Minor characters in The Adventures of Tintin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Adventures of Tintin has several minor characters:
[edit] Professor Hector Alembick
Professor Hector Alembick is a sigillographer - that is, an expert on seals - who appears in King Ottokar's Sceptre. Tintin meets him when returning a briefcase which the professor had forgotten on a park bench. Professor Alembick - a bespectacled, chain-smoking academic - tells Tintin of his desire to visit Syldavia to research an ancient seal belonging to the Syldavian monarch King Ottokar IV that he had discovered recently; he subsequently hires Tintin as a secretary to accompany him on his journey. On the day before the trip, Alembick calls Tintin by telephone; in the midst of the conversation, Tintin hears a struggle and a cry for help before the connection is cut short. When Tintin rushes to the professor's apartment to investigate, he is startled to find the professor calmly packing his bags. Although Alembick's appearance seems unchanged, subtle changes in his behavior lead Tintin to suspect that something is amiss. At the end of the album, Tintin discovers that Hector Alembick had indeed been kidnapped and impersonated by his twin brother Alfred (who has unimpaired vision and does not smoke). His name is a pun on Alembic.
[edit] The Bird brothers
The Bird brothers, two brothers named Max Bird and G. Bird (Bird being English slang for time spent in prison i.e. Max Bird meaning a long sentence and G suggesting Gaol (jail) Bird), are the main adversaries in The Secret of the Unicorn. They, like Tintin, are looking for three scrolls to unlock the secret of Red Rackham's treasure. They operate from their manor, Marlinspike Hall, where at one point they hold Tintin hostage and threaten him with torture, convinced he is behind their failure in collecting all three scrolls. Amongst their other crimes is attempted murder, as Max shot their helper, Barnaby, just before he could tell Tintin of their plot. The Bird Brothers were captured by Thompson and Thomson. Max escaped, but was later caught by the police, trying to leave the country.
In Red Rackham's Treasure, Max Bird escapes again and is spotted near the Sirius, a boat used by Tintin in the search of Red Rackham's treasure. He never moves to strike, supposedly due to the presence of Thompson and Thomson. The Bird brothers have not been seen since, though they were depicted in sketches for the never finished Tintin and Alph-Art.
[edit] Mr. Bohlwinkel
Mr. Bohlwinkel is a financier who appears in The Shooting Star. As the owner of the Bohlwinkel Bank of São Rico and a petroleum firm called Golden Oil, he uses his wealth and resources to attempt to beat Tintin in the race to find a recently fallen meteorite. Apart from financing the exploratory vessel Peary, he (unsuccessfully) attempts to sabotage the competing expedition's ship Aurora by depositing lit dynamite on its deck, instructing another ship under his control - the S.S. Kentucky Star - to ram the Aurora during a storm, refusing to allow the Aurora to refuel at a Golden Oil depot, and sending a fake S.O.S. to throw the Aurora off course. The Shooting Star ends with a dismayed Mr. Bohlwinkel listening to a radio announcement revealing that the police are on his trail.
It is conspicuous that Bohlwinklel has the exact physiognomy of the stereotypical Jew in Nazi propaganda; in the original edition of The Shooting Star, moreover, he was referred to as "Blumenstein" and his bank was explicitly stated as being located in New York. In later editions of the album, Herge attempted to alter the financer's antecedents by relocating him to a fictitious South American country, changing his name to a Belgian dialect word for a sweet shop - Bolwinkel - and modifying the spelling of the new name. Alas, he subsequently learned that Bohlwinkel is also a Jewish surname. Several other changes were made in later editions of The Shooting Star.
[edit] Mr. Bolt
A joiner who appears in The Castafiore Emerald, he was hired by Captain Haddock to fix the broken step in Marlinspike Hall. However, Mr Bolt is an immensely lazy man and he tends to put off the repairs due to many reasons he gives, namely: catching the flu, his cousin's marriage, etc. Because of his put-offs, the Captain has been thinking about finding someone else, but, strangely, never gets around to doing that either. Mr. Bolt was one of the people who sent the Captain a telegram when a magazine article about the Captain about to marry Bianca Castafiore was published. At the end of the book, Mr. Bolt finally comes and fixes the broken step. However, the Captain trips up on the step, instantly undoing Mr. Bolt's work!
