Tintin The Seven Crystal Balls
Comics by Hergé
Released	1948
Publisher	Casterman
Genre	Bande dessinée
Pages	62
Tintin chronology
Red Rackham's Treasure (1944)	The Seven Crystal Balls (1948)	Prisoners of the Sun (1949)

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. It is often regarded by fans as one of the best Tintin books. ^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Tintin_cover_-_The_Seven_Crystal_Balls. ... Comics (or, less commonly, sequential art) is a form of visual art consisting of images which are commonly combined with text, often in the form of speech balloons or image captions. ... Georges Remi (May 22, 1907 – March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Casterman is an a publishing company in Tournai, Belgium, mostly famous as the publisher of graphic novels, among which Tintin. ... A genre is a division of a particular form of art or utterance according to criteria particular to that form. ... Tintin, one of the most famous Belgian comics Franco-Belgian comics are comics or comic books written in Belgium and France. ... Red Rackhams Treasure (Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Prisoners of the Sun (Le Temple du Soleil) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin), (Bande dessinée) drawn and written by the Belgian writer-artist Georges Remi a. ... Georges Remi (May 22, 1907 – March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ... Tintin and Snowy (Tintin et Milou) Tintin and Snowy (Tintin et Milou) are a pair of world travellers who travel around the world in a variety of adventures from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic comic books drawn and written by Hergé. Tintin The character of Tintin was created...

Synopsis

A mysterious illness is afflicting members of a scientific expedition recently returned from the Andes where they had unearthed the tomb of the Inca, Rascar Capac. One by one, the expedition members fall into a coma. The only clue is shards of crystal found near each victim, which are fragments of shattered crystal balls. Concerned, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus go to stay with Calculus' old friend, the ebullient Professor Tarragon. But Rascar Capac's mummy soon disappears from the house when a lightning storm sends a ball of fire down the chimney, and, after each being visited in their nightmares by the mummy, the three wake to find Tarragon comatose, with the telltale shards of crystal by his bed. The Andes form the longest mountain chain in the world. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... Captain Haddock (Capitaine Haddock) Captain Archibald Haddock (Capitaine Archibald Haddock) is a character in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin. ... Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol) Spoiler warning: Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, literally Professor Tryphonius Sunflower) is fictional character in the Tintin series. ... Ball Lightning Ball lightning is a natural phenomenon associated with thunderstorms and takes the form of a long-lived, glowing, floating object, as opposed to the short-lived arcing between two points seen in common lightning. ... In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness, which may result from a variety of conditions including intoxication (drug, alcohol or toxins), metabolic abnormalities (hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, etc. ...

The plot thickens even further, however, when Calculus, taking a stroll around Professor Tarragon's house, discovers a striking gold bracelet, puts it on (remarking on how nicely it goes with his coat), and then mysteriously disappears. The bracelet had previously been worn by the now-vanished mummy. Tintin and the Captain find reason to believe he has been taken to South America, and resolve to meet his ship there. The story is continued in Prisoners of the Sun, the next volume in the series, although that did not appear until 1946, due to problems Herge got into following the liberation of Belgium at the end of World War II. Prisoners of the Sun (Le Temple du Soleil) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ...

Background

The Seven Crystal Balls was written during World War II. With Belgium under German occupation, Hergé decided to avoid the overt political content that he had included in previous Tintin stories, such as The Blue Lotus, The Broken Ear and King Ottokar's Sceptre. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... English-edition cover The Blue Lotus (Le Lotus Bleu), first published in 1936, is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Hergé featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The Broken Ear (originally LOreille Cassée) is a one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... King Ottokars Sceptre (in the French-language original Le Sceptre dOttokar) is a one of 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 and its theme of an ancient curse was inspired by the Curse of the Pharaohs, the speculation that members of the Howard Carter expedition, discoverers of the tomb of Tutankhamun, had died in tragic and mysterious ways. The Curse of the Pharaohs refers to the belief that any person who disturbs the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh is placed under a curse whereby they will shortly die. ... Plate LXXA shows detail on a ceremonial walking staff found buried with Tutankhamun; it depicts the two foes, or the Northern and Southern enemies of Egypt. ... Tutankhaten Living Image of the Aten Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema Living Image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis Praenomen Nebkheperure Lord of the forms of Re Golden Horus Wetjeskhausehetepnetjeru Nebty name Neferhepusegerehtawy[1] Horus name Kanakht Tutmesut Burial KV62 Nebkheperure Tutankhamun (alternately spelled with Tuten-, -amen, -amon; lack of written vowels in...

The original serial version began regular publication in the Belgian newspaper Le Soir on December 16, 1943. It was suspended on September 3, 1944, following the liberation of Brussels, when Herge and many of his colleagues had to answer for working for a collaborationist newspaper. Le Soir (meaning The Evening) is a Belgian newspaper in French. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Brussels City Hall Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, pronounced ; French: Bruxelles, pronounced in Belgian French and often by non-Belgian speakers of French; German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the... Collaboration, literally, consists of working together with one or more other people. ...

Spinoffs

Main article: Prisoners of the Sun (video game)

A video game has been released based on this book and Prisoners of the Sun. Prisoners of the Sun is a video game, loosely based on The Seven Crystal Balls, and Prisoners of the Sun comic books written and drawn by Hergé. It was released for the SNES, PC, and Game Boy Color by the late 1997 and 2001. ... Prisoners of the Sun (Le Temple du Soleil) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ...