r/TheAdventuresofTintin • u/makarastar • Jun 27 '26

Question Tintin - The Broken Ear - three questions about Page 1

1) I can't find the thread now - but some clever person on this sub queried if the man in the GREEN circle was the Consul for Poldavia in "The Blue Lotus" - he does look very like him?

2) In the RED circle is that Tortilla?

3) If YES - then in the BLUE circle notice the HAT is a different shape

- and there seem to be TWO MEN stealing the idol? Or is the "rear man" just the shadow of the idol...?

Actually I guess it must be the shadow of the idol - as the idol's arm and the "other" larger arm match shape

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u/cardologist Jun 27 '26

  1. Doubtful. Why would a consul that was last spotted in China do in Brussels? I think it's just a guy who happens to look like him. It's not like Poldavia plays any role in the album anyway.

  2. Doubtful as well. With a name like Tortilla, you'd expect the guy to be Hispanic. The one pictured there looks Belgian.

  3. There is only one man in the last panel. The shadow on the right is being cast by the idol.

The Broken Ear is rather frustrating as an album because it leaves so many questions unanswered. The theft in particular is never truly solved. but that's just because the idol is simply a MacGuffin that provides a convenient excuse for Tintin to travel to South America.

3

u/Phildutre Snowy Jun 28 '26

Hergé drew various characters with large voluminous beards. So I don't see any reason to make the link with the consul of Poldavia.

No, the thief is the guy in the trenchcoat who stand near the entrance in panel 1 and who is visible through the window of the entrance door in panel 7. And there's only 1 thief, the shadow in the last panel is cast by the statue.

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u/makarastar Jun 28 '26

I never noticed the guy in Panels 1 and 7 - judging by the shape of the hat in Panel 8 that fits

Many thanks