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Tintin (character)

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For other uses, see Tintin (disambiguation).

Tintin
Publication information
PublisherCasterman (Belgium)
First appearanceThe Adventures of Tintin:
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929)
Created byHergé
In-story information
Full nameTintin
Team affiliationsList of main characters

Tintin [tɛ̃tɛ̃] (Dutch: Kuifje) is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Tintin is the eponymous hero of the series. He is a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy. The character was created in 1929 and introduced in Le Petit Vingtième ("The Little Twentieth"), a weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle ("The Twentieth Century"). He appears as a young man 14–19 years old with a round face and quiff hairstyle. Tintin has a sharp intellect, can command any type of vehicle, can defend himself, and has a tremendous spirit. Through his investigative journalism, Tintin is always able to solve the mystery and complete the adventure.

Origin

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Palle Huld during his trip around the world in 1928

Years before Tintin first appeared on the pages of the children's newspaper Le Petit Vingtième on 10 January 1929, his creator Hergé was drawing pictures in the margins of his school workbooks of an unnamed young man battling les Boches (slang for the Germans) whilst German armies marched through the streets of Belgium during World War I.[1] These drawings, Hergé later said, depicted a brave and adventurous character using cleverness and ingenuity against the forces of wrongdoing. None of these early drawings survive.[1]

During these younger days, Hergé had plenty of time to observe his five years younger brother Paul, whose physical appearance included a round face and a quiff, and who craved adventure so much he later joined the army.[2] (Paul's army life included the endurance of jeers from his fellow officers when the source of Hergé's visual inspiration became obvious.[3]) Hergé later said, "People say that ... Tintin looks like my younger brother. That's possible ... All I can say is that during my childhood ... I observed him a lot. And that, no doubt, is the explanation why Tintin borrowed his character, his gestures and attitudes."[4]

A few years after Hergé discovered the joys of Scouting, he became the unofficial artist for his Scout troop and drew a Boy Scout character for the magazine Le Boy Scout Belge. This young man, whom he named Totor, travelled the globe and righted wrongs, all without ruffling his Scout honour.[5] As was the format for European comics at the time, the drawings of Totor did not move the story along; they simply illustrated a story printed in the text below.[6]

Tintin appeared after Hergé got his first job working at the Catholic newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle, where his editor challenged him to create a new serialised comic for its Thursday supplement for young readers. Totor had been very much in Hergé’s mind; its new comic character would be, Hergé himself later said, "the little brother of Totor ... keeping the spirit of a Boy Scout."[4] Amid the experience of working in a busy newspaper, reading the exploits of the famous, often roguish reporter Albert Londres further influenced Hergé.[7] As well, the news of Palle Huld, the 15-year old Danish Boy Scout world traveller would not have escaped Hergé's notice;[8] Tintinologist Philippe Goddin stated that it is "probable" Hergé was inspired by Huld's A Boy Scout Around the World.[9]

Hergé had seen the new style of American comics[10][nb 1] and was ready to try it. The new comic would be a strip cartoon[11] with speech bubbles,[12][nb 2] featuring young reporter Tintin with the investigative acumen of Londres, with the travelling abilities of Huld, and with the high moral standing of Totor; the Boy Scout traveling reporter that Hergé would have liked to be.[13]

Characterisation

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Occupation

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From Tintin's first adventure, he lives the life of a campaigning reporter.[14] He is sent to the Soviet Union, where he writes his editor a dispatch (longer than any editor would want).[15] He travels to the Belgian Congo, where he engages in photojournalism. When he travels to China, the Shanghai News features the front-page headline, "Tintin's Own Story". In a later adventure, with notebook in hand, he questions the director of the Museum of Ethnography over a recent theft. Sometimes Tintin is the one being interviewed, such as when a radio reporter presses him for details, "In your own words." But aside from a few examples, Tintin is never actually seen consulting with his editor or delivering a story.[15]

As his adventures continue, Tintin is less often seen reporting and is more often seen as a detective, pursuing his investigative journalism from his base at No. 26 Labrador Road.[14] Other characters refer to him as Sherlock Holmes, as he well exhibits a sharp intellect, an eye for detail, and powers of deduction. Like Holmes, he is occasionally a master of disguise, and in Rastapopoulos even has an archenemy.[16]

