Intrepid Tintin still going strong at 90

It is not surprising that some journalists these days think of themselves as superheroes given the number of such valiant characters in fiction whose alter-egos are reporters or photojournalists, from Clark Kent (Superman) to Peter Parker (Spiderman).

The oldest of them all, however, is also the youngest: Tintin just turned 90 but forever 15 with that ginger quiff and blue sweater. Not many reporters today would be given the kind of leeway to explore and ‘investigate’ that Tintin was — with assorted companions in tow including his dog Snowy (Milou to those who read his adventures in French and Kuttush to Bengali readers) and Captain Haddock — but his indefatigable spirit remains a journalistic benchmark.

Unfortunately, he has not been on any new adventures since his creator Hergé passed away in 1983 or else his take on current events from fake news to the Chinese landing on the far side of the moon would have been invaluable.


This intrepid teenager is arguably the world’s best known fictional Belgian besides Hercule Poirot, but Tintin’s immense, enduring popularity in West Bengal surprised even Hergé.

Particularly as it is an election year, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee could consider garnering goodwill by putting up a larger and more permanent one of Tintin in Kolkata than the current wax likeness outside a museum.