Journal Tintin N°497, 1 Mai 1958, Olympic Torch Cover & Cycling, Original- 2C108

An original and complete issue of the Journal de Tintin, N° 497, French Dargaud edition, dated 1 May 1958. It is the earliest and most sports-themed issue in this collection, distinguished by a magnificent Olympic torch parade cover, the earliest episode of the "S.O.S. Météores!" serialization in this collection, and a concluding episode of a professional cycling adventure strip. It also carries a major Amsterdam and Geneva Motor Show automotive feature, a Cold War aviation feature on three NATO military aircraft, a SNCF BB 16001 locomotive feature, and a maritime disasters prose feature. Six distinct collecting categories in a single issue.

The Cover

The cover is one of the most immediately striking and decoratively beautiful of the entire 1958 series. On a vivid sky blue ground, a tall blond athlete in a white Olympic singlet bearing the five Olympic rings strides forward, holding a flaming Olympic torch aloft. The flame streams in orange and red against the blue sky. Behind him, a long parade of athletes representing every sport stands in formation: basketball, football, tennis, cycling in the rainbow world champion's jersey, skiing, rugby, boxing, and swimming.

It is a complete panorama of Olympic and sporting disciplines rendered with the confident, celebratory graphic energy of the best postwar sports illustration. Bold black typography announces "VIVE LE SPORT!", a cover of pure sporting joy painted by J. Martin Becker with the vivid, optimistic palette of the late 1950s at its most appealing. For Olympic and sports memorabilia collectors, this cover is a primary collecting target. The Olympic rings, the torch, and the multi-sport parade give it an immediate cross-collectible appeal that extends far beyond the Journal de Tintin market.

S.O.S. Météores

The back cover carries an early episode of "S.O.S. Météores!" by E.P. Jacobs, significantly earlier in the serialization than the episodes in the later issues of this collection. It depicts a tense interrogation sequence: Mortimer confronted by French gendarmes in their characteristic blue uniforms and képis, a formal table interrogation with a bearded civilian official, and a charged final confrontation between Blake and Mortimer and the authorities. For collectors assembling the complete "S.O.S. Météores!" serialization run, N°497 is a primary target. It represents the early investigation phase of the story, before the dramatic developments of the summer 1958 episodes.

Inside the Issue

The interior is exceptionally rich in cross-collectible content. The "D'Amsterdam à Genève" automotive feature presents the most significant new cars from the 1958 Amsterdam and Geneva Motor Shows, including a Fiat concept and a French aerodynamic concept, with photographs and detailed commentary. It is a primary period document of the European motor show season at the dawn of the jet age of automobile design.

The "L'Album de l'Aviation — Sélection N°2" presents three significant Cold War military aircraft: the SAAB 35 Draken, the radical double-delta Swedish fighter; the Fiat G-91, winner of the 1958 NATO lightweight fighter competition; and the Breguet 1050 Alizé, the French carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft. It is a significant period aviation document published at the height of Cold War military aviation development.

The cycling adventure strip, a full double-page concluding episode in bold red and black, follows a professional road racer through alpine mountain passes, a peloton chase, and a dramatic sprint finish to the podium. It is a vivid and technically precise period cycling document, cross-collectible with Tour de France and vintage cycling collectors. The "Drames sous la Mer" maritime feature covers multiple recent maritime disasters with dramatic illustration. The "Le Parc Électrique de la S.N.C.F. — La B.B. 16001" feature presents the celebrated SNCF electric locomotive with full technical specifications. The Autos Quiralu advertisement lists the Messerschmitt KR 200, Jaguar, Porsche, Peugeot 403, Isetta, and Mercedes. A free cinema screening advertisement for "L'Automobile" at the Cinéma Alhambra, organized with Renault patronage on 8 May 1958, completes a remarkable snapshot of French cultural life in the spring of 1958.

Condition

Fair for age, the most worn cover of the eight 1958 issues in this collection, honestly disclosed. The cover shows significant wear: a large horizontal crease across the lower portion with surface scuffing and ink loss along the fold line, pronounced spine creasing and separation, and corner wear at all four corners. The cover colors above the crease line remain vivid and well-preserved: the sky blue ground, the Olympic torch flame, and the athlete figures are strong and unfaded. The interior is complete and intact, age-toned newsprint, with color pages strong and clear. The Jacobs back cover and the cycling strip are in particularly good color. Cover condition is fully reflected in the price.

Key Details

Type: Original vintage comics magazine — complete issue

Publication: Journal de Tintin — Le Journal des Jeunes de 7 à 77 ans

Publisher: G. Dargaud, Paris (French edition) / Éditions du Lombard, Brussels

Issue: N° 497 (French Dargaud edition) — 10th year, earliest issue in the collection

Date: 1 May 1958

Language: French

Dimensions: 21 × 30 cm / 8 × 12 in

Cover: J. Martin Becker — Olympic torch bearer with multi-sport athlete parade; "Vive le Sport!"; sky blue ground; vivid colors above crease; significant lower crease and spine wear

Key content: E.P. Jacobs "S.O.S. Météores!" (Blake & Mortimer), early serialization episode, gendarme interrogation sequence, full color; cycling adventure strip, concluding episode, alpine mountain race, "VICTOIRE!" sprint finish, full double-page red/black color; "D'Amsterdam à Genève" 1958 Motor Show automotive feature; "L'Album de l'Aviation N°2" SAAB 35 Draken, Fiat G-91, Breguet 1050 Alizé; "Le Parc Électrique de la S.N.C.F. — La B.B. 16001" locomotive feature; "Drames sous la Mer" maritime feature; Autos Quiralu advertisement; Cinéma Alhambra / Renault free screening advertisement

Condition: Fair — interior complete and intact; cover with significant lower crease, spine wear, corner wear; colors vivid above crease line

Collectibility: Olympic torch cover, sports and Olympic cross-collectible; early "S.O.S. Météores!" episode; cycling adventure strip; 1958 Motor Show automotive feature; SAAB Draken / Fiat G-91 / Breguet Alizé aviation cross-collectible; SNCF BB 16001 railway cross-collectible

Why It's Special

This issue packs six distinct collecting categories into a single document, headed by one of the most striking covers of the 1958 series. The Olympic torch and multi-sport parade give it immediate cross-collectible appeal, and the early "S.O.S. Météores!" episode makes it a primary target for collectors assembling the complete serialization run. Its honest condition is fully reflected in the price.

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