Tintin and the Picaros

Newspapers around the world are trumpeting Bianca Castafiore's tour of South America. The next performance will take place in the Republic of San Theodoros, where General Tapioca has recently come to power. His rival, General Alcazar, managed to escape and is now hiding in the forests with a handful of loyal associates, who are all called "Los Picaros," or simply "picaros"... And then the morning news reports that immediately after the concert, the opera diva has been arrested and accused of conspiracy against Tapioca. Moreover, Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Professor Tornasol have been declared the main conspirators! The captain is furious; he firmly rejects the absurd accusations, to which the general invites our friends to come to San Theodoros for an open conversation "in a warm friendly atmosphere." Haddock and Tornasol agree without hesitation, but Tintin is overcome with doubts...

"Tintin and the Picaros," the 23rd (and last completed) album of the series, was released in 1976 after an eight-year hiatus. The audience was rewarded for their patience with a dynamic plot, an abundance of amusing scenes, beautifully drawn settings, and a humanitarian moral.

Hergé is the pseudonym of the Belgian artist Georges Remi (1907–1983), the creator of Tintin. The series about the adventures of the brave reporter with the jaunty quiff and his faithful friend, the snow-white fox terrier Milou, has been translated into 110 languages, recognized worldwide as a classic of the comic genre, and continues to capture the hearts of readers from age 10 to 99.