Citizendia

Cigars of the Pharaoh
(Les Cigares du pharaon)

Cover of the English edition
Publisher Casterman
Date 1934
Series The Adventures of Tintin (Les aventures de Tintin)
Creative team
Writer(s) Hergé
Artist(s) Hergé
Original publication
Published in Le Petit Vingtième
Date(s) of publication December 8, 1932 - February 8, 1934
Language French
ISBN ISBN 2-203-00103-8
Translation
Publisher Methuen
Date 1971
ISBN ISBN 1-4052-0615-2
Translator(s) Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Chronology
Preceded by Tintin in America, 1932
Followed by The Blue Lotus, 1936

Cigars of the Pharaoh (French: Les Cigares du pharaon) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in Comic books and Children's literature. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin is a series of Comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi Georges Prosper Remi ( May 22, 1907 - March 3, 1983) better known by the Pen name Hergé, was a Belgian Georges Prosper Remi ( May 22, 1907 - March 3, 1983) better known by the Pen name Hergé, was a Belgian Le Petit Vingtième ("The Little Twentieth" was the weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle ("The Twentieth Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British Publishing house and publishes in the areas of Theatre and Drama. Tintin in America ( Tintin en Amérique) is the third in The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The Blue Lotus ( Le Lotus bleu) first published in 1936, is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin is a series of Comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi Georges Prosper Remi ( May 22, 1907 - March 3, 1983) better known by the Pen name Hergé, was a Belgian Tintin and Snowy (original French language names Tintin et Milou) a journalist and his canine companion are a pair of adventurers who travel around the This was his fourth published adventure and is notable for the introduction of Rastapopoulos and Thomson and Thompson. Roberto Rastapopoulos (Greek Ροβέρτος Ρασταπόπουλος) is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin series of Comic books Thomson and Thompson ( Dupond et Dupont) are a pair of detectives in Hergé 's classic European comic strip The Adventures

Contents

Storyline

Tintin and his dog Snowy are on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea when they meet Dr Sarcophagus, an Egyptologist who owns a papyrus that he believes will lead him to the undiscovered tomb of the Pharaoh Kih-Oskh (a pun on kiosk, a newspaper stand). Egyptology (from Egypt and Greek grc -λογία -logia. علم المصريات مصر شناسی is a major field of Archaeology Papyrus (/pəˈpaɪrəs/ (Rhymes -aɪrəs)is a thick paper-like material produced from the Pith of the papyrus plant Cyperus papyrus For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods In the Mediterranean Basin and the Near East, a kiosk ( Persian کوشک Kushk Arabic كشك Koshk Turkish Köşk He invites Tintin to accompany him. Tintin also has an unpleasant encounter with Roberto Rastapopoulos, a wealthy businessman. Roberto Rastapopoulos (Greek Ροβέρτος Ρασταπόπουλος) is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin series of Comic books

Later on the cruise, Tintin first meets the Thompson twins, who accuse him of smuggling heroin they have found in his cabin. Thomson and Thompson ( Dupond et Dupont) are a pair of detectives in Hergé 's classic European comic strip The Adventures Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative Locked in the hold of the ship, Tintin craftily escapes and meets Sarcophagus in Port Said, Egypt. Port Said ( Arabic بورسعيد transliterated Būr Saʻīd) is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

Tintin and Sarcophagus set off and discover the tomb of Kih-Oskh. On a nearby sand dune, Tintin finds a cigar bearing the symbol of Kih-Oskh — a circle with a wavy line through it and two dots on it, rather like a yin-yang symbol. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang ( is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together intertwined and interdependent in the But when he returns to the tomb, Sarcophagus has disappeared.

Entering the tomb, Tintin and Snowy are startled several times by doors closing behind them. They come to a room where rows of Egyptologists are mummified. At the end of the row are empty sarcophagi with notices to indicate that they are intended for Tintin, Snowy (and Sarcophagus too in the later edition). Following items of Sarcophagus' clothing which have been left lying about, Tintin enters another room where drugged vapour puts him to sleep.

