Tintin and Alph-Art
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| Tintin and Alph-Art (Tintin et l'alph-art) |
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 Cover of the English edition |
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| Publisher | Casterman |
|---|---|
| Date | 1986 |
| Series | The Adventures of Tintin (Les aventures de Tintin) |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Hergé |
| Artist(s) | Hergé |
| Original publication | |
| Language | French |
| Translation | |
| Publisher | Sundancer |
| Date | 1990 |
| Translator(s) | Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Tintin and the Picaros, 1976 |
Tintin and Alph-Art (French: Tintin et l'alph-art) is the twenty-fourth and final book in the Tintin series, created by Belgian comics artist Hergé. It is a striking departure from the earlier books in tone and subject, as well as in some parts of the style; rather than being set in a usual exotic and action-packed environment this story is largely played out in the world of modern art.
Hergé worked on the book until his death in 1983, and it was published posthumously (despite its unfinished status) in 1986 by Casterman in association with La Fondation Hergé, and was republished in 2004 with further material.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1976, a few months after the publication of Tintin and the Picaros, Hergé told the journalist and author Numa Sadoul that he was contemplating the next adventure of Tintin — setting an entire story in an airport departure lounge. This idea was eventually dropped, and in 1978, he decided to set the story in the world of modern art. During later years Hergé had grown more and more interested in modern art, even attempting it a few times himself as a hobby; so he chose to incorporate his love of avant-garde artwork into the new story. Hergé was inspired by the Ferdinand Legros and Elmyr de Hory affair, and incorporated a second element, a new age sect and a phoney guru. He planned to cast Rastapopoulos as the villain, but according to Harry Thompson, dropped the idea in 1980 when he introduced the alphabet art element. Still, it is a theory that the villain Ramó Nash may be Rastapopoulous in yet another one of his disguises.
[edit] Storyline
The story opens with Captain Haddock having a nightmare of being visited by Bianca Castafiore, who demands that he take his "medicine" (a bottle of Loch Lomond). When he refuses, as he still cannot stand the beverage after the events of the previous book, Castafiore turns into a huge bird-like creature and begins to attack Haddock. Fortunately, Tintin manages to wake him up, and then receives a telephone call from the real Castafiore, who tells him that she has arrived in Belgium for a few days. She continues her conversation with Tintin, telling him about her new spiritual leader, Endaddine Akass, with whom she intends to stay at his villa in Ischia, an island off the coast of Naples.
Later that morning, Captain Haddock comes across Castafiore in a Brussels street, and in order to avoid her, dashes into the nearby Fourcart Gallery, where he meets Jamaican avant-garde artist Ramó Nash (the master of 'Alph-Art') and the owner of the gallery, Henri Fourcart. Fourcart displays considerable interest in meeting Tintin. At the gallery, Haddock is pressured into purchasing a perspex letter 'H' ('Personalph-Art') created by Nash. That evening, when Haddock returns to Marlinspike, he and Tintin watch a news report about their old friend Emir Ben Kalish Ezab, who, flushed with oil profits, arrogantly plans to buy Windsor Castle from the British government and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The same news programme then features a report on the suspicious death of art expert Jacques Monastir, who is presumed drowned off the coast of Ajaccio, Corsica.
The next morning, Tintin learns that Fourcart was killed in a car accident, apparently en route to visit him. He visits the gallery to "make a few enquiries" and meets Martine Vandezande, the gallery assistant, who wears large glasses and a strange pendant resembling two E's lined back to back. She discusses the death of her former employer and her conversation with Tintin is recorded by a reel-to-reel tape recorder hidden under the counter. Tintin then visits the Garage de l'Avenir at Leignault, where the mechanic tells him the location of Fourcart's car crash. Tintin drives there on his motor scooter and is pursued by a black Mercedes. At the scene, Tintin discovers the 'accident' to be no such thing; Fourcart was murdered. The drivers of the black Mercedes then make a botched attempt on Tintin's life. He returns to Marlinspike and tells the Captain about the events of the day.
