General Alcazar In Uniform – Figurines Tintin La Collection Officielle – 42 – Le Général Alcazar En Uniforme

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Price: £45.00
Publisher: Editions Moulinsart
Publication date: 2013
Format: Original pictorial boards with passport and figurine
Condition: In near fine condition
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout

Description:

Original pictorial boards. Includes passport loosely inserted. Text in French. Includes the accompanying figurine. One from the collection of 111 books and figurines. Very slight wear. In very near fine, clean condition overall.

General Alcazar: A Short Account

General Alcazar is one of Hergé’s most colourful and enduring recurring characters — a fiery, cigar-smoking Latin American military leader whose appearances add political satire, humour, and moral ambiguity to The Adventures of Tintin. Over several stories, he embodies the turbulence of fictional South American politics while remaining a complex, oddly likeable figure.

Character Profile

General Alcazar is the dictator of the Republic of San Theodoros, a small, volatile South American nation frequently on the brink of revolution. Hergé portrays him as a proud, temperamental, yet charismatic man: barrel-chested, dark-haired, thick-moustached, and always impeccably dressed in full military uniform when in power.

His personality is explosive but not malicious. Alcazar is impulsive, quick to anger, and fond of dramatic gestures — throwing knives into doorframes is one of his trademarks — yet he also possesses a sense of honour and a genuine affection for Tintin. His rival is the equally volatile General Tapioca, with whom he constantly alternates power in an endless cycle of coups d’état.

First Appearance: The Broken Ear (1937)

Alcazar first appears in The Broken Ear, Hergé’s satirical take on South American politics, inspired by the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay. In this adventure, Tintin becomes embroiled in the political chaos of San Theodoros, where Alcazar and Tapioca are engaged in a civil war.

Tintin, having fallen foul of both sides, is captured by Alcazar’s forces but soon gains the general’s favour by saving his life. Alcazar appoints him as an aide-de-camp — an honour Tintin accepts reluctantly. The comic tension between Tintin’s moral decency and Alcazar’s fiery temper drives much of the humour in these scenes.

The depiction of Alcazar in The Broken Ear is both comic and satirical: Hergé lampoons the corruption and instability of military regimes, showing how political power can hinge on vanity, manipulation, and foreign influence. Yet Alcazar is drawn with enough humanity to avoid becoming a caricature of evil.

Later Appearances

The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun

Alcazar reappears briefly in The Seven Crystal Balls, now in exile in Europe and performing under the pseudonym Ramon Zarate as a knife-thrower in a music-hall act. This ironic twist — a deposed dictator reduced to performing for applause — adds both humour and pathos. Tintin, ever respectful, treats him as a friend, highlighting Hergé’s subtle compassion for flawed characters.

Tintin and the Picaros (1976)

Alcazar’s final and most complex appearance is in Tintin and the Picaros, Hergé’s late-period, mature reflection on revolution and idealism. Once again locked in rivalry with General Tapioca, Alcazar leads the rebel force known as the Picaros. Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Professor Calculus are drawn into the conflict when their friends, Bianca Castafiore and her entourage, are arrested by Tapioca’s regime.

This time, Alcazar is presented as weary and pragmatic rather than triumphant. The glamour of revolution has faded; his wife, Peggy Alcazar, a sharp-tongued socialite, further undermines his authority. When Tintin persuades him to overthrow Tapioca without bloodshed, Alcazar agrees — signalling Hergé’s own growing disillusionment with violence and ideological extremes.

By the end of the story, Alcazar is back in power, but the victory feels hollow. Nothing has truly changed; San Theodoros remains trapped in its cycle of coups. The once-fiery general now seems almost tragic — a relic of outdated heroism in a cynical world.

Personality and Traits

• Temperamental: Quick to anger, often shouting or throwing knives in frustration.
• Proud: Obsessed with dignity, status, and military appearance.
• Courageous: Brave in battle, loyal to his allies, and capable of self-sacrifice.
• Human: Despite his bluster, he shows moments of vulnerability and humour.

Alcazar’s duality — comic buffoon and flawed patriot — makes him one of Hergé’s richest secondary characters.

Symbolism and Themes

Alcazar represents Hergé’s critique of authoritarianism and political absurdity. His endless power struggle with Tapioca satirises the instability of 20th-century Latin American politics, often manipulated by outside interests. Yet he is more than a symbol of chaos; he is also a portrait of pride, loyalty, and misplaced idealism.

Hergé’s depiction evolves over time:

• In The Broken Ear, Alcazar is a comic revolutionary.
• In The Seven Crystal Balls, he is a fallen figure, still proud but diminished.
• In Tintin and the Picaros, he is a weary soldier, stripped of illusion.

This progression mirrors Hergé’s own maturation as an artist — from youthful satire to moral reflection.

Relationship with Tintin

Tintin and Alcazar share mutual respect despite their moral differences. Tintin admires Alcazar’s courage but rejects his violent methods; Alcazar, in turn, respects Tintin’s integrity, even when it challenges his own authority. Their friendship, based on grudging admiration, underscores one of Hergé’s recurring themes: decency can coexist with imperfection.

Captain Haddock’s encounters with Alcazar are more comic. The two men — equally volatile and proud — often clash, providing humorous tension, especially in Tintin and the Picaros.

Legacy

General Alcazar remains one of Hergé’s most vividly drawn figures: a revolutionary and a relic, a man of conviction and contradiction. Through him, Hergé explored the follies of power, the seductions of authority, and the futility of violence.

His enduring appeal lies in his humanity — flawed, passionate, sometimes ridiculous, yet ultimately sincere. Alcazar is both a product of his fictional nation’s turmoil and a mirror of universal human weakness.

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Cataloguer: Daniel Hornsey

Daniel Hornsey has specialised in fine and rare books, ephemera, and collectors’ editions for over thirty years. As a long-standing member of the antiquarian book trade, he has advised private collectors, curated catalogues, and sourced works for leading dealers, libraries and institutions across the world.

Hornseys’ exhibit regularly at book and map fairs in London and throughout the UK and are members of the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association, the PBFA.

His fascination with Hergé’s work — especially ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ — began in childhood. Daniel recalls reading Tintin in original European editions and quickly recognising that these were not merely children’s books, but finely illustrated narratives crafted with artistic depth and wit.

As noted by the Musée Hergé in Louvain-la-Neuve, Hergé’s ‘ligne claire’ style has influenced generations of European comic artists and his original drawings and paintings command very high prices with his painting of ‘The Blue Lotus’ jar fetching £2.8m at auction in 2021.

By presenting these works through Hornseys’, he hopes to contribute to the continued appreciation of one of the 20th century’s most influential illustrators, helping new generations discover the artistry and legacy of Hergé.