Comic Book Resources

Straight for the art | Tintin subway murals

Tintin mural

Yet another reason to visit Belgium before you die.

Straight for the art | To be precise, this is not a pipe

My dear Thompson!

The Ephemerist found this charming Magritte/Herge mash-up created by Karl Meersman to celebrate the recent openings of two new museums in Belgium that honor each artist.

Tintin and the $1.3 million luxury sub

Red Rackham's Treasure

Professor Calculus' shark-shaped minisub from The Adventures of Tintin has become a reality -- albeit a pricey one.

The Deep Flight Super Falcon, designed by Graham Hawkes, possesses two sets of wings and two tail fins that allows it to do barrel rolls with dolphins while traveling at speeds of up to 6 knots.

The base price, CNN reports, is $1.3 million. Another model, with open cockpits, is available for $350,000.

Calculus' shark-shaped submarine first appeared in 1943 in The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham's Treasure, by Herge. In the story, the eccentric scientist offers the use of his invention so that Tintin and Captain Haddock won't be harassed by sharks while searching for a sunken ship.

Calculus' submersible also plays a role in the 1927 animated film Tintin and the Lake of Sharks and its comic-book adaptation, which Hawkes cites in the CNN article.

Today is Tintin's 80th birthday

Tintin and Snowy

I plan on celebrating by buying a white Scottie dog, befriending an inebriated sea captain and thwarting a string of drug smugglers and slave traders. All the while being pursued by two identical policemen. Then I'll read this BBC article.

Ironically, when it comes to Tintin the person, it is perhaps his very internationality that is his undoing. Euro-characters who do well in the States - James Bond, but also those portrayed by Hugh Grant and Gerard Depardieu - often play on national stereotypes and foible-laden sophistication. Herge, however, went out of his way to deny Tintin any specific Belgicite, underlining rather his international features.

And then I'll go to Tibet.

Tintin in Tibet