The next morning, Tintin returns to the gallery and accuses Miss Martine of telling his attackers he was going to visit Leignault. However, she bursts into tears, suggesting to a shocked Tintin that she may be innocent. On his way home, Tintin sees a poster in the street advertising a conference — 'Health and Magnetism' — to be held by the mystic Endaddine Akass, who is shown on the poster wearing a pendant similar to Miss Martine's. That evening, Tintin and Haddock attend the meeting, where they see not only Miss Martine (a follower of Akass's movement) but also the Thompson twins and Mr Sakharine (from The Secret of the Unicorn) in attendance. During the ceremony, Tintin recognises the voice of Akass, but cannot place it. He and Haddock encounter Miss Martine as she leaves the conference. Tintin asks her about the pendant that she wears, which was given to her and "magnetised" by Akass. Believing that he is beginning to understand the affair, Tintin informs Miss Martine the next morning of his plan to unmask Fourcart's murderers. Late that evening, he arrives, carrying a red lamp, at the old Fréaux factory, where he had arranged to meet an informer. Tintin lights his lamp, and the "informer" shoots at him. He avoids injury, and attempts to arrest the informer, who is saved when an accomplice knocks Tintin unconscious. He awakes in hospital with Haddock at his bedside, to whom he explains his revelation - there is a micro-transmitter concealed in the pendant worn by Miss Vandezande. Tintin infers that Endaddine Akass gave the unwitting Miss Martine the pendant in order to spy upon Fourcart and senses that he is inextricably linked to his death.
The next morning (despite doctor's orders), Tintin visits each of the other occupants in the apartments that house the Fourcart Gallery. He visits the occupants under the pretence of conducting a survey on solar power, and recognises a particularly rude resident as Akass's assistant at the meeting. Knowing that he has been recognized, Akass's assistant sends Tintin away and telephones someone - he agrees to "take care of" Tintin. The next morning, Tintin leaves the Hall for the village on his motor scooter, and is pursued by the same men who had attacked him in the Mercedes. They shoot at Tintin, whose scooter careens off-road and crashes into a tree. Before the would-be assassins can confirm if Tintin was killed, Haddock, having heard the gunfire, arrives in his car, causing them to flee. Once they are gone, Tintin climbs down from his hiding place inside a pollarded willow. Tintin, Haddock and Calculus later assess the situation around the table. Tintin concludes that the entire affair revolves around Endaddine Akass, and that they should find out more about him. Remembering Castafiore's telephone call several days earlier, he decides to go to Ischia, where Akass has a villa.
Upon their arrival, Tintin and Haddock spy out the land, observing Akass's villa from a distance, where they see Ramó Nash (the pioneer of 'Alph-Art' from whom Haddock bought his perspex 'H'). At their hotel, Tintin receives a threatening telephone call warning him to leave the island, and Haddock receives one from Castafiore, who has discovered their presence on the island, and, informing them that Akass is in Rome for a few days, invites them to the villa. The next morning, they arrive at the villa, where Castafiore introduces them to a number of her friends — the debutante Angelina Sordi, the corrupt industrialists Mr Gibbons (from The Blue Lotus) and Mr Trickler (from The Broken Ear), Emir Ben Kalish Ezab (from Land of Black Gold), Luigi Randazzo (a singer), and Ramó Nash. Tintin and Haddock stay the night at the villa on Castafiore's insistence.
