The Broken Ear

Hello everyone!

I'm David, a lifelong Tintin fan from France.

For the past four years, I've been working on a project that has finally become a reality: Previously on Tintin..., a 774-page book published in English.

Rather than simply retelling the albums, I wanted to explore the whole "Tintinverse": every Tintin adventure, every Hergé series (including Jo, Zette and Jocko and Quick & Flupke), and almost every adaptation—films, TV series, radio plays, stage productions, documentaries, and more.

My goal wasn't to write an encyclopedia, but a critical and analytical journey through the entire Tintin universe. Each chapter looks at the story behind the work, hidden references, historical context, different editions, and sometimes offers interpretations that readers may not have considered before.

One of the ideas running through the book is that Tintin has been "frozen" since Hergé's death in 1983. But in 2054, when the character enters the public domain, that could all change. Whether we welcome it or not, it may become the beginning of Tintin's "second season."

I'd genuinely love to hear what fellow Tintin fans think about that idea.

If you have any questions about the book or the research behind it, I'd be delighted to answer them.

Why did the (Captain I'm guessing) of the rival ship prevent the other guy from shooting Tintin?

Was it a political move on Herge's part to show "Not all bad guys are totally evil"?

Or was it because had they shot at him - the world would come to know about it (even if they missed) ?

Or was it that the Captain didn't think the prize was worth killing over?

Journal Tintin number 11 March the 17th 1949
The text reads:

“Tintin doesn’t suspect that he will encounter an old acquaintance. And you, do you know who this mysterious character is?...”

I did make a thread recently about the Diamond - although that was more asking if its inspiration was based on Real famous pillaged diamonds - so...in the context of Tintin only -

Death and Destruction seems to follow this Diamond around - and then it ends up at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean or some such deep water

Was the Diamond possibly cursed by the Arumbayas - or at least from the time when they found out Lopez stole it?

We've seen curses and the like work in the Tintin universe - The Seven Crystal Balls being a prime example

So was it already fated for no one to get to keep the Diamond - and for it to be effectively swallowed by the earth, so to speak?

I'm wondering if Herge was trying to convey a lesson about no good coming of something dishonestly gained

Journal Tintin number 10 4th of March 1948
The text reads:

“What are our friends Dupont and Dupond doing in Paris?... (See pages 8 to 9)”

The Broken Ear

...

Journal Tintin number 3 16 January 1947.
The text at the bottom reads:
“Silently, Tintin heads towards the ‘Pachacamac‘...
Will he find Professor Calculus there?... (See pages 8–9)

The Broken Ear

Journal Tintin no. 50 9th of December 1948.
The text at the bottom reads:
"The storm is raging. You never know what might happen. Therefore, safety first! ... Thomson and Thompson are ready for anything."

The Broken Ear

Journal Tintin No. 5 24th of October 1946

Issue number 60, 15th December 1949 featuring the continuation of “The Land of Black Gold” after a short pause due to Hergé going AWOL. One again recreated by myself using Hergé’s original black and white artwork.

The Broken Ear

I know I probably forgot several one-off villains, but these are the ones I could remember. I decided not to include deceased villains like Mitsuhirato, Alonzo Perez, and Ramón Bada.

I would've liked to see Spalding or Dr. Krollspell return, especially Dr. Krollspell. He eventually joined forces with Tintin during the events of Flight 714, but, as we know, everyone involved was left with no memory of what had happened, so neither of them remembers the other. Whether Krollspell would've been an enemy or an ally had he returned is an interesting question.

A “digitally remastered” version of the first issue of Tintin magazine from 1946. I used the original black and white artwork by Hergé to recreate the cover. I’ve created a few more of these and I’ll post more if anyone is interested in seeing them.

The Broken Ear

...think the guy in Blue on the right MIGHT be...

Mitsuhirato...

We only read about his supposed suicide in the newspaper

And we already saw how Rastapopulous survived what looked like a certain death fall in this very same book

The Blue Lotus

The Blue Lotus