Tintin's occupation drifts further in later adventures, abandoning all pretence of reporting news and instead was making it—in his new role of explorer.[17] Clearly unencumbered with financial preoccupations, he is ensconced as a permanent house guest in the stately Marlinspike Hall with retired mariner Captain Haddock and batty Professor Calculus.[14] Tintin occupies all of his time with his friends, exploring the bottom of the sea, the tops of the mountains, and the surface of the Moon (sixteen years before astronaut Neil Armstrong).[18] Through it all, Tintin finds himself cast in the role of international social crusader, sticking up for the underdog and looking after those less fortunate than himself.[19]

Outward appearance

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Tintin, on the cover of Tintin and the World of Hergé by Benoit Peeters

The image of Tintin—a round-faced[20] young man running with a white fox terrier by his side—is easily one of the most recognisable visual icons of the twentieth century.[21] In his first appearance, Tintin is dressed in a long travelling coat and hat, a few pages later adopting his familiar plus fours, check suit, black socks, and Eton collar. (Hergé remembers a Canadian student at his college who was teased for wearing plus fours and Argyll socks; certainly an inspiration.[22]) At first, the famous quiff is plastered to Tintin's forehead, but after a particularly vigorous car chase, his quiff is out and remains so.[23] By the time he arrives in Chicago for his third adventure, both Hergé and his readers feel they know Tintin well, and he was to change little in either appearance or dress.[24] Hergé was once asked by Numa Sadoul how the character Tintin developed; he replied, "He practically did not evolve. Graphically, he remained an outline. Look at his features: his face is a sketch, a formula." [24] [nb 3]

Name

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Hergé never explained why he chose Tintin as the name for his hero. Clearly, he liked the alliteration, as in the name of his earlier character Totor. Tintin appears to be his surname, as other characters, such as his landlady, occasionally refer to him as Mr. Tintin (as printed on his doorbell).[26] The answer comes from a childhood recollection from Hergé's boyhood of a character named Tintin Lutin, created by children's author Benjamin Rabier. Hergé later graciously acknowledged an influence by Rabier's work. "It's true. When I was young, I admired Benjamin Rabier enormously."[26]

Age

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The next question posed by readers is Tintin's age. He remains young throughout, despite the passage in Hergé's career of some 50 years.[26] Naturally, Tintin's independence is one of his major attractions.[27] The answer in brief is that Tintin is as old as each reader thinks.[26] In 1970, Hergé attempted to give an answer. "For me, Tintin hasn't aged. What age do I give him? I don't know ... 17? In my judgement, he was 14 or 15 when I created him, Boy Scout, and he has practically not moved on. Suppose he put on 3 or 4 years in 40 years ... Good, work out an average, 15 and 4 equals 19."[28]

Skills and abilities

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There is no car, motorcycle, aeroplane, or tank that Tintin cannot drive, fly, or steer.[29] Given the opportunity, Tintin is at ease driving any automobile, has driven a moon tank, and is comfortable with every aspect of aeroplanes. He is also a skilled radio operator with knowledge of Morse code.[29] He packs a solid punch to a villain's jaw when necessary, demonstrates impressive swimming skills, and is a crack shot.[30] As the first man on the moon, he proves himself a highly adept and courageous engineer and scientist.[29] More than anything else, Tintin is a quick thinker and an effective diplomat. Tintin is simply an all-rounder, good at almost everything, which is what Hergé himself would have liked to be.[31]

Personality

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Tintin is an intrepid young man of high moral standing, with whom his audience can identify.[1] His rather neutral personality permits a balanced reflection of the evil, folly, and foolhardiness that surrounds him, allowing the reader to assume his position within the story rather than merely following the adventures of a strong protagonist.[32] Tintin's iconic representation enhances this aspect, with Scott McCloud noting that it "allows readers to mask themselves in a character and safely enter a sensually stimulating world."[33]