Tintin is woken by a noise in the middle of the night, and looking out of the window, sees men loading canvases into a van. Intrigued, he explores the villa. In a huge room he comes across a number of paintings by the great masters — Modigliani, Léger, Renoir, Picasso, Gauguin and Monet — and discovers them all to be forgeries. He is discovered by Endaddine Akass, who uses Ramó Nash's 'Alph-Art' as a front for large-scale art forgeries. He admits to ordering the 'disappearance' of Monastir and Fourcart, who were aware of his activities (and in Fourcart's case, wanted to expose them to Tintin), and states that as Tintin knows too much, he will have to die too. Akass tells Tintin that in order to kill him, he will have liquid polyester poured over him, so that he may be turned into a statue, be 'signed' by César, and authenticated by an expert. The "expansion" piece, entitled "Reporter", will then be sold to a museum or a rich collector. Tintin is led away by one of Akass's men to a cell, where he is locked up. He manages to make contact with Snowy, who is outside the cell. He writes a note to the Captain and throws it to Snowy through the bars on the window. Night passes, and in the morning, Tintin is awoken by Akass's bodyguard. As the guard leads Tintin out of the cell, he says,
| “ | "Get moving! It's time for you to be turned into a 'César'..." | ” |
Ironically, it is at this point that Hergé's storyline ends, and what was going to happen next is unknown.
[edit] Re-discovered pages
In the 2004 edition of the book, nine additional pages are included which present alternative ideas for the story. The most significant include:
- A change of lifestyle for Captain Haddock — becoming infatuated with a minimalist painter, Ramó Nash, changing his style of dress, transforming the house, and growing hashish in the cellars at Marlinspike. Haddock and Tintin are accused of drug smuggling, and an investigation takes place in Amsterdam.
- Painting and narcotics; at the Sondenesian embassy (see Flight 714) a 'grand soirée' is held, which is attended by ambassadors for Saboulistan, San Theodoros, Borduria and Syldavia. Dr. Krollspell (also from Flight 714) makes a reappearance, as director of a 'brown sugar factory'.
- Captain Haddock suffers from neurasthenia because he can no longer drink whisky. He takes up painting, and becomes infatuated with the painter Ramó Nash. Calculus invents a product which will allow Haddock to drink whisky again, but during trials, he loses all his hair and blotches appear on his face.
- Endaddine Akass is revealed as Rastapopoulos. This is not confirmed in the actual book, so there is much speculation as to whether Hergé would have used this idea.
- Background information is given of Akass — we learn he is involved with Emir Ben Kalish Ezab, an idea not pursued fully in the story.
- An alternative page featuring Rastapopoulos — this would have taken the place of pages 39-40.
- Haddock is invited to an exhibition by the painter Ramó Nash. A number of old acquaintances attend, such as Dawson (The Blue Lotus), the Bird brothers (The Secret of the Unicorn) and Carreidas (Flight 714).
[edit] Influences
- Endaddine Akass was based on the real-life character of Ferdinand Legros.
- Ramó Nash was based on the real-life Elmyr de Hory.
- Martine Vandezande's appearance seems to be have been based on the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri. Her surname may have been taken from the name of a publishing house, l'imprimeur Vandezande, which published a Tintin calendar in 1946.
[edit] Hergé's legacy
Upon his death, Hergé left around one hundred and fifty pages of pencil sketches for the story. These were edited by a team of experts, including Benoît Peeters, Michel Bareau and Jean-Manuel Duvivier, resulting in forty-two pages of sketches. The album, therefore, only presents the scenarios and sketches of an interrupted tale. However even in its rough state, it is testimony to the extraordinary narrative and graphic talent of Hergé. The story can appear a little disjointed and convoluted at times, although one must remember that Hergé would have recast and edited the story countless times before it was finished.
It is possible that the scenes set at Marlinspike would have been reduced in favour of balance of the story — in the original manuscript, Tintin, Snowy and Haddock do not leave for Ischia until page 31. Furthermore, the scene involving Tintin and Mrs Laijot was marked for possible cutting (20bis on the original manuscript, meaning an additional page 20).
