Tintin By Plane – 13 – The Reconnaissance Aeroplane From The Red Sea Sharks – L’Avion De Reconnaissance De Coke En Stock – En Avion Tintin

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Price: £65.00
Publisher: Editions Moulinsart
Publication date: 2014
Format: Original pictorial boards with plane on plinth
Condition: In near fine condition
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout

Description:

Original pictorial boards. Text in French. Includes the accompanying model and figurine. One from the collection of 50 books and models. Very slight wear. In very near fine, clean condition overall.

The Red Sea Sharks: A Brief Account

The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock), first published in 1958, stands among the most sophisticated and morally charged of The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé (Georges Remi). It blends the brisk excitement of a modern action thriller with a serious, socially conscious critique of human trafficking, corruption, and the global arms trade. It is a work of both narrative mastery and ethical depth, representing the mature phase of Hergé’s storytelling.

Overview

The story opens peacefully at Marlinspike Hall, where Tintin and Captain Haddock encounter the meddlesome insurance salesman Jolyon Wagg and, soon after, receive an urgent call from Emir Ben Kalish Ezab, ruler of the fictional Middle Eastern kingdom of Khemed. The Emir has been overthrown in a coup led by his treacherous rival Sheikh Bab El Ehr, forcing him into exile. When Tintin investigates, he discovers that the upheaval is linked to a shadowy international network trafficking enslaved people across the Red Sea and arming rebel forces for profit.

This premise allows Hergé to connect several recurring elements of the Tintin universe—political instability, moral courage, and personal loyalty—while grounding them in a contemporary global reality.

Plot and Setting

The adventure takes Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Professor Calculus from the calm of the Belgian countryside to the deserts and coastal ports of the Middle East and North Africa. The Red Sea setting provides both geographical grandeur and thematic weight: it is a place where empires, religions, and trade routes intersect, and where greed thrives amid instability.

The heroes uncover that modern-day slavery still exists, disguised as “pilgrim transport”—ships supposedly carrying Muslim pilgrims to Mecca but in fact selling them into bondage. The revelation, presented with journalistic clarity and moral outrage, gives the book its enduring power. Hergé treats the subject with notable seriousness for a 1950s children’s comic, condemning exploitation while allowing readers to grasp the complexities of global complicity.

The villains include familiar figures from earlier adventures, such as Allan Thompson, Captain Haddock’s treacherous former first mate, and Dawson, the corrupt British ex-police officer from The Blue Lotus. Both men now operate within a network of arms dealers and slavers, underlining Hergé’s theme that evil is not defeated once and for all but persists through greed and moral decay.

Themes and Moral Depth

At its heart, The Red Sea Sharks is a meditation on the commodification of human life. The title itself operates as a metaphor: the “sharks” are not only the predators of the sea but the exploiters of mankind. Through Tintin’s indignation and decisive action, Hergé reasserts his moral vision—one grounded in compassion, justice, and courage.

The album also explores moral hypocrisy: the way respectable figures and nations profit from human suffering under the guise of commerce, politics, or religion. This aligns with Hergé’s growing awareness of the moral complexities of modern civilisation, a sensibility deepened by the post-war world and his own introspective artistic maturity.

Characterisation

Tintin is portrayed here as a figure of unwavering moral integrity. His determination to expose and dismantle the slavers’ operation gives the story its urgency. Captain Haddock provides comic relief and emotional humanity—his fiery temper, loyalty, and moments of bluster offset Tintin’s calm reason. Professor Calculus, though less central, remains a gentle emblem of intellect and innocence.

The return of old characters gives the story continuity within the Tintin canon, lending it a richness of moral texture: characters like Allan and Dawson serve as reminders of the world’s capacity for corruption, while the Emir and his young son Abdullah provide both political stakes and moments of comic lightness.

Artistic and Structural Excellence

Visually, The Red Sea Sharks is a triumph of Hergé’s ligne claire style—his hallmark of clean lines, balanced composition, and lucid storytelling. The desert and maritime scenes are rendered with striking precision: the blinding light of the sands, the vastness of the sea, and the claustrophobic interiors of ships are all vividly realised.

Hergé’s technical interest in modern machinery—jets, ships, and vehicles—is prominent throughout. The aircraft, notably the Carreidas 160-style jet used by Sheikh Bab El Ehr’s forces, and the sleek ocean-going ships, are drawn with near-engineering accuracy. Yet these symbols of progress are shown serving barbaric ends, reinforcing the story’s moral paradox: that modern technology does not necessarily bring moral advancement.

Tone and Balance

Despite its heavy subject matter, Hergé maintains the balance of humour, humanity, and adventure that defines Tintin’s world. The reappearance of Jolyon Wagg, ever oblivious and well-meaning, provides light-hearted contrast. Scenes of quick wit, such as Haddock’s verbal sparring or the chaos aboard ship, ensure that the narrative remains engaging without diminishing its ethical core.

The pacing is masterful: a gradual unveiling of conspiracy gives way to tense action sequences, including sea chases, aerial dogfights, and daring rescues. Beneath the suspense, however, lies a serious moral undertone—Hergé’s insistence that conscience and courage remain essential in a corrupt world.

Cultural and Historical Resonance

Written in the shadow of the Cold War and the end of European colonialism, The Red Sea Sharks reflects the anxieties of its time: shifting power structures, new forms of exploitation, and the uneasy legacy of empire. Hergé’s portrayal of slavery—modern, hidden, and systemic—was remarkably prescient, anticipating global debates on human rights and moral responsibility.

The story also stands as an example of Hergé’s late-career humanitarian vision. Gone are the naïve colonial assumptions of his early work; here, the world is complex, interconnected, and morally ambiguous. Tintin remains a symbol not of Western superiority but of ethical universality.

Legacy

The Red Sea Sharks is frequently cited by critics as one of Hergé’s finest achievements. It fuses the brisk excitement of adventure fiction with a depth of moral seriousness unusual in the comic form. Its treatment of slavery and profiteering ensures its lasting relevance, while its precision of line and pacing confirm Hergé’s artistic mastery.

For readers and scholars alike, the album stands as a moral adventure—an exploration not just of distant seas but of the human conscience. It exemplifies Hergé’s belief that courage, empathy, and integrity can still prevail in a world darkened by greed and hypocrisy.

In sum, The Red Sea Sharks endures as one of The Adventures of Tintin’s most profound works: visually brilliant, ethically engaged, and narratively compelling—a story in which the spirit of adventure becomes inseparable from the pursuit of justice.

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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.