Tintin is above all honest, decent, compassionate, and kind.[31] He is also modest and self-effacing, which Hergé also was, and is the loyalist of friends, which Hergé strove to be.[31] The reporter may occasionally become too tipsy before facing the firing squad (in The Broken Ear) or too angry when informing Captain Haddock that he nearly cost them their lives (in Explorers on the Moon). However, he has tremendous spirit and, in Tintin in Tibet, monk Blessed Lightning appropriately gives him the name Great Heart.[31] By turns, Tintin is innocent, politically crusading, escapist, and finally cynical.[34] If he had perhaps too much of the goody-goody about him, at least he wasn't priggish; Hergé admitting as much, saying, "If Tintin is a moralist, he's a moralist who doesn't take things too seriously, so humour is never far away from his stories."[35] It is this sense of humour that makes the appeal of Tintin truly international.[34]

Reception

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The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By the time of the centenary of Hergé's birth in 2007,[36] Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies.[37]

Awards

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On 1 June 2006, the Dalai Lama bestowed the International Campaign for Tibet's Light of Truth Award upon the character of Tintin, along with South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.[38] The award was the Dalai Lama's recognition of Hergé's book Tintin in Tibet. Accepting on behalf of the Hergé Foundation, Hergé's widow Fanny Rodwell stated, "We never thought that this story of friendship would have a resonance more than 40 years later".[38]

Tintinology and literary criticism

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Main article: List of books about Tintin

The study of Tintin is known as Tintinology.[39] A leading Tintinologist is Philippe Goddin, Belgian author of numerous books on the subject, including Hergé and Tintin, Reporters and the biography Hergé: lignes de vie.[40] In 1983, Benoît Peeters published Le Monde d'Hergé, subsequently published in English as Tintin and the World of Hergé in 1988.[41] The English reporter Michael Farr brought Tintinology to the English language with works such as Tintin, 60 Years of Adventure (1989), Tintin: The Complete Companion (2001),[42] Tintin & Co. (2007)[43] and The Adventures of Hergé (2007),[44] as had English screenwriter Harry Thompson, the author of Tintin: Hergé and his Creation (1991).[45]

Controversy

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Tintin's earliest stories naively depicted controversial images, with Tintin engaging in racial stereotypes, animal cruelty, violence, colonialism, and even fascist leanings, including ethnocentric caricatured portrayals of non-Europeans.[46] Later, Hergé made corrections to Tintin's actions, for example, substituting Tintin dynamiting a rhinoceros with one in which the rhino accidentally discharges Tintin's rifle, and called his earlier actions "a transgression of my youth."[47]

Legacy

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As observed by Tintinologist Michael Farr, "Hergé created a hero who embodied human qualities and virtues but no faults. The Adventures of Tintin mirror the twentieth century but Tintin himself is a beacon of excellence for the future."[31] Tintinologist Harry Thompson said Tintin is "almost featureless, ageless, sexless, and did not appear to be burdened with a personality. Yet this very anonymity remains the key to Tintin's gigantic international success. With so little to mark him out, anybody from Curaçao to Coventry can identify with him and live out his adventures. Millions have done so, both adults and children, including the likes of Steven Spielberg, Andy Warhol, Wim Wenders, Françoise Sagan, Harold Macmillan and General de Gaulle, who considered Tintin his only international rival."[11]

On 3 May 1983, when Hergé passed away at 76, for many it was Tintin who died that day.[48] For all who had shared in the young reporter's adventures, a portion of their lives had suddenly come to an end. Leading French and Belgian newspapers devoted their front pages to the news, illustrating it with the famous panel from Tintin in Tibet of Tintin shedding a tear; a vibrant testimony to the deep and everlasting importance of Tintin.[48]

Adaptation

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Tintin as he appears in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

Tintin has appeared in real-life events staged by publishers for publicity stunts. Tintin's first live appearance was at the Gare du Nord station in Brussels on 8 May 1930, towards the end publication of the first adventure, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. Fifteen-year-old Lucien Pepermans dressed to play the part and travelled with Hergé to the station by train. They were expecting only a handful of readers but instead found themselves mobbed by a whole horde of fans.[49][nb 4] Fourteen-year-old Henri Dendoncker appeared as Tintin returning from Tintin in the Congo.[51][nb 5] Others have played Tintin returning from the adventures Tintin in America and The Blue Lotus.

