This week on Totally Tintin, things go South…American! As Tintin and Captain Haddock race off to Peru to rescue Professor Calculus. Ian and Dave are along for the very enjoyable ride as we look at Prisoners of the Sun.
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I said to David that we’d probably get the most comments we ever had on this episode of Totally Tintin. So either I was very wrong or David isn’t allowing any comments to go through.
Sorry, I’ve been busy. Comments? Well, I don’t have a lot to add. I liked this album, lots of action and adventure, though even as a kid I thought the ending didn’t make much sense… Inca’s ain’t that dumb.
But I must point out that the two of you seem to underestimate the importance of bird shit to the history of South America. Bird shit, or guano, had been shat on the cliffs of the seacoast of the harsh Alacama Desert (then owned by Bolivia) by sea birds for tens of thousands of years. As a source of saltpetre (nitrates) used in fertilizers and explosives it was virtually the only thing of value in that part of the world and mining it was lucrative. So lucrative that Chile declared war against allies Bolivia and Peru in 1879 in what is known as the Guano (or Saltpetre) War. The main task of the armies seemed to be to not so much to fight the enemy but stay alive in an inhospitable desert. Chile won in 1883 and annexed the Alacama, this is why Bolivia is landlocked. As Peru was also a source of Guano it’s hardly surprising that Herge used the most famous product of the area in his comic.
I don’t think the Captain was swearing at the tapir, just surprised.
PS Also known as The War of the Pacific, but I prefer Guano War.
if you’re going down that road, you should call it World War Poo.
Just to be pedantic…
The purely local Guano war wouldn’t count as a world war, a world war is one that takes place in both hemispheres and most if not all continents (excluding Antartica) involving most of what would’ve been called “the Great Powers” at the time. Some argue the first “World War” would actually be the 7 Years War with fighting in much of Europe as well as South America, Africa, India & the Phillipines, North America and the Caribbean as well as the high seas… this is why nobody should go with me to see an historical film… I hated “Gladiator” from the get go… really? Roman cavalry charging thru woods surprising German tribesmen in their own forests? Really? Academy Award winning my arse! Yes it matters Goddamnit! I need a cup of tea…
Hey guys, I just happened across a huge cbr archive of Le Journal de Tintin and wanted to share it with you– It’s an almost complete run from 46-57 and a couple of years from the sixties and seventies. It’s got all of 7 Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the sun, Land of Black Gold, Destination/Explorers on the Moon, and at least part of Red Sea Sharks (I haven’t read that far yet.) I’ve put a zip on my dropbox (this link will expire on Aug. 3): https://www.dropbox.com/s/hkjtldbblxa3iib/JourDeTin4678.zip?dl=0
It’s great to see the pages in the context of the magazine.
Thanks, Les! That’s awesome. I’ll check it out.
By the way, I’m really enjoying what I’ve read of your strip Johnny Crossbones. I hope other listeners will check it out. Just follow this link! I’ll give it a thorough read after this Tintin thing is over!
I posted a link on the newest Totally Tintin post, but I’ll re-post it here if anyone would like to read the Le Petit Vingtième version of Land of Black Gold (go here) or the later colour version (go here).
wait, why did I write August 3? I meant it’ll expire on July 3.
FYI, that Malédiction de Rascar Capac book mentioned in a previous episode is in fact available to check out from the Vancouver Public Library: https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/3826125038_la_mal%C3%A9diction_de_rascar_capac
…though you’d have to wait a bit while I take look at it myself. 🙂
They only have one copy of the Seven Crystal Balls volume and not the follow-up.
Thanks guys for the very needed podcast!. I have grown up with tin tin since I was 5 years old back in Iran. (I am a Physicist in Boston now.) I have many little comments on some of your reviews. I will only mention couple of them here:
Regarding the Tin Tin and Snowy (Milou)’s jump on the bridge. You guys brought up the question if that is possible (I also has the same question at fist). I noticed that (maybe I am wrong) but in the drawing it is showing the tilted direction of Tin Tin after the jump indicating the additional train speed.
Tin Tin can successfully land on water as long as the train has not entered the other tunnel at the end of the bridge. It seems more or less likely, from the drawing that this is the case.
Also, If Tin Tin jumps slightly opposite direction to the train’s he can compensate the speed of the train.
That’s great! Thanks for applying your physics know-how to this problem. And thanks for being one of the five Americans who are interested in Tintin. (I’m exaggerating slightly.)
I am actually Canadian-Iranian 😉 😉
Couple of more comments:
* Pachakamak’s cargo is also Guano (in regard to the episode with Thompson’s questions and bags of Guano on the port)
* In the episode where train carriage is sabotaged it is mentioned that the particular railway they are on is the highest in altitude in the world. This is correct and geographically it does lead to where temple of Inca exists. Apparently now this is the second highest in the world after a recent Chinese railway, Qinghai–Tibet Railway in 2006, took the position of the first.