INTRODUCTION

Tintin is the main character and the young hero of Hergé's most famous comic series. There was a predecessor called "Totor", who in some respects resembles Tintin.

Tintin first appeared in 1929 in the newspaper "Le Petit Vingtième". He lives at Marlinspike Hall (Moulinsart) as Captain Haddock's guest and has got a pet dog called Snowy (Milou), who is his faithful companion. "Tintin" is probably the young reporter's last name, although his first name is never mentioned. He has no family and it is difficult to determine his age, for he is neither a teenager nor an adult. Some people estimate his age at about 17, other critics think he is a bit older.

Tintin is constantly struggling for the weak and trying to defeat evil. He is always ready to risk his life for the sake of those who are in danger. His ability to pardon everybody gave him the name "coeur pur" (pure heart) in Tibet. Tintin is very devoted to his friends and he prefers to analyse a situation before he acts. He is an extremely intelligent and imaginative person, who deals easily with foreign languages and also reads a lot. In addition to this he feels at ease in all sorts of disguises and is good at driving automobiles and motorcycles as well as locomotives and armoured cars. He practises gymnastics and even yoga, he is a good shot and perfect at horseback riding and swimming. In spite of his thin appearance he has got a high physical strength and always wins when fighting with his enemies.

The Tintin albums are very popular. They have been translated into more than 40 different languages and millions of copies have been sold all over the world. To explain this phenomenon one very often speaks of the universal and ageless character of Tintin. Tintin has been through half a century full of history and events that have modified the political, social and economic aspect of the world, but still his adventures seem timeless and are read by young and old, no matter of what sort of nationality, religion or political views.

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Captein Haddock is Tintin's best friend (two legged) and travel companion. His first appearance in "The crab with the golden claws" is unforgetable. At first Haddock appears to be a drunken no-good pathetic clown. This impression improves throughout the story. His vocabular is mildly speaking interesting. I can't think of any other comic character who actually comes close to Haddock when it comes to swearing. Haddock's drinking comes sort of under control, but now and then his taste for Lochlomond endangers his and Tintin's lives. Haddock later becomes the owner of the castle Moulinsart, where he intends to live a quiet life....

THE SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS

Tournesol(Professor Calculus) is this series odd professor. His mind is sharp as a knife, but his social censors are totally disfunctional, not beeing helped by his bad hearing. In his first appearance, he has constructed a device for exploring under the sea. The thing looks like a shark, but proves valuable throughout the story. ("Rackham den Rødes skatt"). Tournesol is the man who constructs the rocket which brings Tintin, Haddock and Snowy to the moon. Although hhe seems like a quiet and week man, the opposite was proven when Haddock accidentily called Tournesol a "sprellemann". The professor raged and berserked. This is a scene worth remembering!!

Dupond and Dupont (Thompson and Thomson) are two police investigators we are so fortunate to meet several times throughout the adventures of Tintin. You will have to search for a long long time, to find imbesils like these. The main feature of the Duponds are their amazing abillity to misunderstand everything. They are exeptionally bad at both dressing and disguising, tending to overdo it every time. The Duponds are slow of nature, which makes them repeat themselves alot. They aren't particularly coordinated as brother either. Now and then they even mess up things for our hero Tintin. The Duponds have once appeared in Asterix..................

Some persons who make a single appearance in a Tintin album may be seen playing the same role in other stories or even come back in other comic series of Hergé's.

Tintin hasn't always lived at Marlinspike Hall. Before moving to Captain Haddock's residence, he lived at 26, Labrador Road. Mrs Finch was his landlady during that period.

Hergé's first girlfriend was named Milou. This gave him the inspiration to call Tintin's pet Milou as well, which is translated in English with Snowy.

In "Les cigares du pharaon" (Cigars of the pharaoh) Tintin has got another pet next to his dog. It is a parrot and appears only once as Tintin's pet in the Tintin comic series.

Captain Archibald Haddock appears for the first time in "La crabe aux pinces d'or" (The crab with the golden claws). He is the president of the S.S.S. (Society of Sober Sailors).

One of Haddock's best friends is Cuthbert Calculus, whose original French name is Tryphon Tournesol. Calculus debuts in "Le trésor de Rackham le Rouge" (Red Rackham's treasure) and from that moment on would always be protected by Tintin and the Captain.

Thomson and Thompson, called "Dupond et Dupont" in French, may be seen in the background of the opening scene of "Tintin au Congo" (Tintin in the Congo), but definitely start their roles in "Les cigares du pharaon". The only physical difference that allows the reader to keep the two cops apart from each other is the form of their moustaches. Thomson's is straight while Thompson's curls slightly outwards at the ends. A strange illness comes over the Thom(p)sons in "Au pays de l'or noir" (Land of black gold), consisting of colourful, non-stop growing hair, which was caused by some aspirin pills and which comes back in "On a marché sur la lune" (Explorers on the moon). The Thom(p)son characters are adopted in the Astérix volume "Astérix and the Belgians".

THE AUTHOR

The first album to be published in Norway was "The crab with the golden claw" in 1972. This is also the story where Haddock is introduced to Tintin and the readers. Originaly this album was number 9 in the series.

Hergé's style was strong and precise. He did things his own way. His albums are characterised by order and dicipline. In the later years a series that recemble Tintin and Hergé's work has arrived. The scimilarity is so imminent, that several readers have remarked it. Especially this goes for the second album. "Det finnes ikke gorillaer på Guernsey". It is very alike Tintin "The black Island". The mentioned Tintin album is even part of the story. The author is ironic on his own behalf, and does not try to hide that this is an attempt of reviving Tintin. Doesn't happen though!