Tintin: Is he just a boring guy with no personality?

I'm going to make the argument that Tintin is the most boring of the characters. Certainly the most nondescript. Except for the fact that he is preternaturally intelligent and very mature for his age -- and the fact that he's solved many a mystery -- there is nothing remarkable or exceptional about Tintin.

Therefore, the series is driven by the likes of Haddock, the Thom(p)sons, Calculus, and Castafiore, and to a lesser extent characters like Nestor and Snowy, and recurring villains like Müller. The series is character-driven, rather than plot-driven.

Certainly the plot figures into the whole equation but it is just the backdrop. And not to criticize Herge whatsoever but it is pretty formulaic: a mystery arises, Tintin sets to work; Haddock acts as a foil; the Thom(p)sons provide comic effect but don't actually do much to solve the mystery; Tintin catches the Bad Guys; and often, there is a full explanation at the end of the story of what happened and why.

To me, the real genius of the books shines in the characters. This goes back to what I was saying above. Tintin is, technically, the "least interesting" of them because he's an everyman sort of character. His facial features are unspecific, and furthermore, we don't know anything of his personal life. His job in the story is to solve the mystery, and generally to do the right thing (ensuring that the Bad Guys always get a fair trial, and whatnot). To me, he's quite vanilla, quite bland. And that seems to be a key part in making the books the works of brilliance that they are.

Of course, don't construe any of this as criticism -- just thoughts. (Although I am being a bit provocative by saying Tintin is boring, right?)

Hmm.. you certainly have a point, but because there is no history, no specifics to Tintin (it's all very vague) anyone can easily identify with him. That's probably part of the 'magic' of the books.

I don't follow the argument, to be honest - if you discount his intelligence and maturity, the key tools he has for solving mysteries, interpreting clues, following leads and otherwise getting involved in adventure, then of course he will be boring.

But if you discounted Calculus's intelligence and touchiness, or Haddock's short temper and wide, wild, vocabulary, then they'd be boring ...

We don't really know anything more about the others than we do about Tintin - Hergé deals in types, and does so successfully in my opinion, and as a result none of the characters strictly speaking has much depth.

I think the true measure is that while Tintin successfully holds the stage through several albums as a solo character, the other bit-part players wouldn't make for a satisfactory read on their own; look at Picaros - the bits without Tintin aren't that great are they?

Actually the bits without Tintin in Picaros are just as good in my eyes. The only problem with that album is the lack of plus-fours and Tintin's dislike for adventure.
That's the real drawback.

jock123 Herge deals in types, and does so successfully in my opinion, and as a result none of the characters strictly speaking has much depth.

Actually, that's very interesting, and I see your point. Hergé definitely does deal in types, and that goes back to the post about Pablo and how he's representative of a group.

I suppose that Tintin's mild-manneredness is as much an important part of the story as Haddock's tendency to fly off the handle.

I don't understand this assumption that Tintin has no personality. Isn't mild-mannered-ness (and many other of his features including patience, curiousity, idealism and the odd touch of naivete) a personality trait in itself? Just because he can control his emotions better than Haddock or Calculus is no reason to jump to the conclusion that he doesn't have any. I actually think that it's his peculiar brand of inscrutability itself that makes him such an interesting and colourful character.

21 Feb 2019 08:46 - Merged topic:
I discovered I hate Tintin

I discovered I hate Tintin - not The Adventures of Tintin, but Tintin as a character.

I desperately want Rastapopoulos, or Müller to win. I even discovered that I like Haddock because he's usually a burden to Tintin. Does it show a dark side of my personality? I wonder how one could psychoanalyze this?
PS: Don't you want that once, at least once, Tom could defeat Jerry? Or that Mr. Wile E. Coyote could eat the Road Runner?

Yes, it is quite natural to want to have the antagonist(s) have their day, but you see, the ones you mention(including Tintin) are generally created keeping in mind a young readership, and nothing soothes a child's mind more than a good vs evil epic battle and with good finally being victorious. If Müller or Rastapopoulos won, I'm afraid it won't agree with the younger readership.

There are plenty of other examples like Harry Potter and American comics, which are made for a more mature readership and readily take up the themes that you suggested.

To be fair though, I too used to think that Tintin was boring... I don't really feel that way anymore, but I sometimes wish that he was a bit less perfect.

Really, I have no desire to see Rastapopoulos or Müller win. They're evil, so I want them to fail.


I do agree with you about both Tom and Wile E. Coyote though...