# Tintin, Boy Reporter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088 "2005-03-24T21:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/1 "2005-03-24T21:21:19Z")
Why is Tintin always described as a “boy reporter”? We never see him doing anything even remotely connected to journalism. Why did Herge bother to give him a job that wasn’t going to be relevant to any of the stories? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/2 "2005-03-24T21:40:24Z")
Because how could a “boy accountant” have enough free time for all those adventures? ---
**Author:** ![Heller\_Highwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@Heller\_Highwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heller_Highwater)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/3 "2005-03-24T22:40:51Z")
Actually, I think in some of the early books, he did do some journalism. Specifically, I believe in _Tintin au Soviet_ (I’ve never read the English version, so I don’t know what the English title is) and _Tintin in America_ he was sent to the respective countries to do stories of some sort. Please forgive me if I don’t remember all the details, as it’s been several years since I’ve read the series. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/4 "2005-03-24T23:01:44Z")
I have a Dutch copy of Tintin in the land of the Soviets, whatever the English title is, and he is a reporter working for a paper called the “Petit Vingtieme” (shortened in the comic as “Petit XXe”) sent off from Brussels to the scary east to investigate the filthy bolsheivik. A little preface block explains that for the paper no difficulty or cost is too great to please its readers and explain what’s happening far away, so they are sending one of their best reporters Tintin (Kuifje in the Dutch versions) off on assignment to the Soviet Union and week to week the readers will be able to keep up on his adventures, and that the photos that accompany the tales are taken by Tintin himself. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/5 "2005-03-24T23:05:25Z")
Because **Tintin, Rent Boy** wouldn’t have sold so well? ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/6 "2005-03-24T23:20:12Z")
I think Tintin, Rent Boy would have sold like hotcakes. I’ve found in this book now three whole frames of TinTin actually writing copy for the paper! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/7 "2005-03-25T14:52:51Z")
Funny, I thought I had all the issues of Tintin. I’ve never heard of the Soviet one. Was it not published in English? ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/8 "2005-03-25T15:21:06Z")
In the earlier books Tintin was supposedly an investigative reporter of sorts - e.g. in Tintin in Congo he was investigating a diamond smuggling racket, which led on to Tintin in America. After finding Red Rackham’s treasure with Captain Haddock, they were both presumably independently wealthy. Haddock at least went from being a freighter Captain to local lord of the manor in all but name, mansion house and butler included. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/9 "2005-03-25T15:31:28Z")
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Reporter for “Le Petit Vingtieme” In the Land of the Soviets was the first book published in 1930 Check it out at [tintin.com](http://www.tintin.com/), great site. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/10 "2005-03-25T15:35:41Z")
_Tintin au pays des Soviets_ was for the longest time not even republished in French. It was Hergé’s first work, the drawings and story were very amateurish, and the unsophisticated anti-communism in it was embarassing. It was only republished “officially” in 1973 in a 3-volume book containing the first 3 adventures (_Tintin chez les Soviets_, _Tintin au Congo_, _Tintin en Amérique_), and then finally republished by itself in 1981. (Note - dates refer to French language versions) The “Petit Vingtième” mentioned in that book is the name of the Belgian newspaper which first published the Tintin comic strip. Tintin’s profession is the reason for the adventure only in the first three books, where he undertakes the trip expressly for the purpose of writing for his newspaper. In the subsequent books, though the profession may be sometimes mentioned, he usually “falls into adventure” by a chance encounter. The official titles on the cover of the original publications were: **Editions du Petit Vingtième** _Les Aventures de Tintin Reporter du Petit Vingtième au pays des Soviets_ (1929) _Les Aventures de Tintin Reporter du Petit Vingtième au Congo_ (1930) **Editions Casterman (who published all the books starting with the third)** _Les Aventures de Tintin Reporter Tintin en Amérique_ (1931) _Les Aventures de Tintin Reporter en Orient Les Cigares du Pharaon_ (1932) _Les Aventures de Tintin Le Lotus Bleu_ (note: reporter is not mentioned on the cover) _Les Aventures de Tintin reporter L’oreille cassée_ (1935) _Les Aventures de Tintin reporter L’île noire_ (1937) - the last book to have “reporter” on the cover in the original published version All of the early black and white versions published by were remade in color later (sometimes with significant changes to the story or the drawings), with the exception of _Tintin au pays des Soviets_. Source: _Le Monde d‘Hergé_, Benoît Peeters, Casterman (Bibliothèque de Moulinsart), 1990 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/11 "2005-03-25T15:38:17Z")
I noticed that don’t ask mentions 1930 for the publication date of _Tintin au pays des Soviets_ when I said 1929. I guess my book lists, for each Tintin adventure, the date when the book was first serialized in the Petit Vingtième newspaper, and not the date when the complete book was first published. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/12 "2005-03-25T15:50:01Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Because how could a “boy accountant” have enough free time for all those adventures? And a boy reporter would have so much free time? Most reporters I know are expected to file stories daily, and no editor is willing to finance travel for adventures that is not related to something publishable. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/13 "2005-03-25T15:53:42Z")
For fans [this link](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/21/1090089213550.html?oneclick=true) is to a review of the documentary _Tintin and I_ which was on TV in Australia last year. You will love it if you can dig up a copy. [Cartoon Australia](http://www.cartoonaustralia.com/) is the downunder site for cartoon news. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/14 "2005-03-25T16:04:53Z")
acsenray: remember Nellie Bly? In the good old days of journalism, you could have some nice junkets at your newspaper’s expense. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/15 "2005-03-25T18:15:04Z")
I can recall Tintin reporting in several of the books, many which end with newspaper articles he wrote about his adventures. He certainly does so (IIRC) in “Tintin in Russia” and “The Blue Lotus”, but I know he did so in severalothers besides. Besides, you haver to learn to use short-wave somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/16 "2005-03-25T19:10:18Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Because **Tintin, Rent Boy** wouldn’t have sold so well? Why do you think he was always hanging around with Captain Haddock at Marlinspike? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/17 "2005-03-25T19:14:08Z")
Hmm … No female friends at all. No relationships with women of any kind. The only women shown expressing sexual or romantic interest in anyone was Bianca Castafiore and Haddock was clearly repulsed by her. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tintin-boy-reporter/296088/18 "2005-03-25T22:41:25Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Funny, I thought I had all the issues of Tintin. I’ve never heard of the Soviet one. Was it not published in English? Originally, _Tintin in the Land of the Soviets_ and _Tintin in the Congo_ were not published in the later color form that the other strip stories were. (The serials originally were printed in the Belgian newspaper _The Twentieth Century_, and later, _Tintin Magazine_.) The original black-and-white strips were published in the US in 2002 by a publisher called Last Gasp (working from re-creations of Belgian books of the strips), and they are the only two Tintin adventures I have read. Hergé himself did not like these early stories, in the case of _Congo_, he later regretted his racist portrayal of African peoples (African-Belgian-Congolese?) However, despite the offensive drawings, _Congo_ was apparently popular in the _real_ former Belgian Congo (Zaire at the time, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) when it was published there. “Le Petit Vingtième” literally translates as “The Little Twentieth,” which was _The Twentieth Century_’s kids section. Tintin stories originally appeared as a cliffhanger comic strip in this paper.