Cigars of the Pharaoh
Encyclopedia
Cigars of the Pharaoh 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. This was his fourth published adventure and is notable for the introduction of Rastapopoulos
and Thomson and Thompson
.
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 stand for the sale of petty merchandises such as newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, beverages and/or street foods). He invites Tintin to accompany him. Tintin also has an unpleasant encounter with Roberto Rastapopoulos
, a wealthy businessman.
Later on the cruise, Tintin first meets Thomson and Thompson
, who accuse him of smuggling opium
and cocaine
they have found in his cabin. Locked in the hold of the ship, Tintin craftily escapes and meets Sarcophagus in Port Said
, Egypt.
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. 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 opium vapor 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 therefore escape mummification. They are rescued from a gigantic wave by the crew of a sailing ship. On it they meet Senhor Oliveira de Figueira, a Portuguese
salesman who travels the Middle East selling to local Arab
s. He persuades Tintin to buy a top hat, ski equipment, a bow tie, an alarm clock, suspenders, a parrot, a water tin, a wooden golf club, 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
).
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 apologize 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, allowing Tintin to get away.
In Arabia, Tintin is walking in the desert when his water bottle is shot at and pierced by an anonymous gunman. 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 shot 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
. 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
. There Tintin finds Sarcophagus who is painting the sign of Kih-Oskh on the trees. He has gone completely insane and thinks that he is another Pharaoh, Ramesses II.
Tintin and Sarcophagus are taken by an elephant to a local colonial outpost. Later, the mad Sarcophagus escapes and tries to kill Tintin with a knife. It is soon revealed that he was hypnotised by a local Fakir who wants Tintin dead. Some remarks by the Fakir lead Tintin to Zloty, a Hungarian
writer, who explains that an international gang of drug smugglers is out to get rid 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
tipped with Rajaijah juice at Zloty, causing Zloty to go mad.
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
. 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 Maharajah of Gaipajama. Over dinner they hear music which the Maharajah believes is a warning that he will be driven insane like his father and brother were after the music was heard, due to their opposition to the drug cartel and its oppression of the local farmers.
Tintin arranges for a dummy to be put in the Maharajah's bed. That night the dummy is hit by a dart fired by the fakir. Tintin follows the fakir to the cartel's hideout which the Fakir enters using a hollow tree. 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). 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 Maharajah, Snowy and the Thompson twins who tell Tintin that all charges have been dropped: the tomb of Kih-Oskh was found by the Egyptian police and contained 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 Maharajah's young son. Tintin chases them into the Himalayas
, but they send their car of a cliff, hoping Tintin will climb down and they can steal his car. While the leader takes the bound and gagged crown prince, the Fakir tries to delay Tintin. However the leader accidentally knocks a rock loose which knocks out the Fakir. Tintin recovers the prince, ties up the Fakir, and drives back with them. But the cartel leader falls off a cliff when the cliff edge he is on breaks. His body is not found.
Later on, the Maharajah 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.
The story is continued in The Blue Lotus
.
(the children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle). It was then published in a black and white album in 1934. It was then redrawn completely in colour for publication in 1955.
style. 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, giving him a black eye; in 1955 they simply collide and there is no indication of a fight.
Still on the cruise ship, Tintin has an unpleasant encounter with Rastapopoulos
the millionaire film producer. In the 1930s edition he returns to his cabin remarking, rather prophetically, that he has yet another enemy on his hands. In the 1950s, he simply refers to Rastapopoulos as not just any old passer-by (see Differences between French and English versions for more on this scene).
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 in which Tintin is conscripted
into the army is specified as the holy city of Mecca
, which is barred to non-Muslim
s, so Tintin wears heavy make-up to conceal his white race. 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 an unnamed scholar, clean-shaven and wearing dark sunglasses. He 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. 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. 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 racks 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:
At the conclusion of the 1930s version, the detectives simply take their leave, telling Tintin that they are returning to Egypt to resume the investigation. In the 1955 version, they are shown falling down the palace steps — in accordance with their clumsy nature that was developed in subsequent adventures.
