Characters

Just as Alfred Hitchcock made furtive appearances in his films, Hergé couldn’t resist joining in the adventures of his characters. He discreetly drew himself into the scenery, appearing as a reporter dutifully taking notes when Tintin embarks for the Congo, or interviewing a local in front of the gates to Marlinspike Hall, in hope of gaining the latest on the story of the broken glass in The Calculus Affair. In Hergé’s universe, it’s hard to find a character that has been created from scratch: most were inspired by real people who were either close to the author in some way, historical figures or celebrities at the time.

Professor Phostle

Surname: Phostle
First name: Decimus
Occupation: Director of the Observatory

*The Shooting Star* - page 5 vignette D3

Decimus, lost in the stars Decimus Phostle, before a certain Calculus, is the archetypal absent-minded scientist... Decimus Phostle? He was probably the most eccentric scientist in The Adventures of Tintin... before the arrival of Calculus.

Decimus has an old-fashioned first name, which immediately announces, like a coat of arms, this permanent gap with reality. He is a man who loves bull’s eyes sweets, but, above all, abruptly offers them in the middle of a conversation about the end of the world, which Tintin finds astonishing...

Although he has no known ‘authentic’ model, Decimus is clearly the heir to a fictional character, Pancrace Eusèbe Zéphyrin Brioché, known as ‘the scientist Cosinus’. In this comic strip, created by Christophe in 1893, this scientist, who was supposed to travel around the world, invented the most outlandish means of transport, but they only ever left the confines of Paris.

With Phostle, Hergé embodies the scientist who combines the comedy of a strong distraction with a profound erudition, making it possible to provide complex scientific data.

Characters

From Abdullah to Zorrino

Professor Phostle