That night drug smugglers embark some sarcophagi aboard a ship but they are later cast overboard. The sarcophagi contain Tintin and Snowy who thus escape mummification. They are rescued from a gigantic wave by the crew of sailing ship. On it they meet Senhor Oliviera de Figueira, a Portuguese salesman who travels the Middle East selling to local Arabs. Oliveira de Figueira is a Fictional character from The Adventures of Tintin series of Comic books, written and drawn by Hergé. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. He persuades Tintin to buy a top hat, ski poles, a doghouse on wheels, and a lead for Snowy, and the overloaded Tintin walks away saying "Just as well I didn't fall for his patter; you can end up with all sorts of useless stuff if you're not careful".

Tintin then sets out across the desert and is captured by the men of Sheik Patrash Pasha. He hates Westerners but is then delighted to discover that his captive is Tintin, whose exploits he has read of for years, and even shows one of the Tintin books that he has read (the exact book is different depending on the version, but it is always the most recent to have been published; in the first black and white strip, it is Tintin in the Congo; in the second it is, Tintin in America; and in the colour version, it is Destination Moon). Tintin in the Congo ( Tintin au Congo) is the second of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated Tintin in America ( Tintin en Amérique) is the third in The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated Destination Moon ( Objectif Lune) is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated

Resuming his journey Tintin sees a woman being beaten by two men and rushes to her aid. The woman turns out to be an actress filming a movie that Rastapopoulos is making. The director is furious but Rastapopoulos is much calmer. He and Tintin apologise to each other over the incidents on the cruise ship and the filming and become friends.

When Tintin returns to the boat, he discovers that it has been smuggling guns. There is a lengthy comic sequence involving the Thompson twins who accuse him of being the smuggler. They hurry off when they think a grenade is due to explode, enabling Tintin to get away.

In Arabia, Tintin is walking in the desert when his water bottle is shot at and pierced by an unknown gunman. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) Desperate for water he sets off only to meet Thomson & Thompson who give chase. Later they hit an Arab on the head, mistaking him for Tintin. When Tintin reaches a local city he finds a procession of armed Arabs who claim that one of their sheiks was attacked by two members of a rival tribe, thus providing a pretext for war. Tintin is enlisted by force into the army.

While cleaning the local colonel's office, he finds a cigar label with Kih-Oskh's sign. He searches the office for a box of cigars hoping that they will provide a clue but is caught in the act by the colonel and charged with spying. He is executed by firing squad, but does not actually die: the firing squad's rifles had been loaded with blanks. Placed in a ventilated grave, Tintin is later dug up by a pair of mysterious allies dressed as veiled women. Islam and clothing Hijab or ħijāb ( ar حجاب, pronounced) is the Arabic term for "cover" (noun based on the root حجب meaning "to These 'allies' are actually Thomson & Thompson again, who were determined to capture him alive and arranged for his death to be faked.

Tintin flees the city in a military airplane pursued by others. To save himself he takes a dive and lands in India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country There Tintin finds Sarcophagus who is painting the sign of Kih-Oskh on the trees. He has gone completely mad and thinks that he is another Pharaoh, Ramesses II.

Tintin and Sarcophagus are taken by an elephant to a local colonial outpost. For usage see British rule in India British Raj ( rāj, lit "reign" in Hindustani) primarily refers to the British Later, the mad Sarcophagus escapes and tries to kill Tintin with a knife. It soon transpires that he was hypnotised by a local Fakir who wants Tintin dead. See also List of The Adventures of Tintin characters, for a complete list The supporting characters Hergé created for his series The Adventures Some remarks by the Fakir lead Tintin to Zloty, a Hungarian writer, who explains that an international gang of drug smugglers is out to dispose of Tintin. At gunpoint, Tintin orders Zloty to give him the name of the gang's leader but, before he can, the Fakir, from outside the window, blows a dart at Zloty. Zloty goes mad because the dart was tipped with Rajaijah juice, the poison-of-madness.

