Herge
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Tintin
Publishing | Stanley Pignal takes a look at the transformation of the Tintin brand since the death of Hergé in 1983, as the cartoonist’s widow Fanny Vlamynck and her husband Nick Rodwell drastically changed merchandising strategies. In the process, the prickly Rodwell has become a controversial figure, running afoul of fans and journalists alike in his effort to exert control over Tintin’s image.
Of particular interest is a brief profile of Bob Garcia, a novelist and fan who published a series of books examining Hergé’s possible inspirations for Tintin. Garcia believed he could legally reproduce a few copyrighted illustrations for the purpose of critique, but Moulinsart saw things differently: The writer is now fighting to keep his home as penalties and legal fees mount. [Financial Times]
Crime | Danny Wayne Barton, owner of Kryptonite Komics in Carbon Hill, Alabama, was arrested Thursday after he allegedly sold marijuana to police informants on four separate occasions. Three of those incidents reportedly occurred in Barton’s shop, which also sells smoking devices as the Good Karma Store. The 38-year-old retailer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison on four counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance within a three-mile radius of a school. [Daily Mountain Eagle]
- May 10, 2010 @ 08:07 AM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Tintin subway murals
Tintin mural
Yet another reason to visit Belgium before you die.
- July 28, 2009 @ 09:02 AM by Chris Mautner
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.
- July 24, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
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.
- March 6, 2009 @ 09:25 AM by Kevin Melrose
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
- January 10, 2009 @ 12:40 PM by Chris Mautner