King Ottokars Sceptre (Adventures of Tintin) [Hardcover]

Herge (Author)

Book Description

The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin) is a series of comic strips created by Belgian artist Herge the pen name of Georges Remi (1907 1983). The series first appeared in French in Le Petit Vingtieme, a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle on 10 January 1929. Set in a painstakingly researched world closely mirroring our own, Herge's Tintin series continues to be a favorite of readers and critics alike 80 years later.
The hero of the series is Tintin, a young Belgian reporter. He is aided in his adventures from the beginning by his faithful fox terrier dog Snowy (Milou in French). Later, popular additions to the cast included the brash, cynical and grumpy Captain Haddock, the bright but hearing-impaired Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol) and other colorful supporting characters such as the incompetent detectives Thomson and Thompson (Dupond et Dupont). Herge himself features in several of the comics as a background character; as do his assistants in some instances.
The success of the series saw the serialized strips collected into a series of albums (24 in all), spun into a successful magazine and adapted for film and theatre. The series is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, with translations published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books sold to date.
The comic strip series has long been admired for its clean, expressive drawings in Herge's signature ligne claire style. Engaging, well-researched plots straddle a variety of genres: swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy, mysteries, political thrillers, and science fiction. The stories within the Tintin series always feature slapstick humor, accompanied in later albums by sophisticated satire, and political and cultural commentary.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Political unrest in Europe in the late 1930s influenced Herge when he wrote King Ottokar's Sceptre, in which Tintin and absent-minded Professor Alembick travel to Syldavia to try to avert a confrontation with neighboring Borduria. The history Herge creates for his fictional Eastern European country is complex and fascinating, and a locked-room mystery and cross-country pursuit make for one of Tintin's more entertaining adventures. Syldavia and Borduria would return in later stories, as would one of Herge's most memorable characters, Bianca Castafiore, the "Milanese Nightingale" renowned for her rendition of the "Jewel Song" from Faust. --David Horiuchi --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn: Synopsis

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn is the first in the series of 3D motion capture films based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name, Herge, and is due for release in 2011. The film stars Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham. Bell and Craig are joined by an international cast that includes Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

The Adventures of Tintin (also known as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn[4] in the United Kingdom) is a 2011 American performance capture 3D film based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé (Georges Remi). Directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Peter Jackson, and written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, the film is based on three of the original comic books: The Crab with the Golden Claws (1941), The Secret of the Unicorn (1943), and Red Rackham's Treasure (1944).[5] Spielberg first acquired rights to produce a film based upon the Adventures of Tintin series following Hergé's death in 1983, and re-optioned them in 2002. Filming was due to begin in October 2008 for a 2010 release, but release was delayed to 2011 after Universal opted out of producing the film with Paramount, who provided $30 million on pre-production. Sony chose to co-produce the films. The delay resulted in Thomas Sangster, who had been cast as Tintin, departing from the project. Producer Peter Jackson, whose company Weta Digital is providing the computer animation, intends to direct a sequel. Spielberg and Jackson also hope to co-direct a third film.[6] --Wikipedia --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 62 pages
• Publisher: French & European Pubns (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0416240607
• ISBN-13: 978-0416240603
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #937,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hergé, one of the most famous Belgians in the world, was a comics writer and artist. The internationally successful Adventures of Tintin are his most well-known and beloved works. They have been translated into 38 different languages and have inspired such legends as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. He wrote and illustrated for "The Adventures of Tintin" until his death in 1983.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My house is named after this book, incidentally: Syldavia., May 8, 2002

By 

darragh o'donoghue - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin) (Paperback)

In which an escapist Ruritanian fancy turns into an ominous allegory for Nazi aggression. On one of those strolls with which Tintin often commences a new book, the reporter notices a mislaid book on a park bench. He returns it to its owner, the chain-smoking, Freud-lookalike Professor Alembick, an expert on seals (of the heraldic variety), who is about to visit the Balkan principality of Syldavia to look at some rare treasures. When Tintin notices some sinister types hanging around the Professor's apartment, and what seems to be a conspiracy plotting in a Syldavian restaurant, he decides to accompany the Professor. On the eve of their departure, a phone call to Alembick is interrupted by screams, but all seems normal as they leave for Klow, the Syldavian capital. Except that now the short-sighted academic can see sheep from thousands of feet in the air, and no longer smokes.