Tintin takes Sarcophagus and Zloty to the asylum with a letter from a local doctor, but the Fakir has substituted the letter and through a misunderstanding Tintin ends up imprisoned. He escapes by jumping on an obese inmate and over the wall. Snowy is unable to keep up with Tintin and is almost sacrificed by angry Indians for frightening their holy cow. The little dog is saved by Thomson & Thompson, acting as Nataraja. Nataraja /nɐtɐrɑdʒɐ/ ( The Lord (or King of Dance) Tamil கூத்தன் is the dancing posture of the Hindu god Shiva, who performs his They then use Snowy to track down his master, whom they are still determined to arrest.

Tintin's escape from the asylum is reported and he is recaptured at a train station. The ambulance taking him back to the asylum crashes into the car driven by Sarcophagus and Zloty. Tintin escapes and later meets the Maharaja of Gaipajama. The word Mahārāja (also spelled maharajah) is Sanskrit for "great king" or " High king " (a Karmadharaya from mahānt Over dinner they hear music which the Maharaja believes is a warning that he will be driven insane like his relatives due to their opposition to the drug cartel and its oppression of the local farmers. Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others

Tintin arranges for a dummy to be put in the Maharaja's bed. That night the dummy is hit by a dart fired by the fakir. Tintin follows the fakir to the cartel's hideout. The members within dress up in outfits that bear the symbol of Kih-Oskh and make them look rather like the Ku Klux Klan (as Tintin comments in the English edition). Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are He manages to capture the gang which includes the Fakir, the Arab colonel and several others he met in the course of the adventure. He is later joined by the Maharaja, Snowy and the Thompson twins. Meanwhile, the tomb of Kih-Oskh is found by the Egyptian police. It contains evidence of Tintin's innocence and a map showing them to the hideout.

The Fakir manages to escape, however, and later he and the cartel's Grand Master kidnap the Maharaja's young son. Tintin chases them into the Himalayas, recovers the prince and captures the Fakir. But the cartel leader falls off a cliff and (presumably) dies.

Later on, the Maharaja informs Tintin that one of the captured members of the cartel was a servant of his. In examining cigars found in his room, Tintin discovers that cigars bearing the "Kih-Oskh" label contain heroin, revealing the means by which the cartel smuggled drugs.

Publication history

Cigars of the Pharaoh was originally published under the name Tintin en Orient ("Tintin in the Orient"). It first appeared as a black and white comic strip serial between December 1932 and August 1934 in Le Petit Vingtième (the children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle). Le Petit Vingtième ("The Little Twentieth" was the weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle ("The Twentieth It was then published in a black and white album in 1934. It was then redrawn completely in colour for publication in 1955.

Differences between 1934 and 1955 versions

Between the 1940s and 60s many of the early Tintin adventures were redrawn and colourised in order to fit in with Hergé's developed ligne claire style. Ligne claire ( French for "clear line" is a style of Drawing pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian creator of The Adventures Most of them followed the original plots with only minor changes to the story and text. By contrast, the differences between the two editions of Cigars of the Pharaoh were considerable.

An example is in the opening pages when Tintin, on the cruise ship, pursues a loose piece of paper. A sailor thinks that it is he who is causing trouble and tries to stop him: in the 1930s edition, Tintin, unseen by the reader, punches the sailor to the ground; in 1955 they simply collide and there is no indication of a fight.

The 1930s version is more closely engaged with contemporary political issues. De Figueira claims to have left Europe due to the Great Depression, whereas in 1955 his reason for leaving is unspecified. In the 1934 edition, the drug cartel is involved in smuggling arms to Arabs, which a newspaper article states was a major issue at the time; Tintin finds the guns on the ship after Rastapopoulos claims to have been asked by people in high places to look out for smugglers providing arms to warring Arabs. In 1955, the guns are found by chance and their purpose is unspecified. Similarly, in 1934, one of the hooded villains at the meeting states that the captain of the sailing ship and his "Portuguese second-in-command" (de Figueira) were competing against them in arming the Arabs and have been disposed of. The 1955 version leaves all this unspecified.

