5 - HERGÉ

HERGÉ The Adventures of Tintin Coke in stock Graphite pencil on paper for four panels taken from the preparatory sketch for panel 8 of this album, published in 1958 by Casterman. First published in the magazine Tintin No. 51, December 19, 1956. Sketches on the reverse depicting Séraphin Lampion and Nestor (he is reading a book by Nietzsche, but the artist does not specify which one…), corresponding to the first strip in the Tintin magazine version. Hergé also wrote a few introductory lines, which he framed and then crossed out: “Happy peoples (and people) have no history, they say, and no stories! Thus, the Captain, Snowy, and Tintin [?] happy and peaceful days in Moulinsart. Until the day Tintin and the Captain went into town, to the movies… That’s when the adventure began… But enough chatter… Let the show begin. Or let the movie begin, where the great film ends… ” It’s not very often that you get to see Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus together in Moulinsart. And contrary to what the Captain says, the Professor isn’t fooling around. The Dupondts have just rung the doorbell, and Abdallah, that “little angel,” must be hiding somewhere, lying in wait. 31.5 x 23 cm. Professor Calculus is a man of many talents. All by himself, in what was then his modest workshop, a small shark-shaped submarine that more than proved its worth when it came to finding the treasure of a 17th-century pirate; he designed a rocket capable of carrying men to the Moon and bringing them back; and he also developed an ultrasonic device that got him into some trouble, as ill-intentioned foreign powers hoped to turn it into a formidable weapon. Furthermore, it should be noted that it is thanks to his generosity that the former home of the Chevalier de Haddock was returned to his descendant. Here he is, then, zigzagging cheerfully from one room to another, while Tintin and Captain Haddock were hoping to enjoy their breakfast in peace. They do not seem all that surprised by this thunderous arrival, for previously they had already had to deal with Abdallah, the well-mannered and well-behaved son of Emir Ben Kalish Ezab, who had recently settled in, along with his entire entourage, in the grand parlor at Moulinsart. Calculus is clearly not very comfortable when it comes to using roller skates; the experience may be a first for him, and despite commendable efforts and the seriousness befitting a scholar of his caliber, he has a hard time keeping his balance. Fortunately, Tintin is there to catch him and prevent him from falling to the ground. Anyone who knows Professor Calculus knows that he is an extremely conscientious man of science—albeit a bit absent-minded—who isn’t in the habit of wasting his time: there must be something behind his morning acrobatics… “Well, it’s quite simple, but I can’t tell you anything yet—it’s a secret!” he explains to Haddock, who is quite annoyed. Is he working on a new invention? It’s likely. Does he intend to make some improvement to what is nothing more than a children’s toy? To find out, we’ll have to wait until the end of the story. HERGÉ