This extraordinary and unique entry in the Tintin canon is priceless for a number of reasons, the foremost of which is the utterly convincing creation of a non-existent realm so consistent in its internal details you can't believe it's not real. Central to this is the travel brochure Tintin reads on the plane to Klow, reproducing in three dazzling full-length pages the history, geography and culture of this great country, including the most amazing pastiche miniature illustrating a medieval battle and an account of the incident that accounts for the importance of the titular sceptre, Byzantine in their colour and beauty. Syldavia is a Ruritanian realm of benevolent monarchs, toy-soldier uniforms, quaint rituals, emblems and customs, all under threat from modernity in the shape of totalitarian imperialism. Its exotic magic is subtly prepared by the lengthy contrasting prelude in Brussels, all drab brown interrupted by the heavy black of the bungling Thom(p)sons. Herge is no sentimentalist, he is alive to the conformity and social rigidity of Syldavian society, but he is also in love with its precarious culture, its nobility and generosity, and makes us love and fear for it too.

The topography of Syldavia, with its castles, river-valleys and fir-lined mountains, and its culture, including the part-Byzantine, part-Modiligiani mural surrounding the throne room, offers unending pleasure to the eye. The action sequences, perhaps because the stakes are so high, reach an agonising pitch. Once again a story of such potential gravity is primarily driven by Snowy's appetite, his search for bones providing a feast of visual jokes. The Thom(p)sons are their usual luckless joy, this time a winking Tintin joining in with us in the laughter. Making 'Sceptre' even more perfect is the introduction of another recurring Herge character, the prima donna Signora Bianca Castafiore, that overweight interpreter of operatic waifs whose piercing voice tests even Tintin's goodwill, and prompts the exodus of animal life from forests whenever she drives by.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Someone you can rely on., August 17, 2006

By 

Simon Foster (Clapham, London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin) (Paperback)

Every now and again you need something uncomplicated to read, and Tintin always does the job for me. King Ottakar's Sceptre would have to be my favourite.

Tintin finds a briefcase on a park bench, returns it to its rightful owner, and gets mixed up in a plot to overthrow the king of a small east European state. Who is behind the plot? Why are they after Tintin? And can Tintin warn the king in time?

I wish life was more like Tintin. I remember going to the local library when I was young and checking out Tintin books. One a week, we were allowed. They had Tintin, Asterix, and a few Lucky Lukes I think, but maybe I'm remembering that from a French exchange I did in school. I never really got into Asterix, but Tintin was different. Interesting adventures, detailed plots, cunning twists. His world is a simple place. People say what they feel. They don't play games. They don't say they're going to call and then don't. They don't leave their mobiles off when they said they would be in for you to call. If there's a problem, you know somehow you can solve it, and you don't end up feeling like you're wrong all the time. There aren't any messy work pressures, no relationship complications, no girlfriend issues, there's just a boy and his dog solving a crime. I grew up thinking things would be like that, but I was obviously wrong. I wish the world could be more like it is in the books, in basic colours and with a happy ending. But it's not. It's all grey areas and murkiness and there's not a lot you can do about it. Except read the books, and hope, and try and imagine what things would be like. So if you feel lost and alone and it's another long night and you can't get to sleep because you can't stop thinking about everything, why, what, where, when, who - then trust me. Tintin is the answer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Herge just stays in touch with reality, January 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin) (Paperback)

A nice peace of work by Herge (as always). Although Tintin and snowy always used to travel to existing and real places, this time they are off to Syldavia, a country of sheer imagination. I rank it a four-star because of that lack of educational element. Apart from that, a good book in the best of Herge tradition.