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Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin #23)

by Hergé

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 4,206 ratings · 45 reviews

Tintin hears in the news that Bianca Castafiore, her maid, pianist and Thomson and Thompson, have been imprisoned in San Theodoros for allegedly attempting to overthrow the military dictatorship of General Tapioca, who has yet again deposed Tintin's old friend, General Alcazar. Tintin, Calculus and Haddock soon become embroiled in the accusations, and, travelling to San Th...more Tintin hears in the news that Bianca Castafiore, her maid, pianist and Thomson and Thompson, have been imprisoned in San Theodoros for allegedly attempting to overthrow the military dictatorship of General Tapioca, who has yet again deposed Tintin's old friend, General Alcazar. Tintin, Calculus and Haddock soon become embroiled in the accusations, and, travelling to San Theodoros to clear their names, find themselves caught in a trap laid by their old enemy, Colonel Sponsz, who has been sent by the East Bloc nation of Borduria to assist Tapioca. Sponsz has concocted the conspiracy of which Tintin and his friends are accused in a plot to wreak revenge upon them for humiliating him in The Calculus Affair. Escaping, Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus join Alcazar and his small band of guerrillas, the Picaros, in the jungle near an Arumbaya Indian village.

Meanwhile, in a show trial orchestrated by Sponsz, Castafiore is sentenced to life imprisonment and the Thompsons are ordered to be executed by firing squad. Tintin enlists Alcazar's help in freeing his friends, but upon arrival at his jungle headquarters, finds that Alcazar's men have become demoralised drunkards since Tapioca started dropping copious quantities of alcohol near their camp. Additionally, Alcazar is continually henpecked by his shrewish wife Peggy, who nags him constantly about his failure to achieve a successful revolution. Fortunately, Calculus has invented a pill which will make alcohol unpalatable to anyone who ingests it (which he proves to have tested on Haddock, much to the latter's ire). Tintin offers to use the pill to cure the Picaros of their alcoholism if Alcazar agrees to make the overthrow of Tapioca bloodless. Alcazar reluctantly agrees, and as his men are cured, Jolyon Wagg arrives with his musical troupe the Jolly Follies, who intend to perform at the upcoming carnival in San Theodoros. Alcazar — with a little advice from Tintin — launches an assault on Tapioca's palace during the carnival by 'borrowing' the troupe's costumes and sneaking his men into the capital. He topples Tapioca, but on Tintin's urging, does not execute him, as is tradition; Tapioca is instead forced to publicly surrender his powers to Alcazar and is exiled, while Sponsz is sent back to Borduria.

Meanwhile, Thomson and Thompson are due to be shot on the same day as the carnival (although as naive as ever in their observations, the detectives show courage by refusing to be blindfolded). Tintin and Haddock reach the state prison in time to prevent the executions from taking place. Castafiore, her maid and her pianist are also released, and Alcazar can finally give his wife the palace he has promised. With everything back in order (or not), Tintin and his friends leave. As they fly home, Tintin and Haddock express gratitude about being able to go home, showing a more weary attitude towards travel than in earlier books.

The second to last panel shows a final, skeptical political message: as under Tapioca, the city slums are filled with wretched, starving people and patrolled by indifferent police. Nothing is different, except that a Viva Tapioca sign has been changed to read Viva Alcazar, demonstrating Hergé's view that even if regimes change, conditions do not improve.
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Hardcover, 64 pages

Published June 5th 1979 by Methuen Publishing (first published 1949)

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Aug 22, 2012 Katya Reimann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Part of the interest in reading Tintin is thinking about how Hergé's attitudes changed over time. His rejection of some of his earlier portrayals (he is on record as categorizing "Tintin in America" as an "error of his youth") allow a reader to see this series as a product of a specific time and place--a product created by a writer who became more politically sophisticated as he gained in years and wisdom.

(re) Reading this episode directly after revisiting "The Broken Ear" is a case in point. He...more

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Mar 16, 2008 Kevin Quinley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childhood

**-plot details for this review are borrowed from Wikipedia in the interest of full disclosure. I read this as a child but possess a lucid, while not photographic, recollection of the story.

Fitting end to the Tintin saga as the gang delves into a thorny political struggle in Latin America, emerging unscathed but finding no easy resolution. Here, the young reader is challenged to consider whether Tintin really embodies the hero saving his friends while massive corruption ensues. Herge superbly in...more

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Feb 27, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

