TinTin Books discussion

The Crab with the Golden Claws sees Tintin investigate the death of a drunken man - a seemingly innocuous crime which leads him to the Karaboudjan, a ship of opium-smugglers who hide their quarry in crab meat, and the ship's alcoholic captain (unaware of his crew's extra-curricular activities): one Archibald Haddock. A journey through the Sahara to Morocco uncovers a wave of drug smugglers, and bonds Tintin with his new companion.

In 1939, Hergé started work on Land of Black Gold but ran into two problems: first, his magazine "Le Petit Vengtieme" closed down. Second, the album was perceived to have too many nasty political implications for the heightened tensions of World War II. As such, the serial was abandoned mid-publishing, and Herge found himself writing a new story, "The Crab with the Golden Claws", for "Le Soir". The final pages were published on a daily basis, heralding another change in working method for the artist.

The story was finished in 1941, and published in black-and-white that same year. Only two years later, it received the colour treatment. "Tintin" was now a hot commodity, although it would be another decade before he would begin to receive his English-language translations.

Of course, one of the story's biggest contributions to the series was the introduction of Captain Haddock, an expletive-spewing but loveable alcoholic who would become Tintin's closest human friend. The Captain was a hit with both readers and the author himself, and would remain a presence until the series' end some forty years later.

"The Crab with the Golden Claws" was translated by Methuen in 1958. It was the first album to be filmed: in 1947, it was adapted into a stop-motion animated film in Belgium, but received little reception due to the sudden bankruptcy of those involved. In 1959, it was one of the albums produced as a series of five-minute TV episodes by Belvision. Decades later, it was adapted again as a two-part episode in the 1990s animated series. The plot of this album - along with The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure - will be featured in Steven Spielberg's 2011 3-D film "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn". An accompanying video game, utilising the albums' plots, will also be released in 2011.

Links:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crab...

Tintinologist: http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/b...

24 Days of Tintin: http://tintinblog.com/2009/11/27/24-d...

Places visited or mentioned in "The Crab with the Golden Claws" (with some thanks to Wikipedia):

* Brussels, Belgium
* Antwerp, Belgium
* Bagghar, French Morocco

(This is Tintin's last reported trip to Africa, although he will make it back to the Middle East in Land of Black Gold)

FACTS AND REVIEW

Facts from Michael Farr's Tintin: The Complete Companion:

* As someone who stayed in Belgium after the start of World War II (at the call of the Belgian King Leopold's call for people to return), Herge was setting himself up for controversy. He never sympathised with Nazis, but "Le Soir" itself was staffed by collaborators and it would be a black mark. His friend and editor Raymond De Becker resigned under Nazi oppression. But in the short term, "Le Soir" was a boon for Tintin as it heightened Herge's readership considerably.

* Later, in the hands of the American censors, the ship's African-American hand Jumbo became white, and Haddock was just a bit less alcoholic.

* Due to the comparative shortness of the strip itself, several pages had to be added to the final copy (the only time this was required), which included several half- and full-page prints.

Review:

Unfortunately, due to the circumstances of Nazi-occupied Belgium, constraints forced "The Crab with the Golden Claws" to fall back a bit, after the heights reached by King Ottokar’s Sceptre.

There is a lot to appreciate: Herge's artistry was continually improving, particularly so now that he was aware of the colour endgame that would result from each adventure. Particularly notable are the full-page drawings added to the final version.

Captain Haddock has perhaps the best introduction of any character throughout the series. He is a weak, broken alcoholic who initially distrusts Tintin, going so far as to assault him in mid-flight! His gradual growth toward beloved character is noteworthy and clever. (Even now, upon re-reading, it's jarring to think that this drunk man in the ship's hold will become our second hero!)

While the depiction of the Sahara, Morocco and the ocean is beautiful and vivid, the Arab cultures are less well-defined than those of Syldavia. And it must be said that things take a while to get going. The opening pages are enjoyable to read, but give no sign of the overarching plot that never really materialises.

Herge has certainly come a long way from the days of "chase-capture-escape-chase" that prevailed in Tintin in America, and this is evident in his characters, and in the appearance of a driving plot. But at heart, there are really several set-pieces here. It's not bad, but Herge was stuck writing something less political than he was used to, and sadly it forced his writing style back a stage or two. Not a mis-step, but certainly a pause in proceedings.

I really like this one too, but captain Haddock has much better adventures later on. The one with the sticking plaster, for instance. Tintin in the desert is always good fun and well drawn. Never really thought about the political aspects before though!

Oh, how I love the sticking plaster...

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