The Seven Crystal Balls

In The Seven Crystal Balls (1948), Seven scientists mysteriously fall into a profound state of lethargy. As Calculus has disappeared,Tintin and Captain Haddock set off in search of the Professor. Created in 1929 by Georges Remi - who was already signing his drawings under the pseudonym of Hergé - Tintin will be subjected to twenty three adventures whose success - among those between 7 and 77 - has yet to wither.
The Seven Crystal Balls - Cover
The Seven Crystal Balls
The Seven Crystal Balls - Title page
The Seven Crystal Balls - Page 1
The Seven Crystal Balls - Page 2
The Seven Crystal Balls - Page 3
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Ah! Mrs. Clarkson

Mrs. Clarkson is married to one of the members of the expedition in which Professor Tarragon took part. Her brief - too brief - appearance in The Seven Crystal Balls remains unforgettable not only because she is a ravishingly preppy blond lady but also because women, pretty or not, occupy a very limited space in the world of Tintin.
The Seven Crystal Balls - Mrs. Clarkson
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio - 2024
At the Music-Hall Palace, Tintin is surprised to see on stage General Alcazar, whom he once met in South America. Driven out of San Theodoros by a coup d'etat by his eternal rival, the general has indeed become a dagger thrower under the name of Ramon Zarate.
If he does not play a leading role in The Seven Crystal Balls, Alcazar nonetheless testifies, by his presence in this story, to the pleasure Hergé took in the "return" of his characters.
The Seven Crystal Balls - General Alcazar - Ramon Zarate
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio - 2024

Fellow Jacobs

In 1944, as he had not yet created the heroes-on-paper which would make him famous, Edgar Pierre Jacobs became Hergé's assistant. They worked together on The Seven Crystal Balls which certainly explains the presence of this spirit of mystery and fantastic so dear to the creator of Blake and Mortimer and who is depicted by Hergé, harboring his legendary bow-tie, standing in a balcony on the left of the Hippodrome theater.

The house of Professor Tarragon exists!

Just like the six other scientists with whom he discovered the Inca tombs in Peru, Professor Tarragon falls into a lethargic sleep.
The house of Professor Tarragon
Photo of the house of Professor Tarragon
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio - 2024
The house which served as the model for his peaceful bourgeois residence can still be seen in Brussels, close to where Hergé used to live in the 1940's.

Who is afraid of Rascar Capac?

The mummy of Rascar Capac that Professor Tarragon and his colleagues brought back from Peru, is proudly displayed in the living room of his house.
The Seven Crystal Balls - Rascar Capac
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio - 2024
Created by Hergé for the purpose of this story, the mummy named after “he-who-unleashes-the-fire-of-heaven” was inspired from a piece Hergé found as it was part of a private collection in Brussels.

“On to Saint-Nazaire!”

This is to Saint-Nazaire that the trail of Professor Calculus kidnappers first takes Tintin and Captain Haddock. A local association called - for good reasons - “Les 7 Soleils” (The 7 Suns), took the initiative to recreate the journey of both our heroes in the renown harbor city by displaying in an exhibition, giant reproductions of some “Nazairian” vignettes of the album.
8 reviews
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typhoon5
09/09/2023 20:40 PM
DZIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!
LIKE THIS BOOK OR THE LAST CRYSTAL BALL IS YOURS...
stefanz
06/06/2023 10:41 AM
It has just been shown that the mummy in Brussels was not the source of inspiration for Rascar Capac, but another - the mummy of a Chachapoya warrior which is on display at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris. Here is the definitive evidence:
https://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/sociales/article/view/24060/19565
ibtesham
04/03/2023 06:19 AM
one of my all-time favorites from childhood till now !!!
iceaf
20/04/2022 12:40 PM
this story is little bit scary
17/01/2022 04:55 AM
Such a good idea for a story!
vahidesmi
29/09/2021 20:34 PM
in Persian:
هفت گوی بلورین
doggy9
26/08/2021 00:14 AM
its a good book first one i ever read
t0315523j
13/06/2021 15:08 PM
The Seven Crystal Balls
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