The Castafiore Emerald (1963)
The Castafiore Emerald Review
The Castafiore Emerald is the 21st volume of The Adventures of Tintin comics series by Belgian cartoonist Herge. It was published in 1963 and it is one of the most unique entries in the series.
Set at Marlinspike Hall, the plot concerns the visit of the opera singer Bianca Castafiore and the subsequent theft of her emerald. This volume was very different than all the other Tintin stories. In it, Herge tried something unique and I would have to say that he mostly succeeded. It is not just set in Belgium, but in the Haddock family estate and we never go anywhere else.
But even more important is the fact that we also do not get to have much of a mystery too. Well, there is a mystery of Bianca’s stolen emerald, but this never leads to any sinister developments. The story has no villains to speak of, instead focusing entirely on red herrings, which are all resolved pretty quickly. Magpies stole the jewelry, which was a hilariously anti-climactic way to end this mystery.
On the one hand, this lack of purpose or bigger adventure or thriller elements hurt the comic in terms of momentum, but on the other hand, it allowed Herge to go fully into the comedic territory, resulting in one of the funniest Tintin volumes of all time. So many moments here were instantly iconic with Haddock being particularly memorable.
His uneasy relationship with Bianca was so well explored and at times genuinely hilarious. The captain being confined to a wheelchair made him less proactive and more dependent on others, which proved to be great fodder for humor. The broken stair running gag also worked while Bianca Castafiore has never been better than she was here. She was delightfully over-the-top and amusing throughout.
Tintin and Snowy also got their moments to shine, though Thompson and Thompson were a bit too sidelined here. The roles of the gypsies were refreshingly devoid of racist connotations. The Haddock family estate was wonderfully explored from all angles with the exterior panels being particularly mesmerizing. The illustrations were consistently polished, artistic and detailed with the night scenes contrasting the daylight ones beautifully.
