Journal de Tintin N°535 “Deux Passagers Inquétants” — Hergé — Original Feb. 1959 — 2C88

An original issue of Journal de Tintin — the iconic Belgian-French weekly comic magazine for readers “aged 7 to 77” — this is N°535, dated February 5, 1959, featuring one of the most visually arresting covers in the magazine’s golden age: a towering anthropomorphic bird villain in a sweeping crimson red coat and grey top hat looms over a squat, red-faced accomplice clutching a golden detonator box, a red balloon floating ominously between them, a steamship silhouetted on a moonlit sea in the background. The composition is bold, graphic, and deeply cinematic — pure mid-century thriller illustration at its most compelling. The teaser announces: “Deux Passagers Inquétants… Voir Page 19.”

The back cover is a complete full-page color episode of Tintin au Tibet by the legendary Hergé — widely considered the most personal and emotionally resonant adventure in the entire Tintin canon. This episode captures one of the story’s most charged moments: Tintin and Captain Haddock in a Nepalese interior, the desperate search for Tchang reaching its emotional peak — “TCHANG! TCHANG!” — rendered in Hergé’s immaculate ligne claire style with extraordinary warmth and precision.

Inside, Albert Weinberg’s Dan Cooper dans “Cap sur Mars” delivers a gripping aviation thriller across a full double-page color spread: test pilot Dan Cooper navigates Cold War intrigue on a rain-soaked airfield, the tension building to a desperate “Mon Dieu! Ne tirez pas!” Weinberg’s draftsmanship — aircraft, uniforms, weather — is meticulous and authoritative, making this one of the finest aviation comic strips of the era.

Zizanion le Terrible brings nocturnal harbour adventure — a submarine, a rowboat, and a cast of comic villains in bold navy and red — while La Griffe Noire by Moines & Marty erupts into a spectacular ancient sea battle across a full double-page color spread. The Sciences et Actualités section features a detailed illustrated reportage on the revolutionary underground gas storage facility at Beynes — a remarkable document of postwar French energy infrastructure. Period advertisements for Chocolat Poulain, Alsa, La Vittelloise, and the Chèque Tintin loyalty scheme complete the time-capsule experience.

The magazine presents in good condition with only light edge wear consistent with its age — the cover retains strong color and structural integrity, and the interior pages are complete and vivid throughout. A genuinely fine example of this celebrated publication.

Key Details

• Type: Original vintage comic magazine / illustrated weekly press
• Title: Journal de Tintin — N°535
• Date: February 5, 1959
• Publisher: Le Lombard (Belgium / France)
• Language: French
• Pages: 40
• Size: 21 × 30 cm / 8.3 × 11.8 in
• Condition: Good — light edge wear only; cover colors vivid and intact; interior complete and bright
• Origin: Belgium / France
• Age: 67 years (1959)
• Notable content: Tintin au Tibet — “TCHANG!” episode (Hergé) · Dan Cooper “Cap sur Mars” (Albert Weinberg) · Zizanion le Terrible · La Griffe Noire (Moines & Marty) · Son Altesse Riri (Vandersteen) · Beynes gas storage industrial reportage · Period ads incl. Chèque Tintin & Chocolat Poulain
• Collectibility: High — Hergé back cover + exceptional graphic cover + good condition
• SKU: 2C88