Tintin By Plane – 32 – The Australian Seaplane in Flight 714 to Sydney – L’Hydravion Australien De Vol 714 Pour Sydney – En Avion Tintin

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Price: £65.00
Publisher: Editions Moulinsart
Publication date: 2015
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.

Flight 714: A Brief Account

Flight 714 occupies a distinctive position within the Tintin canon. First published in 1968, it reflects Hergé’s mature artistic period, the cultural anxieties of the late 1960s, and his increasing interest in psychology, technology and speculative ideas about extra-terrestrial life. Unlike the globe-trotting adventures of Red Rackham’s Treasure or The Blue Lotus, this album unfolds within a constrained geographical frame yet develops a narrative rich in tension, intrigue and ambiguity.

Historical and Creative Context

By the late 1960s, Hergé was an established figure in European comics and had transitioned from purely boyish adventure stories to more subtle narrative forms. The world was changing rapidly: the Cold War, jet-age glamour, aerospace innovation, and fascination with UFOs permeated popular culture. Flight 714 reflects this atmosphere, combining modern aviation, corporate power, espionage and fringe science.

The album is notable for its heightened psychological tone. Hypnosis, betrayal, paranoia and mind-control agents feature prominently, marking a thematic evolution from the more straightforward criminal plots of earlier books.

Plot Overview

Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus are travelling to Australia when they encounter Laszlo Carreidas, one of the richest men in the world and a satirical rendering of a reclusive industrialist. Carreidas invites the trio to board his private business jet — a sleek, technologically advanced aeroplane inspired by contemporary Dassault designs.

Mid-flight, the journey is hijacked by Carreidas’s corrupt entourage, acting under the direction of Rastapopoulos, Tintin’s arch-villain, who seeks Carreidas’s vast financial assets. The group is forced to land on a remote volcanic island in Indonesia, where a secret base holds them captive.

The narrative then shifts from aviation thriller to psychological drama. Mind-control drugs, interrogation techniques and shifting loyalties dominate the middle act. Ultimately, Tintin senses the presence of a mysterious intelligence guiding events. The group is rescued not by conventional means, but through the intervention of extra-terrestrial beings, who communicate telepathically and ensure the protagonists retain only partial memory of the encounter.

Themes and Tone

Modern Technology and Jet-Age Culture

The portrayal of Carreidas’s aircraft, aeronautical procedures and airport scenes reflects Hergé’s fascination with contemporary aviation. Aircraft in the Tintin series are always grounded in real engineering, and Flight 714 continues this tradition.

Psychology and Manipulation

Characters are threatened not only physically but mentally. The inclusion of mind-control substances and hypnotic suggestion underlines a shift towards psychological realism blended with Cold War paranoia.

Power, Wealth and Hubris

Carreidas represents an archetype of twentieth-century global elite: brilliant, eccentric and morally ambiguous. His arrogance and mistrust contribute directly to his misfortune.

Extra-Terrestrial Intervention

The ending remains one of the most debated in Tintin scholarship. Hergé introduces telepathic alien rescuers, moving the series into speculative territory. The memory-loss device resolves the plot while leaving readers in a state of uncertainty. This ambiguity is deliberate and central to the book’s lasting fascination.

Artistic Style

The artwork demonstrates Hergé’s meticulous ligne claire technique: clean lines, precise architecture, accurate machinery and expressive character work. The tropical island setting is rendered with rich detail. Panel pacing is brisk yet controlled, maintaining suspense and atmosphere.

Characters of Note

• Tintin: Composed, observant and intuitive, particularly attuned to mysterious forces.
• Captain Haddock: Provides emotional ballast and humour, yet remains vulnerable to fear and frustration.
• Professor Calculus: Brings eccentricity and scientific curiosity.
• Laszlo Carreidas: Complex anti-hero; intellectually brilliant but morally compromised.
• Rastapopoulos: Embodiment of greed and manipulative ambition.
• Alien benefactors: Silent, enigmatic and benevolent — a marked tonal departure for the series.

Significance in the Tintin Canon

Flight 714 is a bold late work that challenges expectations. Although some readers prefer the classical structure of earlier adventures, the album is praised for:

• Mature tonal shifts
• Technical realism in aeronautical depiction
• Exploration of greed, loyalty and moral complexity
• Its daring embrace of the unknown

It stands as a testament to Hergé’s willingness to evolve his narrative and artistic ambitions.

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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.