[edit] Laszlo Carreidas
A wealthy business tycoon, Laszlo Carreidas is kidnapped (along with his new jet) by Rastapopoulos in Flight 714. His unassuming figure notwithstanding, Carreidas is revealed to be a cunning individual with a long history of unscrupulous behavior not limited to the business world; he is not above cheating Captain Haddock at a game of Battleships with the help of a closed-circuit television.
Carreidas is the owner of a brand of soft drink called "Sani-Cola" (a pun on the French pronunciation of "Saint Nicolas"), which apparently contains chlorophyll. The healthfulness of this beverage is brought into question when the whisky-loving Captain Haddock discreetly empties a cup forced upon him by Carreidas into a potted plant that wilts dramatically immediately thereafter.
Carreidas' name is a pun: carré d'as means 'four aces' in French. Accordingly, the logo on the tail of his Carreidas 160 supersonic business jet consists of four aces. This aircraft appears to be a combination of a Gates Learjet and the Mirage G swing-wing fighter, and possibly is the purest - and most practical - example of the concept to date. It was designed by Roger Leloup, an artist working in the Studios Hergé.[1]
It seems that Hergé based Carreidas on Marcel Dassault, who possessed a similar combination of wealth, aeronautics engineering genius, and quaint notions of fashion (Dassault's wardrobe remained frozen in the mid 1930s).
[edit] Captain Chester
An old friend of Captain Haddock, Captain Chester is a gruff merchant skipper with red hair and a bushy red moustache. He first appears in The Shooting Star in Iceland, where he bumps into Captain Haddock at the docks and launches into a bizarre greeting ritual with Haddock which Tintin interprets as a fight. However, Haddock and Chester warmly clasp hands and take Tintin to a local bar to reminisce over a bottle of whisky. Chester is captain of the Sirius, a merchant trawler, and uses his trawler to secretly refuel Haddock's research vessel in Iceland. Chester later lends his ship to Haddock while the latter searches for the casket of jewels taken from the pirate Red Rackham by one of Haddock's ancestors. He is briefly mentioned in "The Seven Crystal Balls".
[edit] Chiquito
Chiquito appears as the sidekick of General Alcazar in The Seven Crystal Balls. Later, in Prisoners of the Sun, it is revealed that Chiquito is actually the High Priest of the Sun God of an Inca temple in Perú. One night, at the home of Calculus's friend Professor Tarragon, Chiquito hides himself in the trees after casting a spell on Tarragon. In the morning, Calculus is kidnapped by Chiquito and his men. Chiquito takes the professor to Perú and Tintin and Captain Haddock go after them.
Chiquito is known to be a practitioner of black magic. He casts a spell on all seven members of the Sanders-Hardiman expedition, and holds them in a drug-induced trance. He is also able to torture them remotely from his temple. His real name is Rupac Inca Huaco and he is one of the few remaining descendants of the Incas.
[edit] Cutts the Butcher
- In French: fr:Boucherie Sanzot
The local butcher shop where calls from Marlinspike Hall usually connect to first by accident, as the butchers' number of 431 is frequently mistaken for 421 to Marlinspike. Marlinspike Hall is similarly plagued by incoming calls from customers who have dialled the wrong number, infuriating the mansion's inhabitants by endlessly calling to order lamb chops and sausages.
The delivery man from the butcher plays a vital (but invisible) role in The Calculus Affair by offering Professor Calculus a lift to the village just in time to save him from a Bordurian kidnapping attempt.