Another change tones down the details of Tintin's location. In 1934, the Arab city to which Tintin travels to is specified as the holy city of Mecca, which is barred to non-Muslims, so Tintin wears heavy make-up to conceal his white race. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion In 1955, the city is unnamed and Tintin does not bother with make-up.

Professor Sarcophagus is a more prominent character in the 1955 version. In the original he is unnamed and disappears during the tomb sequence, not to be seen until Tintin meets him in India, now completely mad. In the 1955 version, his empty sarcophagus is shown waiting for him alongside Tintin's and Snowy's, and he is shown cast adrift and being recaptured by Allan on the ship. In addition, at the end of the 1934 version, Tintin wonders whether or not the unnamed scholar was a member of the gang; there is no such suggestion in 1955.

His fellow lunatic, a writer, features in both versions, though his name is changed and he is given a mustache in 1955. In the 1934 version the writer Zlotskwtz [sic. ] admits under threat of Tintin's gun to being a member of the gang, of sending his boss a telegram telling of Tintin's presence in the area, of being told to dispose of him and of causing the chaotic night at the outpost. Renamed Zlotzky in 1955 he is not so forthcoming about his membership, only stating that members in the area have been arranging the attempts on Tintin's life.

When Tintin is locked up in the lunatic asylum in the 1934 version the Fakir tells his boss on the phone that he intends to bribe a member of staff to arrange Tintin's "suicide". The walls of the asylum are covered with broken glass and Tintin bounces over it using the stomach of the sleeping ex-Maharajah of Shuplalah. In 1955 the Fakir is simply telling his boss how he got Tintin incarcerated and the high walls are not covered with glass.

In 1934, there are eight hooded villains at the meeting, and the chairman utters the phrase "By Brahma!", indicating that he is one of the Indians, presumably the Fakir. Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. Unhooded, the eighth one is shown wearing a fez. One of them (presumably the Arab colonel) claims to have disposed of the captain of the sailing ship and of "his Portuguese second-in-command" who were competing against them in arming the Arabs — but he also claims that Tintin is dead. Oliveira de Figueira is a Fictional character from The Adventures of Tintin series of Comic books, written and drawn by Hergé. When asked for the password, a hooded member of the group fails to remember it and is given to the count of three to come up with it or be killed. He frantically rakes his brain to remember and give the password.

In 1955 there are only seven and there is no hint as to who the speakers are. There are no clues to the chairman's identity and the forgetful member appears more concerned at the chairman's ominous countdown and gun — lending weight to the possibility that it's Tintin.

The black-and-white edition also includes three major scenes that were not included in the 1955 version:

Differences between French and English versions

In the French version, Tintin, when parting from Rastapopoulos on the cruise ship, remarks that he is "not just any old passer-by". In the English version, he remarks that this is not the first time that they have met. According to Harry Thompson's book Tintin: Hergé and his Creation, the reason is that Cigars of the Pharaoh was not translated into English until after some other books in the series in which Tintin encounters Rastapopoulos — namely, The Red Sea Sharks and Flight 714 — even though in these books the two men are sworn enemies and Cigars of the Pharaoh was in fact an earlier adventure of Tintin's. The Red Sea Sharks is the nineteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Hergé Flight 714 to Sydney, published for a time under the title Flight 714, first published in 1968, is the twenty-second of The Adventures

It could also be taken as a reference to a scene in Tintin in America in which a man resembling Rastapopoulos is seen sitting next to Tintin at a banquet.