This is the last of the completed Tintin books and in a way does finally tie everything up. Granted, nobody ever lives happily ever after, but I do feel that it does round off and complete what I consider to be a ground breaking series of books that are incredibly funny and very entertaining. This album seems to follow on after the Castafiore Emerald as there are a few connections with the events in the previous album, however it appears that Flight 714 occurred between the two albums. Now whil...more This is the last of the completed Tintin books and in a way does finally tie everything up. Granted, nobody ever lives happily ever after, but I do feel that it does round off and complete what I consider to be a ground breaking series of books that are incredibly funny and very entertaining. This album seems to follow on after the Castafiore Emerald as there are a few connections with the events in the previous album, however it appears that Flight 714 occurred between the two albums. Now while this is possible (as Bianca Castafiore is on a tour of Latin America that she began at the end of the Castafiore Emerald) I feel that the events of Flight 714 should probably come afterwards.
As mentioned, Bianca Castafiore, with her entourage, are travelling through Latin America and arrive at the fictional country of San Theodoros (the same country from The Broken Ear) and she and her entourage (which includes Thompson and Thomson) are arrested immediately after the concert on the grounds of participating in a conspiracy to overthrow the leader General Tapioca. What drags Tintin and his friends into the fray (other than the fact that their friends are in danger) is that General Tapioca is aware that prior to her tour, she had stayed with Captain Haddock and Tintin at Marlinspike, and that it was while they were there that the conspiracy was hatch. This is a very clever plot device Herge uses, which creates continuity in the albums. However, the story of Alcazar and San Theodoros has been sitting in the background since The Broken Ear, and it is only resolved here, at the end.
Herge does deal with alcoholism, particularly among native populations, in this album. We once again meet the Arumbaya and the white anthropologist who has decided to live with them. However, as a way to keep the native populations and the rebels suppressed, General Tapioca has been parachuting crates of alcohol into the jungles. This is important, and shows how skillful a storyteller Herge is, because right from the beginning Captain Haddock has suddenly lost his taste for alcohol. In fact, it is very amusing watching the Captain swear that he is being fed poison while everybody else is amazed at how wonderful the whisky is. I won't mention what is going on because it will destroy a very subtle plot device.
This story is much greyer than many of the others because we have Tintin being involved in an attempted coup, however true to his character, he refuses to allow anybody to be killed, despite tradition being that after every revolution, the previous ruler and his inner circle are supposed to be killed. This is not always the case though, since many go into self imposed exile. We are see the dichotomy of the South American countries, as they fly into Tapiocapolis, they fly over a modern central business district, and then over the slums being patrolled by disinterested police. However, the catch is that after all has been said and done, when they are leaving, the fly back over the same slums, however the only difference is that the sign, instead of saying 'Viva Tapioca' says 'Viva Alcazar'.
Sometimes I wonder why Alcazar is really Tintin's friend. He is not really the type of person that Tintin would really throw his lot in with. In the Broken Ear he was made Aide-de-Camp, however this was to enable him to complete his mission in locating the stolen fetish. Other times Alcazar seems to be more interested in other things, and in particular, in the Red Sea Sharks, is involved in shady business dealings with Dawson, one of Herge's villains. It is clear in this album though that Tintin has not come over to San Theodoros to put his friend back in power, but rather to rescue friends who have been locked up on bogus charges. Unfortunately, what is required is a change of government, so true to Tintin, he looks for a plan that will succeed with little, and preferably no, bloodshed.(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Yves rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J'ai maintenant fini de relire tous les Tintin en ordre chronologique. Ce que je peux dire c'est qu'en général c'est bien mieux que l'image que j'en gardais. J'ai longtemps cru que les Aventures de Tintin étaient pour les enfants. Je peux donc l'affirmer, je m'étais trompé. Dans l'oeuvre de Hergé, il y a beaucoup de subtilité que les enfants ne peuvent comprendre et l'humour est génial.

Tintin et les Picaros est donc le dernier tome achevé de la série. L'histoire est quand même assez bien. Haddoc...more

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Jul 24, 2009 htanzil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dalam petualangan Tintin kali ini dikisahkan bahwa sahabatnya, Bianca Castafiore dan detektif kembar Dupont dan Dupon ditawan oleh Jenderal Tapioka saat mereka melakukan tur pertunjukan di San Theodoros Amerika Selatan. Mereka dimasukkan dalam penjara atas tuduhan ingin melakukan makar terhadap pemerintahan yang sah.

Mendengar hal tersebut, Kapten Handdock berencana menyelamatkan Castariofe, awalnya Tintin menolak ikut berangkat karena curiga bahwa ini adalah sebuah jebakan dari pemerintahan Jend...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Tintin stories for anyone who has read them and understands their history can't be viewed as anything other than groundbreaking. The beginnings of these stories have been around as long as the Lord of the Rings, the illustration and environments in the Tintin books are accurate and extremely detailed. Anyone who has spent even a little time exploring Herge (Georges Remi) can see the painstaking research and adversity he worked through to compose the world around Tintin. His ideas were ahead...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic

My review from Tintin Books:

"As Napoleon said, 'Think of it, soldiers. Forty centuries look down upon you.'"
-- Captain Haddock to Calculus

I hadn't read "Tintin and the Picaros" since I was a kid, so it's arguably the completed album I know least. Returning to it, I found much to love. After the creative misstep that was Flight 714, Herge was very much back on track.

Of all the albums in the "Tintin" ouevre, "Picaros" is less clearly aimed at children. (Even the formula-defying The Castafiore Eme ...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Nin Sqrl rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my first Tintin. It Not only introduced me to a world of adventure, but the concept of banana republics, revolutionaries, and politics. And I was 6. These are a great series for kids. They're full of adventure and fun.