[edit] The Fakir
This unnamed fakir appeared in Cigars of the Pharaoh, and was a high-ranking member of an opium smuggling ring. He created the dangerous Rajaijah Juice, the "poison of madness," and among his talents were hypnosis, the Indian rope trick and escapology (to the point where he was offended by Tintin thinking he could tie him up). The fakir caused Sophocles Sarcophagus and Mr. Zloty to go mad with his poisoned darts, and made an attempt on the Maharajah of Gaipajama, though Tintin had placed a dummy in the Maharajah's bed which took the dart instead. Once Tintin unmasked the members of the ring, the fakir helped the head of the ring (later revealed to be Rastapopoulos) escape, but was captured when a falling rock knocked him out. In the next book, The Blue Lotus, the fakir was never actually seen, but it was mentioned that he escaped from prison, and probably poisoned a messenger sent to warn Tintin against Mitsuhirato.
[edit] Irma
- In French: fr:Irma
The maid of Bianca Castafiore. In The Castafiore Emerald, she went with Bianca Castafiore and her pianist Igor Wagner to Marlinspike Hall. Castafiore describes her as a faithful, loyal and honest maid. Despite giving a meek impression, she has a strong sense of personal pride. When Thompson and Thomson accuse Irma of stealing Castafiore's emerald, in the titular album, she becomes very angry and assaults the Thompsons with a walking stick.She also appears in The Calculus Affair as La Castafiore's maid.
[edit] Kronik and Klumsi
Kronik and Klumsi are inept Bordurian secret service agents ostensibly assigned by Colonel Sponz to ensure Tintin and Captain Haddock's safety and well-being during their visit to the Bordurian capital Szohôd. Like the KGB agents on whom they are presumably based, their real objective is to prevent the visitors from making indiscreet inquiries in their hunt for Professor Calculus. Tintin and Haddock neutralize the agents by plying them with drinks at dinner and then locking them in their respective hotel rooms.
[edit] Arturo Benedetto Giovanni Giuseppe Pietro Archangelo Alfredo Cartoffoli da Milano
The mad Italian driver in The Calculus Affair, who eagerly helped Tintin and Captain Haddock go after the Syldavian agents that have kidnapped Professor Calculus. When they finally stopped the Syldavian car, however, they didn't find Calculus inside as he was hidden in a secret compartment. This greatly upset Arturo who then accused that Tintin and the Captain made the story up to get free ride. He has great pride in Italian cars and being an Italian driver, which he claims "number one in the world".
[edit] Professor Decimus Phostle
The director of an observatory who calculates the end of the world at 8.12½a.m. the morning after the night Tintin went to the observatory to inquire about a large, bright star he saw in Ursa Major in The Shooting Star. He turns out to be wrong, however, in his calculations, as the meteor supposed to collide with the Earth instead passed 48,000 km away. Instead, a piece of the meteor broke off and collided with the Earth, not destroying it but still causing an earthquake. Professor Phostle discovers an unknown metal in the meteorite that fell in the Arctic Ocean which he names phostlite. An expedition was organised to find the meteorite including Tintin and Captain Haddock. Despite a rival exedition trying to get the upper hand, the group was successful in finding the meteorite and studying phostlite.
[edit] Puschov
- In French: fr:Wronzoff
Apparently of Russian origin, Puschov is the leader of the international gang of counterfeiters in The Black Island. He is also the master of Ranko, a gorilla inhabiting the gang's hideout on the Black Island whose nightly screams inspired legends of the island being occupied by a murderous beast.
[edit] Sanders-Hardiman Expedition Members
They are members of an expedition which brought an Incan mummy named Rascar Capac back to Europe in The Seven Crystal Balls. The members of the expedition are: Peter Clarkson (photographer), Professor Sanders-Hardiman, Professor Reedbuck, Mark Falconer, Professor Paul Cantouneau (who made an appearance in The Shooting Star), Doctor Midge (director of the Darwin Museum), and Professor Hercules Tarragon, who has the Rascar Capac mummy in his possession. They were cursed by the Incas as punishment for the theft of the mummy. They were put into comas and made to suffer nightmares by Chiquito. The Expedition's members were saved by Tintin who visited the Incas' temple to save Professor Calculus, who was also kidnapped by them.
