Hergé: Father of Tintin

Born in 1907 near Brussels, young Georges Remi was a turbulent child passionate about drawing. During World War I, he was exposed to the German occupation. His adolescent passion for scouting led to the publication of his first drawings in Belgian scout magazines. He then adopted the pseudonym Hergé, formed from the initials of his last and first names (RG). In 1925, he began working for the newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. In 1928, the newspaper entrusted him with the responsibility of launching Le Petit Vingtième, a youth supplement featuring comic strip pages. In this weekly publication, Hergé created several characters. The most famous of them, Tintin, was born in 1929. From the first weeks of publication, this young reporter’s adventures became a resounding success in Belgium.

In 1932, Hergé married his first wife, Germaine Kieckens. At the beginning of World War II, Belgium was annexed by Nazi Germany. Le Vingtième Siècle ceased publication, and Hergé was hired by the newspaper Le Soir, which became a collaborationist newspaper under the occupation. After the Liberation, Hergé was suspected of collaboration and antisemitism, like many people who had worked at Le Soir. He was banned from publishing for a time. The creation of Éditions du Lombard in 1946 allowed for the distribution of the Journal de Tintin and Hergé’s return, appointed as the project’s artistic director.

From the 1950s, the Tintin phenomenon gained worldwide prominence. Adaptations and merchandise appeared as early as 1959. Exhausted by several episodes of depression and health problems, Hergé could no longer maintain the same productivity as before. In 1977, he divorced and remarried Fanny Rodwell, who now owns part of the rights to her husband’s work. Hergé passed away in 1983 at the age of 75.

The Adventures of Tintin: Hergé’s Major Work

In 1929, Hergé created the character Tintin while looking for new character ideas to include in Le Petit Vingtième. Tintin’s appearance was probably inspired by the character of Totor, drawn by Hergé between 1926 and 1930 for Le Boy-Scout Belge. He would take this young reporter and his faithful dog Snowy on numerous investigations around the world. The first took place in the USSR and was titled Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. The idea was suggested to Hergé by the director of Le Vingtième siècle, Norbert Wallez, who was hostile to communist ideas and a fervent admirer of Mussolini. This weekly comic gained popularity in Belgium and attracted the attention of the publishing house Casterman. Hergé signed a contract with them in 1934 to compile and publish The Adventures of Tintin in album form.

It was around this time that the author began conducting more in-depth research for his stories. His meeting and friendship with the sculptor Zhang Chongren, then a student, influenced his way of telling the story of The Blue Lotus. Hergé collaborated with other well-known comic book authors, such as Edgar P. Jacobs and Jacques Martin. The latter helped with graphic redesign and colorization but also advised Hergé on Tintin’s stories. The last adventure, Tintin and Alph-Art, was published posthumously and remains unfinished. Nearly a hundred languages have translated the series, which has sold several hundred million copies.

Here is a summary table of The Adventures of Tintin compiled in 24 albums:

There have been numerous cinematic adaptations of Tintin. He has also been the subject of several animated adaptations. We can mention the original stories created in the 1960s, such as “Tintin and the Golden Fleece” (1961) and “Tintin and the Blue Oranges” (1964). These were played by real actors, with Jean-Pierre Talbot in the role of Tintin. A computer-animated film directed by Steven Spielberg, “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” was released in 2011. In 1972, the original animated story “Tintin and the Lake of Sharks” made its debut. Finally, there are two notable animated series that adapt the Tintin comics. The first, “The Adventures of Tintin, based on Hergé,” began in 1959 and ended in 1964. It was produced by Belvision Studios. However, the most well-known today remains the second, “The Adventures of Tintin,” which began in 1991 and is more faithful to Hergé’s albums. Ellipse and Nelvana’s Franco-Canadian collaboration produced it.

Other Comic Book Series Created by Hergé

Although Hergé is primarily known for The Adventures of Tintin, he is also the creator of other comic book series. Chronologically, “The Adventures of Totor, C. P. of the Cockchafers” are the first stories he published starting in 1926. Totor, a resourceful scout, has many similarities with Tintin and seems to have been a source of inspiration for the latter’s creation. From the creation of Le Petit Vingtième, Hergé drew “The Extraordinary Adventure of Flup, Nénesse, Poussette and Cochonnet” (1928-1929), a story centered on several children and their inflatable pig.

In 1930, a year after Tintin began publication, Hergé decided to create a new comic, but with a shorter format, “Quick and Flupke.” Centered on the pranks of two children living in Brussels in the Marolles district, the series enjoyed some success during the first five years. Like the Tintin albums, it underwent colorization and graphic redesign, then was compiled into 12 volumes by Casterman. In 1934, “Popol and Virginia in Rabbitland” was published.

It follows the journey of two bear cubs in the conquest of the West. Finally, in “The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko” (1936), two siblings and their faithful chimpanzee Jocko experience adventures around the world. The series consists of a total of five volumes, once again published by Casterman.