Writers who read Tintin

Both in our stores, and on our websites, Tintin fans always lament the lack of more and more and more Tintin books..

Perhaps Tom McCarthy’s new book, C, will satiate part of the need for more. According to Forbidden Planet UK, on a recent radio interview, McCarthy acknowledged that Tintin does play a role in this work.

Tintin is a big presence in this book.  In Tintin you have these two great houses : the family estate of Marlinspike, where Captain Haddock lives, which also has a family secret buried underneath it, and on the other hands you have the pyramids, the Inca temples, and crypts that he digs up.  They’re both flipsides of each other.   Tintin is also a radio-operator.  He’s meant to be a journalist, but he only ever files one article.  What he does repeatedly throughout the books, is tune in to these mysterious wireless messages, hunt them down and decode them.  And also, Tintin is neutral; he’s blank : whereas all the other characters are colourful and full of personality, Tintin is this Candide-type, neutral, passive character who, like a prism, defracts his whole era” (via)

McCarthy is also the author of Tintin and the Secret of Literature so he certainly knows his stuff. Wonder if this book will be as much fun as Herge’s.

Kisses for Tintin from Shanth Enjeti

You know we love it when people pose with Tintin for us. And today, we were delighted when comic artist Shanth Enjeti stopped by for a visit. And of course, he’s an avid Tintin lover! Here he is, pictured with our guy. And of course, the entry wouldn’t be complete without showing you some of Enjeti’s own art. To see more of his work, visit his site.

Tintin and friends grace our window

For the past month, Tintin and friends have graced our store windows. It’s time to say goodbye, for now, but I thought we’d share a few shots of the gang, hard at work on the business of display. 

New Tintin on the Way. Pre-Order and Save.

We recently returned from a Tintin buying trip where we purchased a bunch of brand new items from Moulinsart. Don’t worry, folks, the new stuff is priced right – for a change. Below is sneak peak of a portion of what’s arriving within the next 60 days. If you pre-order the t-shirts and calendars, you save 10% off the regular price.

Tintin has moved to WunderTime.com

Shop Tintin has officially packed up and moved over to WunderTime.com. There are a few things you should know about the move:

1. We are going to continue to provide a comprehensive Tintin catalog – in fact, we just came from a long Tintin buying trip so watch out for new product to arrive soon.
2. If you are a Shop Tintin VIP, please create an account over at WunderTime and then shoot us an email so we can transfer your status.
3. The Shop Tintin Facebook page and Twitter profile will no longer be updated – please visit the WunderTime Facebook page and Twitter for regular updates and information on sales. “Like” the WunderTime page and get an ADDITIONAL 10% OFF COUPON.
4. While we are going to keep the TintinBlog running, we strongly recommend that you subscribe to the WunderTime blog.

Thanks so much for shopping with Shop Tintin over the years. We appreciate your business and hope you will make the move with us.

Ken Plume photographs Tintin and John Hodgman

A little while ago we were treated to the presence of several talented and funny people at the store. These so-called ‘people’ included those known to the world as Ken Plume and John Hodgman. While sitting on our expensive and custom made furniture – which is for sale and designed by LEE Industries – Ken was kind enough to snap some photos of John holding our favorite boy reporter.

Ken also snapped some photos of Tintin while driving. Apparently, taking your hands off the wheel of a moving car to photograph Tintin is completely above board in the world of comedians and celebrities.

Thanks, Ken and John, for these photos. You are very fun men and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

You can learn more about Ken Plume at his site “FRED Entertainment” and on Twitter. For those of you who don’t already stalk follow John, you can at his Twitter and on his make-believe website, or just watch him on The Daily Show.

Last minute Tintin Sale.

Last minute Tintin Sale. Save 35% on EVERYTHING at http://www.ShopTintin.com! Ends at 11:59 pm on August 11, 2010.

Does this Eraser look like Tintin?

Who knew that Japanese Erasers from the 80s paid an homage to Tintin! Maybe a little skinny, but I think the likeness is striking. Thoughts?

Professor Calculus is always on time

At least when you have this cool Professor Calculus Pocket Watch.

According to the Etsy seller, this rare watch is from the 1950s and Swiss made. What do you think? Does this look like the real deal to you?

Did anyone make it to Tintin Day?

The perfect day for the obsessive Tintin fan. On the 17th, in Brussels, fans gathered for Tintin Day, a flea market of sorts. Imagine the goodies to be found there…

And how excited must this kid be to be riding in this car!