Tintin and General Alcazar, from the Swedish edition of Tintin and the Picaros.

General Alcazar is a character in The Adventures of Tintin series of classic comic books drawn and written by Hergé. A general in the army of San Theodoros, Alcazar is involved in a never-ending struggle for power with his arch-rival General Tapioca, both men claiming leadership of the country with comedic frequency. Image File history File links General_alcazar. ... Image File history File links General_alcazar. ... Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin et les Picaros) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The main cast of the series. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Georges Remi (May 22, 1907 – March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ... Flag of San Theodoros San Theodoros is a fictional South American country in the adventures of Tintin. ... The Adventures of Tintin has several minor characters: General Alcazar General of the army of San Theodoros, Alcazar switches with comedic frequency between being president of the country and leading a rebellion to battle the government led by his arch-rival General Tapioca. ...

He is a dictator who is not above being corrupted and having his enemies shot without trial. Nevertheless, even Tintin the idealist considers Alcazar a friend. Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ... Look up trial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Early Appearance

Alcazar on his first appearance in The Broken Ear.

General Alcazar first appeared in The Broken Ear when he had overthrown Tapioca at a time when Tintin was about to be shot by Tapioca's men. Unusually Tintin had been drinking heavily and he drunkenly called out his support for Alcazar. Impressed Alcazar made Tintin a Colonel and aide-de-camp. Image File history File links Alcazar_01_in_the_Broken_Ear. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_01_in_the_Broken_Ear. ... The Broken Ear (LOreille cassée) is one of the The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The Broken Ear (LOreille cassée) is one of the The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ...

Rather than deal with running the country, Tintin and Alcazar spent much of their time playing chess. They were also the targets of bungled assassination attempts by Tintin's humiliated predecessor, former Colonel Diaz. Diaz had joined a group of conspirators against Alcazar, though more out of self-interest than actual desire for the country's liberty. Chess is an abstract strategy board game for two players that is played both recreationally and competitively. ... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ...

On one occasion Tintin defeated Alcazar at chess. The furious General took out his gun and fired right into Tintin's face! However the bullets turned out to be blanks. It was a joke Alcazar often played on his officers, one of whom had suffered from jaundice as a result. While Tintin was being told this story, Diaz was planting a bomb which went off but failed to kill Alcazar and Tintin. The shock of the explosion did however cause Alcazar to go down with jaundice himself. (Was Diaz the officer who had suffered from jaundice as a result of Alcazar's humour?) blank cartridges, as used in nail guns A blank is a type of cartridge for a gun that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. ... Jaundice, also known as icterus (attributive adjective: icteric), is a yellowing of the skin, conjunctiva (clear covering over the sclera, or whites of the eyes) and mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the human body (or the body of another red blooded animal). ...

Once recovered Alcazar started taking the affairs of state more seriously. He met Trickler of General American Oil who talked him into starting a war with the neighbouring republic of Nuevo Rico in order to seize the Grand Chapo oilfields. Trickler was only prepared to give San Theodoros 35% of the oil profits, but talked Alcazar into it by suggesting he would take 10% of the offer for himself. Flag of Nuevo Rico Nuevo Rico is a fictional South American country in the adventures of Tintin. ...

Alcazar then bought weapons from arms dealer Basil Bazarov (based on the real-life Basil Zaharoff), unaware that the man was selling the same weapons to Nuevo Rico. Since Tintin was trying to prevent the war, Trickler and Bazarov framed him for espionage and Alcazar ordered him to be arrested and shot without trial. Tintin was sprung from jail by Pablo, a local gangster who owed him a favour. The arms industry is a massive global industry. ... Sir Basil Zaharoff, originally Zacharias Basileios, (1849, Muğla, Turkey - 1936, Monte Carlo, Monaco) was a Greek arms trader and financier, the director and chairman of the Vickers munitions firm during World War I. // Basil was from a Greek family in Constantinople. ... Espionage (spying) is a practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. ... Pablo Pablo is a character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic comic books drawn and written by Hergé. Native of San Theodoros, Pablo first appeared in The Broken Ear where he was a long-moustached hitman trying to kill Tintin but then saving Tintin from some soldiers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Tintin raced to the border by car only to be fired upon by Nuevo Rican troops. The incident provoked the war for the Grand Chapo plains, which turned out not to have any oil after all. (The conflict and the involvement of western businesses was based on the Grand Chaco war of the mid-1930s.) Combatants Republic of Bolivia Republic of Paraguay Commanders Hans Kundt Strength Army of Bolivia Army of Paraguay Casualties The Chaco War (1932–1935) was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the arid Chaco Boreal region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. ...

On the Music Halls

Alcazar as knife thrower Ramon Zarate in The Seven Crystal Balls.

Later overthrown by Tapioca, Alcazar left for Europe where, in The Seven Crystal Balls, he plied his trade as a knife thrower in a variety show with assistant Chiquito. He took the stage name of Ramon Zarate, but Tintin recognised him during a performance and visited him in his dressing-room, accompanied by Captain Haddock. The fact that Alcazar had sentenced Tintin to death was not raised; both men were now friends again. Tintin did, after all, suspect that it was Trickler who had set the whole thing up in order to get rid of him. Alcazar offered them drinks and told them of his recent troubles with his old enemy Tapioca. Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_02_as_Ramon_Zarate_in_Seven_Crystal_Balls. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_02_as_Ramon_Zarate_in_Seven_Crystal_Balls. ... The Seven Crystal Balls (Les Sept Boules de cristal) is the thirteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The Seven Crystal Balls (Les Sept Boules de cristal) is the thirteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... Knife throwing is an art, or variously an entertainment technique, involving an artist skilled in the art of throwing knives, the weapon(s) s/he is throwing, and a target. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... Chiquito is a character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic comic books drawn and written by Hergé. He appears as the help of General Alcazar (Ramon Zarate) in The Seven Crystal Balls. ... Captain Haddock (Capitaine Haddock) Captain Archibald Haddock (Capitaine Archibald Haddock) is a character in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin. ...

