Tintin Forums

Forgive me if a thread already exists for this subject, but this issue is really bewildering me.

I understand that the strange continuity in the Tintin books is partly caused by them being re-drawn long after the books were written, but this does cause some strange anomlies, as I'm sure we all know. The most glaring has to be in the Cigars of the Pharaoh, where the sheik (sorry, his name eludes me) proves what big a Tintin fan he is by showing our laddie a copy of Destination Moon. Yet, this is in a book where Tintin encounters Thompson and Thomson for the first time. Hmmm. Added to this is the Rastapopoulos element, as highlighted elsewhere in this site.

Second, The Black Island occurs early in the official Tintin continuity. But in its redrawn form the story clearly takes place in the late 1960s - a Rover P6s and (beautifully drawn) Austin 1100, jet airliners, etc.

Could anyone suggest an alternative chronology, explaining these oddities. Just as an academic exercise, you understand...

Aye

According to The Complete Companion, The Black Island was reworked in the 1966 version at the insistence of Methuen in London. They felt that Hergé's depiction of Britain needed to be more up to date and accurate if it was to succeed. Apparently there were 131 errors of detail in the 1943 edition they insisted should be put right.

Also, on Cigars of the Pharaoh.

Note that Snowy says: "I'd rather settle for Marlinspike" before Tintin meets Captain Haddock.

Many of the Tintin works were re-worked: the most dramatic change was when a whole part of Land of Black Gold was omitted because it was too controversial.

Many of the Tintin works were re-worked: the most dramatic change was when a whole part of "Land of Black Gold" was omitted because it was too controversial.

For the record, it wasn't controversy which forced Hergé to change the storyline, but rather outdatedness... The publishers felt that the British withdrawal from their Palestine mandate was no longer topical in the 1970's (Israel had already been around for some decades), so the story was moved to a fictional country.

Elsewhere on this site, I posted a long discussion about the lack of internal continuity within the original version, though...

Although the most glaring error would definitely be won by Patrash Pasha fishing out 'Destination Moon', another is when they're at the Hippodrome in 'Seven Crystal Balls', listening to La Castafiore sing. Tintin says, "She seems to follow us around!", citing a list of places where they've been/seen her- amongst which are the Red Sea ('Red Sea Sharks') and Borduria ('The Calculus Affair')- both adventures which take place AFTER 'Crystal Balls'.

Another thing which also puzzles me, again to do with Castafiore- in 'The Calculus Affair', Archie practically breaks both their necks disappearing round a corner so they won't run into the diva. While this is consistent with his behaviour after he meets her (and she develops a massive crush on him), it doesn't make sense at this point. This is the time of their first meeting, where she first muddles his name, to mispronounce it ever after.

If he doesn't know her at this point- and has little reason to suspect Tintin 'knows' her (Castafiore has a habit of believing the whole world is her friend- endearing, I've always thought) why would he hide from her?

The point you mention about continuity in The Seven Crystal Balls music hall sequence was not an error but to do with the order of the English publications - see this thread.

All these mentions of incidents yet to happen (Pasha in Cigars, references of where Tintin and Haddock have met Castafiore etc) in the series bug me, I must admit. Why were they put there? There was absolutely no need to, and it just messes up continuity in my opinion.

Putting this dialogue in is one thing, but why would Hergé draw Haddock diving to escape her?

There's another in Crystal Balls... Tintin and Haddock meet up with Alcazar in his changing room and Tintin comments "You remember my friend, Captain Haddock?". How could he when they've never met? >_>

Possibly because Red Sea Sharks was translated into English before Crystal Balls and the English translators wanted some continuity for the readers.