Actress Jane Rubens was the first to play Tintin on stage in April 1941. The plays, written by Jacques Van Melkebeke, included Tintin in India: The Mystery of the Blue Diamond and Mr. Boullock's Disappearance. She was later replaced by 11-year-old Roland Ravez, who also lent his voice to recordings of the Cigars of the Pharaoh and The Blue Lotus. Jean-Pierre Talbot played Tintin in two live-action movie adaptations: Tintin and the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964). Canadian actor Colin O'Meara voiced Tintin in the 1991 The Adventures of Tintin animated TV series, which originally aired on HBO and subsequently on Nickelodeon. In 2005, English actor Russell Tovey played the role at the London Barbican Theatre for a Young Vic adaptation of Tintin in Tibet.[53]

Tintin is performed by Jamie Bell in the 2011 3D motion capture Hollywood movie The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, directed by Steven Spielberg, which merges plots from several Tintin books.

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Léon Degrelle, Rexist leader, protégé of Hitler, and foreign correspondent of Le Vingtième Siècle, was acquainted with Hergé and sent him "local newspapers in which there were American strip cartoons. That's how I came across my first comics." (Hergé, in an interview in the newspaper La Libre Belgique)[10]
  2. ^ Belgian readers had never seen speech bubbles before; they were a new American idea. Hergé virtually pioneered their use in Europe. [12]
  3. ^ Should the reader examine any image of Tintin in his comic strips, they will find he is always moving from left to right, advancing the story. Obstacles come at him from right to left, and when Tintin moves in that direction he is usually experiencing a setback.[25]
  4. ^ Some seventy years later, in 2000, Pepermans, now living in a retirement home, was guest of honour at a meeting of the Amis d'Hergé ("Friends of Hergé"), hosted by Jean-Pierre Talbot, former Tintin actor.[50]
  5. ^ On 9 July 1931, Boy Scout Henri Dendoncker dressed in African safari gear and played the part for Tintin's return from the Congo. He appeared with a fox terrier representing Snowy, accompanied by Hergé, ten Congolese, and two other boys dressed as Quick & Flupke.[52] Later, during World War II, Dendoncker served with Britain's SOE. Captured by Nazi Germany, he survived the concentration camps, was decorated by the Queen, and became a British citizen under the name "Henri Dark".[51]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Farr 2007, p. 11.
  2. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 16, 19.
  3. ^ Thompson 1991, p. 19.
  4. ^ a b Farr 2007, p. 16; Sadoul 1975.
  5. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 17, 25–26.
  6. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 25–26.
  7. ^ Farr 2007, p. 13; Thompson 1991, p. 39.
  8. ^ Liljestrand 2012.
  9. ^ Jensen 2012.
  10. ^ a b Farr 2007a, p. 53.
  11. ^ a b Thompson 1991, p. 34.
  12. ^ a b Thompson 1991, p. 7.
  13. ^ Farr 2007, pp. 13–14.
  14. ^ a b c Thompson 1991, p. 119.
  15. ^ a b Farr 2007, p. 15; Thompson 1991, pp. 38–39.
  16. ^ Farr 2007, p. 15.
  17. ^ Thompson 1991, p. 147.
  18. ^ Farr 2007, pp. 15–16.
  19. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 24, 77.
  20. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 81.
  21. ^ Lofficier & Lofficier 2002, p. 9.
  22. ^ Thompson 1991, p. 35.
  23. ^ Farr 2007, p. 16.
  24. ^ a b Farr 2007, p. 18.
  25. ^ Thompson 1991, p. 71.
  26. ^ a b c d Farr 2007, p. 17.
  27. ^ Thompson 1991, p. 18.
  28. ^ Farr 2007, p. 17; Sadoul 1975.
  29. ^ a b c Farr 2007, p. 19.
  30. ^ Farr 2007, p. 20.
  31. ^ a b c d e Farr 2007, p. 21.
  32. ^ Walker 2005.
  33. ^ McCloud 1993, p. [page needed].
  34. ^ a b Thompson 1991, p. 299.
  35. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 35–36.
  36. ^ Pollard 2007; Bostock & Brennan 2007; The Age 24 May 2006; Taipei Times 22 May 2007.
  37. ^ Farr 2001, p. 4.
  38. ^ a b BBC News 2 June 2006.
  39. ^ Wagner 2006; Freer 2010.
  40. ^ La Libre 2007.
  41. ^ Peeters 1989.
  42. ^ Farr 2001.
  43. ^ Farr 2007.
  44. ^ Farr 2007a.
  45. ^ Thompson 1991.
  46. ^ Farr 2001, p. 22.
  47. ^ Thompson 1991, pp. 38, 49.
  48. ^ a b Lofficier & Lofficier 2002, p. 11.
  49. ^ Goddin 2008, p. 67.
  50. ^ La Dernière Heure 2003.
  51. ^ a b Slater 2009.
  52. ^ Sadoul 1975.
  53. ^ Barbican 2005.

