Year: 1954

Important Characters: Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, The Thompsons, Professor Calculus, Jolyon Wagg, Bianca Castafiore, Emir Ben Kalish Ezab, Abdullah, General Alcazar, Dawson, Dr Muller (alias Mull Pasha), Allan, Rastapopoulos, Senior Oliviera de Figuera

French Title: Coke en Stock

Having read in an article that slavery still existed, and given his old interest in gun-running, Hergé was provided with a basis for one of his most intriguing tales. It is also, in some respects, a continuation of Land of Black Gold and a chance for Hergé to bring back some characters from other adventures, who had faded from view for a while.

So we meet once again in this story the Emir Ben Kalish Ezab and his son Abdullah, General Alcazar, Dawson, the former chief of police in Shanghai, Dr Muller, here going under the name of Mull Pasha, Allan and Rastapopoulos, whose character Hergé refines even further. Strangely though, Tintin never really comes face to face with his enemies. In this strange adventure, characters often appear fleetingly, and fights and set-to's are given less importance. Hergé appears to be more at home with his characters in this book, and he enjoys playing with them and his readers.

In the years that followed the publication of The Red Sea Sharks, Hergé was continuously accused of racism, especially in an article that appeared in Jeune Afrique. This seems to be unfair given that the book preached the abolition of slavery, but nevertheless Hergé exercised some considerable self-criticism when redrafting for the 1967 edition. For example, in the original the Africans spoke in pidgin language similar to Tintin in the Congo, "You speak well, Effendi. Wicked Arab, very wicked. Poor black men not want to be slaves. Poor black men want to go to Mecca." In the 1967 version, this was toned down using the American technique of dropping letters: "Yes, cap'n, understand. Arab is very wicked. One not want to be slaves, us, only want to go to Mecca."

Hergé also altered the letter the Emir sends to Tintin commending Abdullah into his care. In the first version, he wrote: "Most esteemed and well-beloved friend, I entrust to you my son Abdullah, to improve his English. Here the situation is serious. Should any misfortune befall me I count on you, my friend, to care for Abdullah." For the revised version, Hergé chose a florid style that is much truer to the Emir: "This is to tell you, oh highly esteemed friend, that I entrust to you Abdullah, my adored son. Because here the situation is serious. Should misfortune descend upon me like the hawk upon the innocent gazelle (for the world is made of life and death) I am sure that Abdullah will find with you warmth and affection, refuge and peace. And in doing this you will be performing a fragrant act before Allah..." Whatever nice words the Emir uses, they do not convey the message given to Captain Haddock by Abdullah's bodyguard: "Halt thou!....Touch not the son of my master!"