Entered the American public domain on January 1, the character of Tintin created by Herge in 1929, is still the subject of keen interest in France, where the rights to the work still have a bright future ahead of them. And for good reason: the adventures of the young reporter are getting a new lease of life from their publisher, Casterman, who is publishing, this Wednesday, January 8, a reissue of the Blue Lotus.
Originally published in 1936 after pre-publication in the journal The Little Twentieththe 124-page album (compared to 64 for the post-war colorized version) is now colorized, as were Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in the Congo et Tintin in Americabetween 2017 and 2020. On the back cover of the new Blue Lotuswe can notably read the promise of“a palette of new colors, the nuances of which particularly enhance the night scenes, thus revealing the intensity of the action and the beauty of the vignettes”. Which does not fail to appeal to Tintinophiles.
In America, Tintin in the public domain
“The purists were not particularly expecting them, but, with their large format, they [les nouveaux albums] have the charm of the larger images of today’s comics. In the thickness of the line, the dynamism of the adventure, there is a fluidity and a modernity which calls for rediscovery. comments Benoît Peetersone of the great specialists in the work of Hergé, interviewed by AFP.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the original edition, in black and white, of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is no longer protected by copyright since January 1, 2025. In fact, American legislation allows the exploitation of works published 95 years earlier. The rights holders of the Belgian designer see it as a “non-event”, they told BFM TV last December. “The economic stakes are low. Tintin has little presence in the United States, as we saw with the relative success of Spielberg’s film.confirms Benoît Peeters, evoking in particular The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicornin 2011.
Protective rights holders
In Europe or Canada, the law provides for the exploitation of the work only 70 years after the death of its author. The work of Hergé, who died in 1983, will therefore not be free for use before January 1, 2054. Furthermore, the rights holders, namely Hergé’s widow, Fanny Vlamynck90 years old, and her second husband, Nick Rodwell, 72 years old, have adopted a die-hard line, in accordance with the last wishes of the creator. In other words, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to draw Tintin and his acolytes.
“We often talk about abuse on their part. It must still be said that in the era of piracy and pillaging of books by AI, it is normal to protect the work of an author, even long after his death. And that’s what they do.”comments Benoît Peeters.
They even go beyond, since the cover of this new Blue Lotusdesigned from a vignette (found on page 24), as well as all the colors inside, are contemporary choices. It is impossible to say to what extent Hergé would have approved of them.
Hergé and the Chinese world
What the preface, written by Philippe Godinis that he admired Chinese art, which he learned to design his decorations. “ I drew from it my taste for order, my desire to reconcile meticulousness and simplicity, harmony and movement », Said the artist in 1975, quoted in this new 2025 edition. In Belgium, the Hergé museum in Louvain-la-Neuve addresses this influence in an exhibition entitled “In China with Tintin” which opens on Friday January 10.
The key character is a Chinese artist based in Brussels, the famous Chang. A biography, Tchang Tchong-Jen artist traveler, signed by the painter’s daughterTchang Yifei, and by a Tintin specialist, Dominique Maricqalso appears this Wednesday, January 8, by Casterman and Moulinsart editions.
