Japanese imperialism. Hergé was determined to
named Dr Müller is the villain with schemes of
avoid the kind of simplistic national stereotypes that
domination. However, the serial publication of this
had marred his earlier work. To ensure his portrayal
story came to an abrupt halt in 1940, with the real
of Chinese culture was accurate, he worked with a
invasion of Belgium by German troops.
young art student residing in Brussels named Chang
Chong Chen. He became a close friend – and the
inspiration for the character of Chang in the book
(who later had a memorable return in Tintin in
Tibet). The result was a work that showed great
sympathy for the plight of the Chinese, and a sharp
warning against the rising menace of Japan.
The Bordurian uniform
Hergé, like many other Belgians, fled to Paris
to escape the threat of occupation. The Belgian
King Léopold III appealed for his subjects to show
German-style plane in King Ottakar’s Sceptre
their support by remaining in the country. Hergé felt
deep loyalty to his homeland – he answered the call
His stand against the German Fascists was
and returned to Brussels. But his newspaper, Le
expressed just as clearly in 1938, with King
Vingtième Siècle, had been shut down as a Catholic
Ottakar’s Sceptre. In this story the land of Syldavia
publication. All press came under control of the
is under threat from the neighbouring Borduria –
Nazi occupiers. Tintin was without a home. Until an
plainly modelled on Nazi Germany. The Bordurians
offer came from one of Hergé’s old colleagues, who
are ruled by a dictator named Müsstler, an obvious
worked on Le Soir. It was in this paper that the
melding of Mussolini and Hitler. Their aircraft are
adventures of Tintin would continue to appear
replicas of the German Messerschmitt, and their
during the war. But not the interrupted Land of
uniforms and emblems based on those of the Third
Black Gold – which was deemed too political, and
Reich. This theme continued in his next book, The
dangerous, to continue. Instead, Hergé began a
Land of Black Gold – where another German
completely new adventure, without any threatening