[edit] Sophocles Sarcophagus
- In French: fr:Philémon Siclone
Sophocles Sarcophagus is an absent-minded Egyptologist in search of the tomb of the Pharaoh Kih-Oskh whom Tintin meets on a cruise ship at the beginning of Cigars of the Pharaoh. Later in the album, he goes mad and imagines himself to be the Pharaoh Rameses II; he is eventually committed to a sanitarium in India for treatment. He does not appear in any other Tintin stories.
[edit] Bobby Smiles
- In French: fr:Bobby Smiles
Chicago boss of the rival gang fighting Al Capone. Smiles makes an appearance in Tintin in America and he and the reporter go after each other throughout much of the story. Smiles even manages to turn the American Indians against Tintin. He is eventually captured and sent to the police by Tintin.
[edit] Tharkey
Tharkey is a Sherpa guide who helps Tintin locate the ill-fated Patna-Kathmandu flight carrying Chang Chong-Chen in Tintin in Tibet.
Although reluctant to risk the perilous attempt to find Chang, whom he believes to be dead, Tharkey leads Tintin and the Captain to the crash site of the aircraft. After initially leaving the site to return to his village, he feels guilty for leaving them alone and returns just in time to save Tintin and Haddock, who are stranded on a cliff in a storm. However, he subsequently breaks his arm and must remain convalescing at a Buddhist monastery while Tintin and the Captain continue their search for Chang.
[edit] Professor Topolino
A scientist who is an expert in ultrasonics with whom Professor Calculus arranged to meet with in The Calculus Affair to talk about his ultrasonic invention that is capable of shattering glass and china and a full scale model presumably metal, bricks, concrete and other stronger materials. When Tintin and Captain Haddock first meet him, he was bound and gagged in his cellar. After he is freed and given an explanation of the recent events, Professor Topolino reveals that he received two letters from Calculus regarding his invention and arranged to meet with him. But on that day, an intruder pretending to be Calculus bound and gagged Professor Topolino and left him in the cellar. The intruder would then pretend to be Professor Topolino and kidnap Calculus when he arrived. A minute after Professor Topolino finished explaining, his house was blown up by the enemy. However, everyone survived.
[edit] Igor Wagner
- In French: fr:Igor Wagner
The quiet pianist working with Bianca Castafiore. In The Castafiore Emerald he is discovered to be a gambler who bets by telephone on races in secret. He has a small moustache and dresses formally in black with black shoes. After the thievery of Castafiore's emeralds, his attempts to help more often than not incriminated himself, as his footprints were found near Castafiore's window, he was suspiciously rummaging in the attic, and later broke a step on the staircase. He also tries to sneak out of his hour-long training sessions (dictated by Castafiore). His surname is probably a reference to the opera composer Richard Wagner.
[edit] Christopher Willoughby-Drupe and Marco Rizotto
- In French: Jean-Loup De La Batellerie and Walter Rizzotto
Two reporters working for the magazine Paris Flash. They first appear in The Castafiore Emerald, where - to the fury of Captain Haddock and the amusement of Bianca Castafiore - they write a sensational article for their magazine speculating that the captain and the diva are engaged. They later appear in Flight 714 and Tintin and the Picaros. Rizotto makes a small appearance in the redrawn version of The Black Island.
[edit] Wang Chen-Yee
- In French: fr:Wang Jen-Ghié
Chinese leader of the Sons of the Dragon brotherhood, opposed to the Japanese occupation of China. He is first seen observing Tintin defend a Chinese boy from being beaten by rich racist Gibbons in The Blue Lotus. Wang Chen-Yee sends his son to secretly defend Tintin from the numerous assassination attempts by Mitsuhirato. His son is tragically made mad by the Rajaijah juice (see Cigars of the Pharaoh). He eventually adopts Chang, another friend, as his own second son. Wang Chen-Yee is also mentioned in the newspaper notice that prompts Tintin's rescue mission in Tintin in Tibet.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Leloup biography at Dupuis website
| The Adventures of Tintin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation of Tintin · Books, films, and media · Ideology of Tintin | ||||
| Characters: | Supporting · Minor · Complete list | |||
| Miscellany: | Hergé · Marlinspike · Captain Haddock's exclamations | |||
