Talk:Captain Haddock

Untitled
According to Michael Farr's Tintin the Complete Companion, the expletive that Herge's friend hoaxed him about was "clysopump" and he was disgusted that his son had been exposed to the word

Christian name vs. first name
(I think that the whole issue about the term Christian name is discriminatory!)On the page is written: "Haddock remained without a Christian name until the last completed story, [...] when the name "Archibald" was suggested."

I'm wondering what the "Christian name" refers to. If it's talking about the first name of the character, simply saying "first name" would be a lot more neutral. However if there is a strong christian aspect in the character's suggested name (if the Christianity of the name is meaningful) then this is naturally correct. Or the term could refer to something quite different. In any case, I'm waiting a bit before changing the term. --81.197.72.252 11:41, 22 May 2004 (UTC)

I now changed the term as explained above. --81.197.79.157 12:18, 14 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Blistering Barnicles!!! Could you be a little more PC!?! Things must be boring in Finland.

Alright, it's back to normal now; sorry if you're offended.

I just realized that there isn't one mention of the Captain's comical alcoholism. I shall endevour to correct this oversight presently.


 * PC or not PC, "Christian name" sounds old fashioned. There is absolutely no reason not to use "first name", it is the normal expression. Please sign your edits. I don't think it makes any difference, but there is nothing remotely Christian about Captain Haddock except that he comes from a country with a predominantly Christian religious tradition, in which tradition he shows absolutely no evidence of participating. The only religious ceremony he participates in is the Inca ceremony for making him into toast. Zargulon 20:02, 29 April 2006 (UTC) oh, and the Buddhist monastery in "Tintin in Tibet". Zargulon 12:26, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Fictional french people?
Some will say I exagerate but there is a thing I find important. I come from Belgium, and the same way it always happened to Hercule Poirot, I dislik being considered as French. Besides, most of the characters from the Tintin Adventures are no French but Belgian people. We are a nation apart. Wouldn't we create that category?

I agree. Or perhaps fictional Fracophones? Zargulon 16:56, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Although for Haddock himself, it's unclear whether he is a fictional Belgian or a fictional Brit. 惑乱 分からん 17:15, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Merged info
I saw the ridiculous article List of exclamations used by Captain Haddock. How a list of every exclamation he has used could possibly be encyclopedic is beyond me. I merged the useful content — the prose about the nature of the character — to this article, where it is much more suited. That article now redirects to this one.--Drat (Talk) 12:24, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

BILLIONS OF BLUE BLISTERING BARNACLES
I'm sorry, but why on Earth isn't Haddock's most used expletive in this page? That is truly embarassing. I'm going to have to change this. - Gates
 * I'm going to correct one thing - the fetish haddock saying's french version is "mille milliards de MILLE SABORDS" (and that is what Abdullah calls him - Mille Sabords). From what I've read, Tonneres de Brest appears to be the french counterpart to "Thundering typhoons". —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.94.36.100 (talk) 06:02, 20 December 2006 (UTC).

The "Pneumothorax" joke
I have read about Melkebeke's joke, by at least one of the same quoted sources (Michael Farr), but the argued expletive was not "Pneumothorax" and in no way involved a sick child. The targeted word was "clysopompe", an obsolete French term for... a douche. Hergé was really sorry about it, having no idea of the actual meaning (thought it was "a physics instrument") and strongly apologized to the so-called shocked father. Of course his letter was sent back to him because of unknown addressee, since the "father" was really Melkebeke. So I wonder, is the true anecdote too risqué to be told? --VKed 17:15, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
 * No, it's not, if you have sources. Wikipedia is not censored. If the sources disagree, we would need to deem one more plausible, or give both version. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (&lt; \) (2 /) /)/ * 09:23, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Reference to Captain Haddock before his introduction?
Cigars of the Pharaoh, a story set before Captain Haddock was introduced in The Crab with the Golden Claws, shows Sheik Patrash Pasha to be well-versed with Tintin's exploits. In the last pane on page 15, Patrash Pasha's servant is holding up a copy of Destination Moon, which features Haddock.
 * This was probably added at a later date because Hergé frequently redrew some of his earlier comics. Please sign your comments in future. --ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 11:05, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

Dubious
Is there any evidence that the mentioned "Dictionary of Captain Haddock's Insults" actually exists? I haven't found anything that didn't refer back to the statement made in this very article. -- Schneelocke (talk) 11:05, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

I don't have any sources on hand right now, but I can say it's real — I've read it myself. I'll try to find something more official than that. --Bommster (talk) 03:27, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

The French version definitely exists, Here is the listing on Amazon: http://www.amazon.fr/Le-Haddock-illustr%C3%A9-Lint%C3%A9grale-capitaine/dp/2203017198 According to WorldCat.org (which, in theory, should be a database of everything ever published), there is a number of translations into other languages, but English doesn't appear to be one of them: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=haddock+algoud&qt=notfound_page&search=Search. Those are works listed under the author of the french original, Albert Algoud. A Google search for "The Illustrated Haddock" turns up a number of hits, indicating that an english version was published by Egmont and Mammouth in 1999, but Algoud is not listed as an author so I cannot confirm that it is the same book. The titles that turn up under the name "The Illustrated Haddock" are out of print or lack any information other than the title (no cover picture, no reviews, etc.) so, again, no confirmation that it is a translation of "Le Haddock illustré", but it's very unlikely to be anything else, honestly. But the point is that the French version definitely exists. My school library had it when I was a kid, i borrowed it a couple of times, it was immensely fun. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.195.120.48 (talk) 18:05, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Emile Brame
Please erase the second to last paragraph in the "Expletives" section. It is an unverified claim and cannot be confirmed to be true. It really has no purpose other than the continuing smear jobs implying that Herge was an anti-semite. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.105.119.75 (talk) 09:08, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
 * I would disagree. Céline is a popular if controversial author whose audience extends far beyond antisemites.  The source seems credible as well and is properly credited.  Also there seems to be evidence the Hergé studied Céline: see here  Mezigue (talk) 10:03, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Haddock: Military captain or merchant seaman?
I noticed a recent edit by to the article that brought up an interesting question: Which one is  Captain Haddock: a military captain or a merchant seaman? Or is it possible for him to be both? In Land of Black Gold, the Captain tells Tintin he is called up for deployment: "I've just had Admiralty orders: 'Captain Haddock. Immediate. Proceed to assume command of merchant vessel blank blank.' (The name's secret of course) 'at blank, where you will receive further orders.' So, that's that ... I've been mobilised!". Prhartcom (talk) 18:43, 4 August 2014 (UTC)


 * I'd forgotten about that scene. But he is being ordered to take command of a merchant vessel (not sure how that works), and as far as I can remember all other appearances also have him in charge of civilian ships. So if he's some sort of military reservist, it's secondary to his career. &mdash; Gwalla | Talk 19:39, 4 August 2014 (UTC)