Tintin By Plane – 3 – The Yellow Seaplane In The Shooting Star – L’Hydravion Jaune De L’Étoile Mystérieuse – 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 Shooting Star: A Brief Account

The Shooting Star, originally published during the early 1940s, stands as one of Hergé’s most visually striking and narratively unconventional Tintin stories. Created under the pressures and constraints of wartime Europe, the book reflects both the energy of scientific discovery and the anxieties of a world in upheaval. While the album was later revised to remove problematic wartime elements, it remains a fascinating work that displays Hergé’s maturing artistic technique, his interest in scientific themes, and his evolving command of suspense-driven storytelling.

Historical Context

Hergé developed The Shooting Star during a period of strict censorship and limited creative freedom. The album emerged at a time when scientific progress, astronomy, and explorations of the unknown captivated public imagination. Simultaneously, wartime tensions influenced the story’s sense of urgency, competition, and resource scarcity.

Early editions of the story featured more overt political references and caricatures, which were later removed or softened when Hergé revised the book after the war. Modern editions represent a more neutral, internationally oriented narrative, closer to the scientific adventure Hergé originally intended but free of certain historical biases.

Plot Summary

1. The Ominous Discovery

The story opens with astronomical unease. A fiery star is observed growing rapidly in size, suggesting the possible approach of a catastrophic celestial body. Hergé masterfully builds tension through environmental details: oppressive heat, unseasonal weather, and a pervasive sense that something is terribly wrong.

It is Professor Phostle, director of the local observatory, who identifies an unexpected meteorite fragment predicted to fall somewhere in the Arctic Circle. The fragment, he argues, may contain a rare material with properties unknown to science.

2. Race for the Meteorite

A race begins between two scientific expeditions: one led by Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Professor Phostle aboard the trawler Aurora, and another financed by rival industrial interests. The competition is not merely scientific but economic, hinging on the potential commercial value of the mysterious metal.

Hergé uses this rivalry to intensify the plot and to introduce themes of scientific integrity versus corporate ambition.

3. Voyage on the Aurora

Much of the book unfolds at sea, giving Hergé the chance to craft some of the most detailed maritime sequences in the Tintin canon. The Aurora encounters sabotage, treacherous weather, and repeated attempts by the rival team to obstruct its progress.

Captain Haddock is at his most memorable here: exasperated, loyal, and prone to bouts of explosive indignation, balanced with genuine courage and seamanship.

4. The Meteorite in the Arctic

When Tintin’s team finally locates the meteorite fragment, it is found embedded in an unstable, rapidly melting iceberg. The fragment contains a mysterious new metal that appears to provoke strange physical reactions. Insects, mushrooms, and natural forms grow dramatically on the meteorite’s surface, suggesting that the material possesses bizarre, possibly radioactive properties.

These scenes offer a rare element of surrealism within the Tintin series. Hergé plays with exaggerated scale, visual distortion, and a slightly dreamlike quality that sets this adventure apart from his more grounded works.

5. Tintin’s Perilous Retrieval

Tintin must retrieve a sample of the metal before the iceberg disintegrates. His climb is fraught with hazards: cracking ice, unstable growths, and the looming deadline of the Aurora’s ability to remain nearby.

The climax is taut and cinematic, with Tintin escaping only moments before the meteorite sinks beneath the sea. The scientific sample is secured, and the Aurora wins the race, but the fragment itself is lost forever.

Characters and Their Development

Tintin

Tintin’s character in this story is defined by calm decisiveness. He demonstrates a reporter’s curiosity combined with a scientist’s respect for discovery. His moral clarity contrasts with the mercenary behaviour of the rival expedition.

Captain Haddock

This album is one of Haddock’s strongest early outings. He grapples with seasickness, sabotage, and the constraints of command—yet proves his worth as a seafarer. His comedic tirades balance the book’s darker atmospherics.

Professor Phostle

Phostle embodies the archetype of the driven scientist. At times single-minded to the point of parody, he also provides key scientific insight and functions as narrative justification for the voyage.

Rival Financiers and Expedition Members

The corporate antagonists are kept relatively broad in characterisation. Their behaviour highlights the ethical divide between discovery pursued for knowledge and discovery pursued for profit.

Themes and Analytical Insights

1. Science and Moral Responsibility

The story reflects early twentieth-century debates about scientific exploration: Who should control new discoveries? What are the moral obligations of scientists? Hergé explores these questions through the competition for the meteorite.

2. Human Ambition in the Face of Nature

The meteorite represents an unknown power, larger than any nation or corporation. Its instability and ultimate disappearance serve as reminders of nature’s dominance over human ambition.

3. Wartime Influences and Later Revisions

The early editions included political caricatures shaped by the wartime environment. Later revisions removed these elements, leaving behind a cleaner narrative more focused on scientific rivalry. This makes The Shooting Star a valuable case study in Hergé’s revision process and evolving ethics.

4. Visual Expressionism

The story’s artwork stands out for its use of:

• extreme lighting contrasts,
• vast seascapes,
• enlarged natural forms,
• and near-apocalyptic environmental effects.

These elements contribute to a uniquely intense visual identity.

Artistic Achievements

Hergé’s line work in this album is exceptionally confident. Notable achievements include:

• dynamic maritime sequences with precise renderings of rigging, waves, and ship movement;
• dramatic meteorite scenes that blend realism with a hint of the fantastical;
• skilful use of pacing to switch between claustrophobic interiors and expansive Arctic vistas;
• some of the most memorable double-page spreads in Tintin.

Legacy

The Shooting Star occupies an intriguing position in the Tintin canon. It is a story born of wartime pressures yet refined into a timeless scientific adventure. Its unusual combination of realism and surrealism, its ethical undertones, and its striking visuals ensure that it remains one of the most discussed Tintin volumes—admired both for its narrative ambition and its artistic virtuosity.

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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 egacy of Hergé.