Alcazar was also seen at the seaport about to set off for San Theodoros to lead another uprising against Tapioca. It is not revealed if he succeeded or not.

Buying arms

Alcazar meets Tintin and Haddock by chance in The Red Sea Sharks.

By the time he next appeared in The Red Sea Sharks he was again out of power. Quite by chance, he met Tintin and Haddock in a busy city street. Alcazar was less friendly this time, cutting the encounter short by saying that he was late for a meeting. He also gave a false name for the hotel he was staying at. This was probably because Alcazar was in Europe to buy arms to fight Tapioca and was not keen on a reporter like Tintin interfering. His arms supplier was Dawson, an enemy Tintin had met in The Blue Lotus. The weapons included de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. By the end of The Red Sea Sharks a newspaper clipping shows that Alcazar had deposed Tapioca. His time in power however was yet again short-lived. Image File history File links Alcazar_03_in_the_Red_Sea_Sharks. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_03_in_the_Red_Sea_Sharks. ... The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock), is the nineteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The Blue Lotus (Le Lotus bleu), first published in 1936, is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Hergé featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The de Havilland Mosquito (The Wooden Wonder, also known as The Timber Terror) was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. ... A ground attack aircraft is an aircraft that is designed to operate very close to the ground, supporting infantry and tanks directly in battle. ...

Alcazar's wallet contained a four-leaf clover which implied an superstitious nature. A four-leaf clover The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common three-leaf clover. ... Superstition is a set of behaviors that may be faith based, or related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain of his or her behaviors. ...

Guerrilla leader

Alcazar's next appearance was in the last completed Tintin adventure book, Tintin and the Picaros. In this he was the leader of a guerrilla army known as the Picaros, again fighting Tapioca. As in The Broken Ear powerful outside interests were involved in the conflict: Alcazar and the Picaros were supported by the International Banana Company, while Tapioca had the support of the state of Borduria. Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin et les Picaros) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... Guerilla may refer to Guerrilla warfare. ... Borduria is a fictional country in the adventures of Tintin. ...

Alcazar and one of his Picaros guerrillas in Tintin and the Picaros.

(The cigar-smoking Alcazar and his men dressed in ways similar to Fidel Castro's revolutionaries, even if they were supported by a capitalist company.) Image File history File links Alcazar_04_and_a_guerrilla_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_04_and_a_guerrilla_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ... Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin et les Picaros) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ...

Alcazar had had some trouble with the local Arumbaya indians, including the explorer Ridgewell, but this had been sorted out and Alcazar found them a useful deterrent against Tapioca's soldiers, who were hesitant about getting too far into the jungle. The Adventures of Tintin sports a vast array of secondary characters. ...

Alcazar's main problem was that Tapioca was parachuting crates of whisky into the area, which the Picaros would then consume and get drunk, thus making them unfit for an uprising. Some tablets invented by Professor Calculus cured them of their drunkenness, and put them off drinking. Then, wearing carnival costumes taken from Jolyon Wagg, Alcazar and his men got into the Presidential palace and overthrew Tapioca. Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol) Spoiler warning: Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, literally Professor Tryphonius Sunflower) is fictional character in the Tintin series. ... The carnival is a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the carnival season. ... Jolyon Wagg in his usual jovial mood Jolyon Wagg (in the original French version: Séraphin Lampion) is a character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic comic books drawn and written by Hergé. He is an intensely gregarious, simple, and overbearing man. ...

Alcazar and Tapioca find something in common: frustration at how Western idealists upset local traditions, such as the shooting of political rivals.

In exchange for curing the Picaros of drunkenness, Tintin had insisted on a bloodless coup and Alcazar reluctantly complied, though he found it galling and humiliating to spare even the life of Tapioca, who was sent into exile. Image File history File links Alcazar_05_and_Tapioca_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ... Image File history File links Alcazar_05_and_Tapioca_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ...

The capital of San Theodoros was originally called Los Dopicos. Tapioca had renamed it Tapiocapolis. Alcazar announced that he was going to rename yet again to Alcazaropolis.

(At the end of the story, a pair of Alcazar policemen are shown patrolling a slum much like they did under Tapioca. Hergé's implication is that a change of regime does not necessarily mean a change for society.)

Private life

Alcazar's formidable wife, who hardly lives up to the pet name of "my dove".

By the time of Tintin and the Picaros Alcazar was also married. He was the hen-pecked husband of a fiery, red-headed woman called Peggy who wore curlers in her hair, made him wash dishes, warned him of his smoking and of being too generous with the state economy. Image File history File links Mrs_Alcazar_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ... Image File history File links Mrs_Alcazar_in_Tintin_and_the_Picaros. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

(Although not mentioned in the final story, some sketches and writings by Hergé show that she was the daughter of Basil Bazarov, the arms dealer who had sold guns to Alcazar and an enemy country in The Broken Ear. She herself sat on the board of her father's company and kept Alcazar supplied with weapons. she smocks a cegar and likes to get drunk. Apparently they met when he was still doing the music halls with his knife throwing act. Hergé modelled her on a woman member of the Ku Klux Klan whom he had seen on TV. (Source: Tintin: The Complete Companion by Michael Farr, ISBN-10: 0719555221, ISBN-13: 978-0719555220)) Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Michael Farr is a leading British Tintinologist, that is, an expert on the world of the comic Tintin and its creator, Hergé. He has written numerous books on the subject as well as translating several others into English. ...