Granted, some of his earlier works are just downright racist. But, his later works seem to reject some of his earlier thinking. And for the time (some released during Nazi controlled Belgium) they were written some of these were rather progressive.

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Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tintin and the Picaros, the final Tintin adventure, has the boys headed for South America to see their old friend Alcazar, whose rebel band are finally getting ready for one last push against General Tapoca, who usurped Alcazar's power early on in the series. Alcazar, while always an ally, was never exactly one of the good guys, and Herge plays that up here (especially on the volume's last page, which given the few pages before it presents itself as a knife-twist).

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Jul 29, 2011 Mathieu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dernier album de Tintin, si on excepte Tintin et L'Alph'art, inachevé.

Retour en Amérique du sud pour cet épisode encore une fois marqué par le thème de la Révolution et du coup d'Etat. On nage en pleine machination et dans les intrigues dans cette histoire fortement teintée d'espionnage.

Scène mythique lors du carnaval !

"C'est nous les joyeux Turlurons, digue dondaine, c'est nous les joyeux Turlurons, digue dondon !"

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Apr 10, 2011 Shifan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tintin & the picaros was a amazing book because there were characters we get to see again.

I like Tintin because he always gets involved in every adventure. Every now & then, he hears what was going on around the world & he goes to these countries to put a stop to the evil guys plans. Tintin is actually a journalist from Le Petit Vingteme in Brussels,Europe.

Here is a funny word I heard in the book

............PFAOUGH!!!!!!!!

Meaning Loch Lomond was found as yucky when Captain Haddock ta...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Clicque added it · review of another edition

Nous retrouvons ici Tintin au San Theodoros, pays de 'L'oreille cass�e'. La Castafiore, les Dupondt, Tournesol et Haddock ayant �t� arr�t�s par le G�n�ral Tapioca, Tintin vole � leur secours. R�ussissant � fuir avec Tournesol et Haddock, il aidera �galement Alcazar dans sa r�volution.

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Jul 28, 2011 Derek Baldwin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Various shenanigans amongst stereotyped excitable Latin Americans.... Professor Calculus invents a pill that makes alcohol disgusting and this plays a role in preventing a coup d'etat from failing - but it's the "good" guy who is the coup leader so that's alright then.

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Jul 31, 2010 سارة درويش rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

:)) كل شخصية في المغامرة دي محفورة في دماغي مش راضية تطلع

برجل بعبقريته ودماغه اللي مسافرة :D

والجنرال والمغنية المزعجة والكابتن هادوك :))

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Jan 24, 2013 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-and-young-people, fiction, graphic-novel, made-me-laugh

Another Tintin adventure. Along with Cpt. Haddock and Proffessor Calculus, Tintin heads to South America to rescue a friend and ends up resolving some personal hostilities.

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Jan 07, 2010 Fiona added it

Shelves: graphic-novel

I remember reading a load of these in my first year of secondary school and being rather embarrassed when my tutor group found out I was reading them! They were good though!

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Aug 16, 2012 Norhan Omar rated it 5 of 5 stars

The whole series of Tintin is very entertaining, thrilling and full of adventures with engaging stories and funny characters. My favorite is Captain Hadock

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Feb 06, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-childrens-books

I used to read Tintin when I was in grade school. I saw the new movie and liked it a lot and decided to re-read the Tintin series. I still like like it.

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Nov 18, 2012 Rami Samaha rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is not a very nice book because it is not interesting or funny and it is not exiting for me

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Aug 03, 2011 Nicolas Walker added it · review of another edition

Tintin meets a lifetime friend in this book, the General Alcazar. They talk and work together.

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Jun 06, 2012 Asa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I like when they're driving, and then Tinin has a car wreck, because bad guys shot their tank!

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Dec 01, 2011 Lubna rated it 4 of 5 stars

gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooodddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Aug 08, 2012 Ellie (a.k.a. QE3) rated it 4 of 5 stars

It wasn't an amazing end to the series, but it was okay.

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Aug 21, 2011 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unfortunately this is the last book but I read it first.

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Aug 20, 2012 Huub rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

voor het oefenen van mijn Frans...

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Mar 16, 2013 Karthik Thrikkadeeri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Love it love it love it.....

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Jun 13, 2012 Tristy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comix

A perfect end to the series.

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Aug 30, 2011 Leroy rated it 5 of 5 stars

this fanale is pretty cool

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May 11, 2012 Asawari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Enjoyable !!!

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Apr 21, 2012 Christopher Litsinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, translation

Nostalgic fun.

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About Hergé

Georges Prosper Remi (22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist.
His best known and most substantial work is The Adventures of Tintin comic book series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, leaving the twenty-fourth Tintin adventure Tintin and Alph-Art unfinished. His work remains a strong influence on comics...more

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BBCode	[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146160.Tintin_and_the_Picaros?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327959072l/146160.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146160.Tintin_and_the_Picaros?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Tintin and the Picaros by Hergé[/url]

Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin #23)

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