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. In the chronology of the Tintin Universe, it could 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. 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.
Another continuity error is created in the redrawn edition in the scenes involving Tintin's encounter with Sheik Patrash Pasha. When Pasha produces the latest Tintin book that he has read, the strip includes the artwork for Destination Moon
, a book from Tintin's future chronology.
For many years, the fifth block on the first page of the English edition contained a map of the ship's route depicting a route from Port-Said to Shanghai even Tintin says they are headed in the opposite direction. This was because in the original French version Tintin says the ship is going from Europe to Shanghai, China. This was corrected in the second edition of the English translation of Cigars of the Pharaoh.
appear. 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 anybody (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. 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
.
(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. Alan, in contrast, believes them to contain drugs and has them thrown overboard when challenged by the coast guard
.)
The Blue Lotus
was a sequel to Cigars, starting with Tintin and Snowy still in India with the Maharajah. Tintin then proceeds to China to battle another branch of the same gang of smugglers, which also uses the poison of madness and meets the mysterious leader, who turns out to be Rastapopoulos. Before going mad, the poet Zloty warns Tintin: "The boss... film... don't trust..." Rastapopulos is the director of Cosmos Pictures.
Although Cigars precedes Lotus, the backs of one edition of the English-language books show Lotus preceding Tintin in America
, after which the books continue in their correct order.
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Hergé
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, although he was also...
, featuring young reporter Tintin
Tintin (character)
Tintin is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Tintin is the protagonist of the series, a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy....
as a hero. This was his fourth published adventure and is notable for the introduction of Rastapopoulos
Rastapopoulos
Roberto Rastapopoulos is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is the antagonist in many of Tintin's adventures....
and Thomson and Thompson
Thomson and Thompson
Thomson and Thompson are fictional characters in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Thomson and Thompson are detectives of Scotland Yard, and are as incompetent as they are necessary comic relief...
.
Storyline
Tintin and his dog SnowySnowy (character)
Snowy is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is a white Wire Fox Terrier and Tintin's four-legged companion who travels everywhere with him...
are on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
when they meet Dr Sarcophagus, an Egyptologist
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
who owns a papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
that he believes will lead him to the undiscovered tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
of the Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Kih-Oskh (a pun on kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
, a stand for the sale of petty merchandises such as newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, beverages and/or street foods). He invites Tintin to accompany him. Tintin also has an unpleasant encounter with Roberto Rastapopoulos
Rastapopoulos
Roberto Rastapopoulos is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is the antagonist in many of Tintin's adventures....
, a wealthy businessman.
Later on the cruise, Tintin first meets Thomson and Thompson
Thomson and Thompson
Thomson and Thompson are fictional characters in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Thomson and Thompson are detectives of Scotland Yard, and are as incompetent as they are necessary comic relief...
, who accuse him of smuggling opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
they have found in his cabin. Locked in the hold of the ship, Tintin craftily escapes and meets Sarcophagus in Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, Egypt.
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. 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 opium vapor 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 therefore escape mummification. They are rescued from a gigantic wave by the crew of a sailing ship. On it they meet Senhor Oliveira de Figueira, a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
salesman who travels the Middle East selling to local Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s. He persuades Tintin to buy a top hat, ski equipment, a bow tie, an alarm clock, suspenders, a parrot, a water tin, a wooden golf club, 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
Tintin in the Congo
Tintin in the Congo is the second title in the comicbook series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Originally serialised in the Belgian children's newspaper supplement, Le Petit Vingtième between June 1930 and July 1931, it was first published in book form...
; in the second it is Tintin in America
Tintin in America
Tintin in America is the third title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé...
; and in the colour version, it is Destination Moon
Destination Moon (Tintin)
Destination Moon is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
).