Bibliography

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  • Bostock, Sarah; Brennan, Jon (10 January 2007). "Talk of the toon". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  • Farr, Michael (2001). Tintin: The Complete Companion. London: John Murray Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7195-5522-0.
  • Farr, Michael (2007). Tintin & Co. London: John Murray Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4052-3264-7.
  • Farr, Michael (2007a). The Adventures of Hergé (first published 2007 by John Murray Publishers Ltd.) (Re-release ed.). Last Gasp. ISBN 978-0-86719-679-5.
  • Freer, Ian (December 2010). "The Boy with the World at his Feet". Empire. pp. 70–80.
  • Goddin, Philippe (2008). The Art of Hergé, Inventor of Tintin: Volume I, 1907–1937. Michael Farr (translator). San Francisco: Last Gasp. ISBN 978-0-86719-706-8.
  • Jensen, Jacob Wendt (22 December 2012). "Tintin en eventyrerefter dansk forbillede" [Tintin an adventurer on the Danish model]. Berlingske. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  • Liljestrand, Jens (22 August 2012). "Palle Huld: Jorden rundt i 44 dage" [Palle Huld: Round the Earth in 44 Days]. DN.se. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  • Lofficier, Jean-Marc; Lofficier, Randy (2002). The Pocket Essential Tintin. Harpenden, Hertfordshire: Pocket Essentials. ISBN 978-1-904048-17-6.
  • McCloud, Scott (1993). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Northampton, Massachusetts: Kitchen Sink Press. ISBN 978-0-87816-243-7.
  • Peeters, Benoît (1989). Tintin and the World of Hergé. Michael Farr (translator). Methuen Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-416-14882-4.
  • Pollard, Lawrence (22 May 2007). "Belgium honours Tintin's creator". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  • Sadoul, Numa (1975). Tintin et moi: entretiens avec Hergé [Tintin and I: Interviews with Hergé] (in French). Casterman. ISBN 978-2-08-080052-7.
  • Slater, Daniel (27 July 2009). "Le vrai héros de Tintin au Congo" [The Real Hero of Tintin in the Congo (Archived from the original)]. Brussels: Le Soir. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  • Thompson, Harry (1991). Tintin: Hergé and His Creation. London: John Murray Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84854-672-1.
  • Wagner, Erica (9 December 2006). "Tintin at the top". The Times. London. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  • Walker, Andrew (16 December 2005). "Faces of the week". London: BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  • "Ce mysteriéux Monsieur Hergé" [That Mysterious Mister Hergé]. La Dernière Heure. 2003.
  • "Centennial of Tintin's Hergé noted". Taipei Times (which reprinted the story without attribution). 22 May 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  • "Dalai Lama honours Tintin and Tutu". BBC News. 2 June 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  • "Hergé's Adventures of Tintin at the Barbican Theatre". Barbican.org.uk. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  • "Les "lignes de vie" d'Hergé" [The "Life Lines" of Hergé]. La Libre. 25 October 2007.
  • "Tintin creator's centenary". The Age. Australia. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
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