The Many Births of Tintin

An exclusive extract from Herge: The Man Who Created Tintin by Pierre Assouline.

Chapter 3: The Many Births of Tintin, 1929-1934

Hergé came to comic illustration the year that silent films began to speak. In 1930, Charlie Chaplin had just screened City Lights, unanimously acclaimed as his masterpiece. Hergé had obviously been among his admirers. His “The Lovable Mr. Mops,” eight comic strips drawn for the Bon Marché Department Store in Brussels, were entirely conceived around gags dealing with romance and flirtation. The main character is a short mustachioed man, wearing a derby hat a size too small, a shabby jacket, pants abnormally short, and sometimes carrying a cane. He is touchingly awkward and luckless. The resemblance goes beyond coincidence.

For Walt Disney it was also a decisive year. Unlike Otto Messmer, the creator of “Felix the Cat,” in a partnership with Pat Sullivan, who took care of the business, Disney was both creator and entrepreneur. His third animated film starring Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, was a success. But it was only the beginning. His new series of musical shorts, Silly Symphonies, would be received with popular enthusiasm and would have influence worldwide, ranging from the works of Hergé to those of Osamu Tesuka, the precursor of Japanese mangas.

In France, illustrated adventures would have an enormous impact on the press. Messmer’s Felix the Cat and Disney’s Mickey Mouse would be serialized in numerous newspapers. At the same time, three new publications for young readers made their appearance: Benjamin, edited by Jean Nohain; Rick and Rack, created by the publisher Fayard; and Coeurs Vaillants (Brave Hearts), launched by L’Union des Oeuvres. In 1930, Father Courtois, the editor of Coeurs Vaillants, traveled to Brussels to win the exclusive serial rights to Tintin in France.

In October, Coeurs Vaillants started publishing “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.” The motto of this paper, whose roots were ecclesiastic, pleased Hergé: “For Brave Hearts Nothing Is Impossible.” However, there was an immediate conflict between the editors and Hergé, who would never tolerate anyone touching his illustrations. To better explain the action, the editors added a narrative caption beneath his drawings, a throwback to the old “Bécassine” format. Hergé protested vigorously, but the editors turned a deaf ear. The publication would prove decisive for the international career of Hergé.

Herge: The Man Who Created Tintin by Pierre Assouline is a brand new biography being launched this week in the UK and in the USA in a couple of week’s times. Published by Oxford University Press. It is available on Amazon.co.uk and on Amazon.com.

Text (c) Pierre Assouline and used with permission.
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