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 apologize 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
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
is due to explode, allowing Tintin to get away.
In Arabia, Tintin is walking in the desert when his water bottle is shot at and pierced by an anonymous gunman. 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
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
into the army.
While cleaning the local colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
'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 shot 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
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
. 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
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. There Tintin finds Sarcophagus who is painting the sign of Kih-Oskh on the trees. He has gone completely insane and thinks that he is another Pharaoh, Ramesses II.
Tintin and Sarcophagus are taken by an elephant to a local colonial outpost. Later, the mad Sarcophagus escapes and tries to kill Tintin with a knife. It is soon revealed that he was hypnotised by a local Fakir who wants Tintin dead. Some remarks by the Fakir lead Tintin to Zloty, a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
writer, who explains that an international gang of drug smugglers is out to get rid 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
Dart (missile)
Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible, and from arrows by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal...
tipped with Rajaijah juice at Zloty, causing Zloty to go mad.
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
Sacred cow
Cattle are considered sacred in various world religions, most notably Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism as well as the religions of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. In some regions, especially India, the slaughter of cattle may be prohibited and their meat may be...
. The little dog is saved by Thomson & Thompson, acting as Nataraja
Nataraja
Nataraja or Nataraj , The Lord of Dance; Tamil: கூத்தன் ;Telugu:నటరాజ is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer Koothan who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation...
. 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 Maharajah of Gaipajama. Over dinner they hear music which the Maharajah believes is a warning that he will be driven insane like his father and brother were after the music was heard, due to their opposition to the drug cartel and its oppression of the local farmers.
Tintin arranges for a dummy to be put in the Maharajah's bed. That night the dummy is hit by a dart fired by the fakir. Tintin follows the fakir to the cartel's hideout which the Fakir enters using a hollow tree. The members within dress up in outfits that bear the symbol of Kih-Oskh and make them look rather like the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
(as Tintin comments in the English edition). 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 Maharajah, Snowy and the Thompson twins who tell Tintin that all charges have been dropped: the tomb of Kih-Oskh was found by the Egyptian police and contained 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 Maharajah's young son. Tintin chases them into the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, but they send their car of a cliff, hoping Tintin will climb down and they can steal his car. While the leader takes the bound and gagged crown prince, the Fakir tries to delay Tintin. However the leader accidentally knocks a rock loose which knocks out the Fakir. Tintin recovers the prince, ties up the Fakir, and drives back with them. But the cartel leader falls off a cliff when the cliff edge he is on breaks. His body is not found.
Later on, the Maharajah 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.
The story is continued in The Blue Lotus
The Blue Lotus
The Blue Lotus , first published in 1936, 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. It is a sequel to Cigars of the Pharaoh, with Tintin continuing his struggle against a major gang of drug...
.
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 VingtièmeLe Petit Vingtième
Le Petit Vingtième was the weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle from 1928 to 1940. The comics series The Adventures of Tintin first appeared in its pages.-History:...
(the children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle). 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 claireLigne claire
Ligne claire is a style of drawing pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin. It uses clear strong lines of uniform importance. Artists working in it do not use hatching, while contrast is downplayed as well...
style. 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, giving him a black eye; in 1955 they simply collide and there is no indication of a fight.
Still on the cruise ship, Tintin has an unpleasant encounter with Rastapopoulos
Rastapopoulos
Roberto Rastapopoulos is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is the antagonist in many of Tintin's adventures....
the millionaire film producer. In the 1930s edition he returns to his cabin remarking, rather prophetically, that he has yet another enemy on his hands. In the 1950s, he simply refers to Rastapopoulos as not just any old passer-by (see Differences between French and English versions for more on this scene).