Similarly, in the English version, Snowy comments that he'd prefer Marlinspike Hall to the cruise, even though they will not meet Captain Haddock and his estate for several adventures yet. Marlinspike Hall ( Le château de Moulinsart in the original French - Belgian) is Captain Haddock 's Country house in Again, this is because many of the adventures featuring Tintin and Haddock had been published in the UK between 1952 and 1968 before Cigars was published in 1971. See order of publication of Tintin in the UK. This is a list of all books films and media produced so far in The Adventures of Tintin.

For many years, the fifth block on the first page of the English edition contained a map of the ship's route depicting the whole of Europe, Africa and Asia even though Tintin says they are on a Mediterranean cruise. This was because in the original French version Tintin says the ship is going from Europe to Shanghai, China. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

Connections with other Tintin books

This is the first Tintin album in which Thomson and Thompson appear. Thomson and Thompson ( Dupond et Dupont) are a pair of detectives in Hergé 's classic European comic strip The Adventures In the original 1930s strip they call themselves X33 and X33b and were treated with more notable respect than in later adventures: showing a great deal of cunning and ingenuity when rescuing Tintin from execution and Snowy from sacrifice. When they dress up as veiled women it is the only time that they wear disguises that fool even Tintin.

At the end of the 1934 version, they simply take their leave, telling Tintin that they must return to Egypt to complete the investigation. The 1955 version has them falling down some steps.

When the Tintin colour albums are read in chronological order, Cigars is the first in which the villain Allan Thompson appears. Allan Thompson is a character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic Comic books drawn and written by Hergé. However, Allan does not appear in the original 1934 black and white album; the first story that Hergé actually drew Allan in was The Crab with the Golden Claws. The Crab with the Golden Claws ( French: Le Crabe aux pinces d'or) is the ninth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series

(In the 1930s version of Cigars, the captain of the ship that takes on board the sarcophagi is unseen and contemptuously dismisses the boxes as antiques that can be thrown overboard. A sarcophagus is a Funeral receptacle for a Corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone Alan, in contrast, believes them to contain drugs and has them thrown overboard when challenged by the coast guard. A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea )

The Blue Lotus was a sequel to Cigars, starting with Tintin and Snowy still in India with the Maharajah. The Blue Lotus ( Le Lotus bleu) first published in 1936, is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip Tintin then proceeds to China to battle another branch of the same gang of smuggles, which also uses the poison of madness and meets the mysterious leader, who eventually turns out to be Rastapopoulos.

References to real people

In the Egyptian tomb, one of the mummified Egyptologists is called 'E. P. Jacobini'; this is a reference to Hergé's fellow artist E.P. Jacobs whose Mystery of the Great Pyramid is another classic comic-strip adventure revolving around an Egyptian tomb. Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs, ( March 30, 1904 - February 20, 1987) better known under his Pen name Edgar P The Mystery of the Great Pyramid Volume 1 Manetho's Papyrus (Le Mystère de la Grande Pyramide Tome 1 by the Belgian artist Edgar P In the original 1932 strip, the Egyptologist is called Sauerkraut.

In the 1934 version, the mummified scholar who is so tall that the top of his sarcophagus has had to be cut away is labelled Lord Carnaval, a reference to Lord Carnarvon who financed Howard Carter's search for the tomb of Tutankhamun. George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert 5th Earl of Carnarvon ( June 26, 1866 &ndash April 5, 1923) was an English aristocrat best known Howard Carter ( May 9 1874 March 2 1939) was an English Archaeologist and Egyptologist, noted as a primary discoverer

When Tintin and Snowy are cast adrift in sarcophagi in the Red Sea, they are picked up by a passing sailing ship captained by a man who turns out to be an arms smuggler. A sarcophagus is a Funeral receptacle for a Corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. The captain was based on the adventurer Henry de Monfreid who was also into such activities. Henry de Monfreid ( 14 November 1879, Leucate - 13 December 1974) was a French adventurer and author [1]

References

  1. ^ Michael Farr, Tintin: The Complete Companion, John Murray, 2001. Michael Farr is a leading British Tintinologist that is an expert on the comic series Tintin and its creator Hergé.

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org