Bob de Moor, Hergé's main assistant, showed an interest in completing the book following Hergé's death. It was not such a surprising request; de Moor had worked with Hergé since 1951, was responsible for running the studios in his absence, adapted the animated film Tintin and the Lake of Sharks into comic-strip form, and worked on the previous book Tintin and the Picaros with Hergé alone. In de Moor's words, "Personally I would have loved to finish Alph-Art. It would have been a tribute to Hergé. Fanny Remi asked me to finish it, and I began work on it, but after a few months she changed her mind. I didn't insist, but for me it was logical that there was a studio, there were artists in the studio, Casterman asked for it to be finished, there were twenty-three finished books, that one story was not finished; so I had to finish it."
[edit] Publication history
The book was first published in English in 1990 by Sundancer. Unusually — but understandably given the nature of the unfinished artwork with Hergé's original hand-written text — the translations do not replace the original text. They are presented separately in a supplementary booklet included with the book. This was a very lavish publication, but unfortunately, very expensive to produce.[citation needed]
The 2004 edition, published by Egmont, uses an entirely new layout, mixing Hergé's pages with the text and enlarged frames to highlight parts of the story. It is in the same format as the standard albums — a hardback book, sixty-two pages in length, and is readily available in the UK. The same edition was published in 2007 by Little,Brown.
Otava published the 2004 edition in Finland in 2006. It's called 'Tintti ja aakkostaide' in Finnish. It features golden covers and also some of the additional pages.
It is rumoured that there is enough content in the Hergé Foundation archives to produce a third edition of the book.[citation needed]
[edit] Pirate editions
A number of pirated versions of the story exist, finished by other artists. The first was produced by an artist under the name of 'Ramó Nash'. The second, and more renowned, is by Canadian artist Yves Rodier. Originally drawn and printed (privately) in black and white, a colour version was produced a few years ago. A variant colour English translation of Rodier's version is in circulation, published by 'Rackham'. Both colour and black and white editions command high prices at auction. Rodier re-did some of his cruder panels to make it more akin to Herge's style and re-released it on CD-ROM later, but this is the hardest version to find. Rodier's version came the closest to being labelled 'official' — he met with Bob de Moor, who shortly before his death discussed the possibility of working with Rodier on a version. This was never realised, despite Rodier's obvious ability and the involvement of de Moor.
[edit] Implied Romance in Rodier's Version
One major departure from the Tintin canon on the part of Rodier--and a hotly debated issue among Tintinologists--is the frame on pg. 61 of Rodier's version that shows Martine Vandezande apparently asking Tintin out on a date. While we never find out if Tintin actually accepted that date, the idea that Tintin, a boy sans romantic feelings, would actually involve himself with a girl is considered utterly preposterous. Some speculate that Martine was not intended to be as young, attractive, or even as significant in the original book as she is in Rodier's version. There are a select few Tintinologists who are in favor of Martine and Tintin's pairing, while others are staunchly opposed to it. To many Tintinologists, this implication of romance in the Rodier version is the most abhorrent aspect of the book and completely kills the spirit of the world of Tintin.
[edit] Publication details
[edit] French
- Hergé, Tintin et l'Alph-Art (Casterman, 84pp, 1986) - ISBN 2-203-01701-5
- Hergé, Tintin et l'Alph-Art (Casterman, 62pp, 2004) - ISBN 2-203-00132-1
[edit] English
- Hergé, Tintin and Alph-Art (Sundancer, 94pp, 1990) - ISBN 0-9512799-2-0
- Hergé, Tintin and Alph-Art (Egmont, 64pp, 2004) - ISBN 1-4052-1448-1
Note: the first English edition of the book, published by Sundancer, is now out of print.
[edit] References
- Lofficier, Jean-Marc & Randy (2002) The Pocket Essential Tintin - ISBN 1-904048-17-X
- Thompson, Harry (1991) Tintin - Hergé & His Creation - ISBN 0-340-52393-X
- Goddin, Philippe (2004) Hergé, Chronologie d'une œuvre (Tome 5) - ISBN 2-87424-052-4
[edit] External links
- Tintin and Alph-Art at Tintinologist.org