The 1930s version is more closely engaged with contemporary political issues. De Figueira claims to have left Europe due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, 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 in which Tintin is conscripted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
into the army is specified as the holy city of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, which is barred to non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, so Tintin wears heavy make-up to conceal his white race. 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 an unnamed scholar, clean-shaven and wearing dark sunglasses. He 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
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
!", indicating that he is one of the Indians, presumably the Fakir. 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. 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 racks 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:
- Tintin explores the villains' underground lair, finding a room whose doors are activated by foot-panels. A swarm of cobraCobraCobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
s is released from a statue of VishnuVishnuVishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and he distracts them with a chocolate bar. He later comes across a pool filled with crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s.
- When the Fakir escapes he announces that he has planted explosives which will go off in three minutes. The detectives force the door open with one of their canes, and the Maharajah counts the passing minutes, but when they get out they find that Snowy has put out the fuse.
- Back at the palace Tintin sleeps with an upturned table between his bed and the window in order to avoid the Fakir's poisoned darts. However, the Fakir lets a cobra in through the window instead. Woken up, Snowy somehow puts on a gramophone recordGramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
which charms the snake. The music also wakes up Tintin who shoots the reptile with his gun. It is then announced that the Maharajah's son has been kidnapped and Tintin and the twin detectives set off in pursuit in their pyjamas.
At the conclusion of the 1930s version, the detectives simply take their leave, telling Tintin that they are returning to Egypt to resume the investigation. In the 1955 version, they are shown falling down the palace steps — in accordance with their clumsy nature that was developed in subsequent adventures.
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 SharksThe Red Sea Sharks
The Red Sea Sharks is the nineteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
and Flight 714
Flight 714
Flight 714, first published in 1968, is the 22nd and penultimate complete volume of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums by the Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. Its original French title is Vol 714 pour Sydney...
— 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. In the chronology of the Tintin Universe, it could be taken as a reference to a scene in Tintin in America
Tintin in America
Tintin in America is the third title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé...
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
Marlinspike Hall
Marlinspike Hall is Captain Haddock's country house in Hergé's comic book series The Adventures of Tintin.The hall is modeled after the central section of the Château de Cheverny...
to the cruise, even though they will not meet Captain Haddock and his estate for several adventures yet. 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.
Another continuity error is created in the redrawn edition in the scenes involving Tintin's encounter with Sheik Patrash Pasha. When Pasha produces the latest Tintin book that he has read, the strip includes the artwork for Destination Moon
Destination Moon (Tintin)
Destination Moon is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
, a book from Tintin's future chronology.
For many years, the fifth block on the first page of the English edition contained a map of the ship's route depicting a route from Port-Said to Shanghai even Tintin says they are headed in the opposite direction. This was because in the original French version Tintin says the ship is going from Europe to Shanghai, China. This was corrected in the second edition of the English translation of Cigars of the Pharaoh.
Connections with other Tintin books
This is the first Tintin album in which Thomson and ThompsonThomson and Thompson
Thomson and Thompson are fictional characters in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Thomson and Thompson are detectives of Scotland Yard, and are as incompetent as they are necessary comic relief...
appear. 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 anybody (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. 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
The Crab with the Golden Claws is the ninth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
.
(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. Alan, in contrast, believes them to contain drugs and has them thrown overboard when challenged by the coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
.)
The Blue Lotus
The Blue Lotus
The Blue Lotus , first published in 1936, 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. It is a sequel to Cigars of the Pharaoh, with Tintin continuing his struggle against a major gang of drug...
was a sequel to Cigars, starting with Tintin and Snowy still in India with the Maharajah. Tintin then proceeds to China to battle another branch of the same gang of smugglers, which also uses the poison of madness and meets the mysterious leader, who turns out to be Rastapopoulos. Before going mad, the poet Zloty warns Tintin: "The boss... film... don't trust..." Rastapopulos is the director of Cosmos Pictures.
Although Cigars precedes Lotus, the backs of one edition of the English-language books show Lotus preceding Tintin in America
Tintin in America
Tintin in America is the third title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé...
, after which the books continue in their correct order.
External links
- Cigars of the Pharaoh at Tintinologist.org