Is Tintin gay? (not that there's anything wrong with that...)

It had never occurred to me before but now it kind of makes sense. In an entertaining feature at Times Online Hugo Rifkind convincingly puts his case forward that Tintin, everybody’s favourite comic book investigative journalist (who never did anything but investigate) is, was, shall always be, homosexual. Not that (thank you Seinfeld) there’s anything wrong with that. This isn’t the first time the Tintin phenomenon has encountered controversy: it is a well-known criticism that Hergé's depictions of some of the cameo characters are ultra-stereotypical and borderline racist.

So what makes this Rifkind fella so convinced that Tintin is gay? For starters, Tintin surrounds himself with men, lives with a middle aged sailor, never had a girlfriend and he loves a young boy (though Rifkind doesn’t quite have the gumption to call him a paedophile). No doubt Tintin’s sexuality will be something the upcoming Spielberg-directed, Peter Jackson-produced movie adaptation will choose not to explore. Damn.

BTW, this weekend Tintin celebrates his 80th birthday. Acknowledging that he looks pretty darn good for his age, Rifkind suggests this is probably because he moisturizes regularly.