to provide him with inconsistencies which make him more realistic/human. Yes, he's a scientist (although in his first few adventures he's a hobbyist inventor), but he also believes in superstitious practices such as dowsing. He's not afraid of going up in a rocket or under the depths but he's scared of heights. He is the gentlest, mildest of men but has a terrible temper when roused- much worse than Archie's, which blows over quickly. Half the time he seems to have lost the plot (no one in The Calculus Affair knows why he keeps wittering on about his brolly, for instance) but other times he's surprisingly well-informed. And it's noticeable he's the only member of the Core Three to have outside friendships/interests.

4) Expressions

Although his turn of phrase isn't as documented (or celebrated) as Archie's, it's well worth noting. I love phrases such as 'Great sunspots!' and 'Stars above!'

5) Frequently a catalyst

More than any character he's a catalyst for adventures. The Prisoner of the Sun story arc would not have been possible if a) he hadn't known Professor Tarragon and b) he hadn't been kidnapped, none of The Calculus Affair would have happened if he hadn't been working on the ultrasound machine and hadn't been kidnapped, much of Red Rackham's Treasure is to do with either avoiding him or making use of his inventions, and the gang wouldn't be living at Marlinspike if it hadn't been for his generous offer to buy it... Add to the fact that there would be no Moon story without his genius of invention, and it should become clear that Cuthbert is the pivot of much of the action.

I'd add a 6th one that:6)He's not very good to talk to, but if you leave him with someone who's annoying(a.k.a.Jolyn Wagg,Daily Reporter reporter,ect.)...............................................................

Karaboudjan
An excellent summation of the dear professor, Karaboudjan!

it's noticeable he's the only member of the Core Three to have outside friendships/interests.

Not strictly speaking true: the Captain is the president of a temperance society, the Society of Sober Sailors, which would count as an outside interest, plus he runs into his old friend Captain Chester in Shooting Star. But that is a minor point in what is an otherwise good analysis of an underrated character (he’s McCoy to Tintin and the Captain’s Kirk and Spock, as it were).

Your desciption of him as an important catalyst to the adventures is a telling one; he almost is the inverse of the Captain, who is an adventurer who longs to settle down at home, whereas the Professor is a more sedentary scientific man who keeps getting sucked into the outside world.

but has a terrible temper when roused
Also knows that fighting style..................

And I for one cheered when he went for Carredias in Flight 714. There are few people in the canon more odious- I'm amazed he hadn't been slapped by anyone long before.

... Oh, and I love the way he dresses! That time in Castafiore Emerald, when he stoops to kiss her hand and the buttons pop out of his collar... Herge introduces a good deal of visual humour via our friend the professor, I've noticed.

calculus132
Also knows that fighting style..................
No, no, no I said savate, French boxing!

Isn't Calculus just the most adorable? I love someone who's sweet as honey until you get him angry, and then he can hold his own with the best!

Courtney

One can also see Calculus as fundamentally a person of peace. Note that when Calculus realizes that his machine in "The Calculus Affair" was only going to be used as a weapon, he attempts to destroy the microfilms to prevent their being recovered. Also observe that Calculus never goes through the dirty work that Tintin and Captain Haddock are willing to go through (like fighting or going on messy adventures..."Picaros" is quite consistent to this; Calculus went to San Theodoros thinking that it'd be a simple journey to free Castafiore and not go running into the woods with a vertigo. Note that he does not take part in the coup). We should therefore emphasize Calculus as a believer in peaceful living.

We should therefore emphasize Calculus as a believer in peaceful living.
That's true too! I noticed the same thing--he lives by the code of the martial arts, if you look at it. He won't harm anyone until they do something to him first, and doesn't go looking for a fight. He also doesn't like senseless violence, but could defend himself easily if it was directed at him.

Courtney

Actually, I have noticed that even when Calculus has been threatened, he doesn't always put up a fight (as he might have in "The Seven Crystal Balls", but that's all speculation). In "Flight 714", when he and his friends are threatened by gun-wielding Spaulding, he just puts his hands up, and he doesn't even fight.

It is very tempting to downplay his interest in martial arts since it appears so late in the story. It looks he was not doing it for self-defense but to fulfill his personal interests/hobbies.