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.

Marco Rizotto

Surname: Rizotto
First name: Marco
Occupation: Photographer for the tabloid magazine ‘Paris-Flash’.

*The Castafiore Emerald* - page 22 vignette D3

The dynamic photographer, who always teams up with his colleague Christopher Willoughby-Drupe, a reporter for ‘Paris-Flash’. He only ever appears armed with his photographic equipment. Together with his colleague, he covered the fake Castafiore wedding at Marlinspike Hall (1963) and the Picaros scandal (1976).

He was a Special Envoy to Scotland in 1966 on the occasion of the mystery of The Black Island (during the remake of this adventure); we see him on page 61 among the crowd of journalists who await Tintin on his return from Craig Dhui Castle. It was probably he who sold the Daily Reporter the photographic report on the counterfeiters that Hergé gives us at the end of the adventure.

His surname is inspired by the famous Italian rice dish.

Characters

From Abdullah to Zorrino

Marco Rizotto