Tintin Forums

Inspired by The best Tintin book never written-thread and the diminishing role of Tintin in the latter adventures: would it be possible to have an album with somebody else in the leading role? Maybe Tintin was kidnapped in the beginning (and for once the villains would know how to tie a knot) and others were trying to find him?

If Hergé had tried such thing, how it could be done? Who´d have the leading role, would it be possible to move the story forward without neverending slapstick?

No doubt there is a parody about this!
It would certainly have been affective, but if, say, Haddock was the main character, it would have diminished Tintin's role even further in later books. I think that it would have to involve Tintin heavily in the beginning and the end, after all, it is 'The adventures of Tintin'. I believe it would have been better that Tintin was kidnapped as opposed to another character - Calculus was kidnapped twice already! And how would Snowy play a part, would he be kidnapped too, or would he be Haddock's 'assistant' or would he even take the role himself? I would have been interested if Tintin had to rescue Rastapopoulos from another villain!

would it be possible to move the story forward without neverending slapstick?

The main characters would have had to 'evolve' more, as they are there to help back up Tintin and provide the slapstick. Haddock could be stopped from being a laughter provider (he can be serious), though I don't know if the other characters could stop being slapstick.

Books that focus entirely on other characters before and
after we see them in the series might be interesting, for example, Frank Wolff's story in detail before we see him in "Destination Moon", or Zorrino's life with the Incas after the events of "Prisoners of the Sun."

The 'tintin getting kidnapped and Haddock needing to save him' is done in 'red rackham's treasure' isn't it? Also, I think an album with Haddock and the Thompsons would probably work.

Frank Wolff's story in detail before we see him in "Destination Moon"
His account of his woes might better have been done in flashback rather than the two longest speech balloons in history, which actually appear to be crushing his head in the story. As a boy, I always used to wonder what happened to him after he left the moon rocket since he mentioned that a miracle might spare him in his suicide note. I couldn't bear the thought of him dying in space and used to try to imagine ways he might have returned to earth.

A story without Tintin could probably be quite feasible since reporters keep going missing all the time; he might be held hostage in some fictional Iraq or by drug dealers. Haddock would have to rescue him, of course, perhaps with the help of Szut?

Martin
the two longest speech balloons in history
You have a point, but my vote would go to a panel in one of Bob de Moor’s Barelli, where in spite of being almost entirely speech bubble, the writing just gets smaller and smaller to fit into the space… (A bit off-topic, sorry!)

I reckon there would be immense potential to expand on Haddock as a character. As SingingGandalf said, he's capable of being a serious character when the story calls for it. I suppose it's only been because of his large role as Tintin's right hand man, but he could certainly be made "heroic" in his own right. A book about his past would be a wonderful read. There'd be equal doses of woe and comedy, I imagine, since most of Haddock's humour seems to derive from his own very human pathos (the drinking and intensely felt emotions).

cuthbert
The 'tintin getting kidnapped and Haddock needing to save him' is done in 'red rackham's treasure' isn't it?

Yes, but at least half of the saving is done by Tintin himself.

The idea of an album concentrating in a history of Wolff (or Haddock, maybe even Alcatzar or Rastapopoulos?) is fascinating.

Does anybody know if Hergé ever had any such ideas? We know that in his latter years he felt almost imprisoned by Tintin, maybe such an album could´ve been an escape?

cuthbert
The 'tintin getting kidnapped and Haddock needing to save him' is done in 'red rackham's treasure' isn't it?

Isn't it rather in The Secret of the Unicorn?

mondrian
We know that in his latter years he felt almost imprisoned by Tintin

Maybe this fact is actually connected with some concealed writing constraint*?

yamilah
Maybe this fact is actually connected with some concealed writing constraint*?

Maybe. If so, maybe you should enlighten us what kind of a writing constraint is in question? While at it, maybe you could as well explain what kind of connection they do have between them?

Anyways, ever thought of my original question? Could it work, who´d be the leading character?