The Adventures of Tom & Millie

Following The Adventures of Tim the Squirrel, Hergé took another step toward what would eventually become Popol Out West. That intermediary work is The Adventures of Tom & Millie, a remarkably rare publication that is both familiar and surprisingly different.

Although it retains the same principal characters from Tim the Squirrel, Hergé reworked the story in several important ways. Most notably, he abandoned the illustrated-text format of Totor and Tim the Squirrel in favor of a true comic-strip format, complete with panels and speech balloons.

The setting also underwent a dramatic transformation. Instead of taking place in the American West, the story unfolds in the Sahara Desert. The rabbit natives are replaced with monkeys, and numerous plot elements were rewritten, resulting in a story that feels far more than just an early draft. In many respects, The Adventures of Tom & Millie stands as a unique adventure in its own right.

The publication actually consists of two separate stories. The first is the two-page Where There's a Will, a humorous tale that Hergé would later adapt into the Quick & Flupke gag The Toothpick. This is followed by the main 18-page adventure, In Search of the Sun, which contains the core narrative that would eventually evolve into Popol Out West.

Unfortunately, this work is extraordinarily rare. After years of searching, I have managed to locate and translate most of the story, but five pages still remain missing. Using descriptions found in books and archival references, I have been able to reconstruct and summarize the missing portions to help bridge the gaps, but I have yet to find the actual pages themselves.

If you happen to own, or have access to, a complete copy of The Adventures of Tom & Millie, I would be very grateful if you would contact me at tintinfan36@gmail.com. Any information that could help complete this remarkable chapter of Hergé's early career would be greatly appreciated.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE ADVENTURES OF TOM & MILLIE IN ENGLISH 

Tim the Squirrel

 

Before Popol Out West, it existed in a very different form. Titled The Adventures of Tim the Squirrel, this early version tells essentially the same story, featuring the same main characters and the foundations of the familiar plot, but in a much earlier storytelling style.

Rather than using the panel-by-panel comic format that Hergé would later perfect, Tim the Squirrel follows the format of his earlier Totor stories. Each page consists of a series of illustrations accompanied by descriptive text beneath the drawings, allowing the narrative to unfold through a combination of artwork and prose rather than speech balloons.

Even in this early presentation, Hergé's gift for expressive characters, engaging adventures, and visual storytelling is unmistakable. The story offers a fascinating glimpse into his artistic evolution, bridging the gap between his earliest illustrated narratives and the polished comic albums that would later bring him international acclaim.

For Hergé enthusiasts, The Adventures of Tim the Squirrel is much more than an early draft of Popol Out West. It is a valuable piece of comics history that reveals how one of the medium's greatest storytellers refined his craft and experimented with new ways of bringing his characters to life.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD TIM THE SQUIRREL IN ENGLISH

Le Sifflet Comic Strips

 

Long before Tintin made his debut, Hergé was already developing his artistic style through a variety of newspaper illustrations and comics. Among these early works are seven short comics published in the Belgian newspaper Le Sifflet.

Though these stories predate Tintin, they are filled with the humor, expressive artwork, and lively storytelling that would later become Hergé's trademark. Each comic introduces a cast of memorable and often eccentric characters, giving readers a glimpse into the imagination of a young artist whose talent was already beginning to shine.

These short comics also provide a fascinating look at Hergé's artistic development. His character designs, sense of movement, visual gags, and storytelling techniques reveal many of the qualities that would eventually mature into the famous ligne claire style recognized around the world.

While they are not as well known as Tintin or even Hergé's other early series, these seven comics are an important part of his creative journey. They offer fans a rare opportunity to see the foundations of one of the twentieth century's greatest comic artists and to discover a collection of entertaining stories that deserve to be remembered.

Enjoy each of these seven forgotten gems from Le Sifflet and the unique characters that inhabit their pages!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD YEAR'S END FEAST! IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE GOOD LITTLE CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD MR. SCHINLER'S DOG IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD SCHINLER AT THE DENTIST IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD MR. VANDERVELDE ON THE TIGHTROPE IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE ELECTORAL BODY AND THE MARIANNE SOCIALIST IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD MR. SCHINLER'S JOKE IN ENGLISH     

In Between Tintin Adventures

 

Most Tintin fans are familiar with Hergé's adventures that appeared week after week in Le Petit Vingtième. But what happened in between those installments?

To help fill the gaps between the serialized Tintin stories, Hergé created what turns out to be, in total, a small collection of seven illustrated dialogue pieces. Rather than traditional comic strips with sequential panels, these feature Hergé's unmistakable artwork accompanied by text-based conversations, often between Tintin and Snowy, though occasionally including other familiar characters.

These short works offered readers an enjoyable way to spend another week with Tintin while awaiting the next chapter of his latest adventures. Filled with humor, wit, and the charm that made the series so beloved, they provide an interesting glimpse into Hergé's creativity outside the standard adventure format.

Although they are little known today and have rarely been reprinted, these seven pieces are fascinating historical artifacts from the early days of Tintin. They remind us that the world of Tintin extended beyond the adventures themselves, creating an ongoing connection with readers through the pages of Le Petit Vingtième.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD TINTIN AND SNOWY ARE BORED! IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD BY SPECIAL WIRELESS IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD GANGSTERS BOOTLEGGERS IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD TINTIN'S MAIL IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD TINTIN DEPARTS IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD TRAVEL PLANS IN ENGLISH

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD HELLO... HELLO... THIS IS TINTIN... IN ENGLISH      

Tintin and the Golden Fleece

The first live-action movie based on Tintin was "Tintin and the Golden Fleece" released with Hergé's permission and actually quite a fun adventure! There was a film book released which had still's from the movie along with text. This was published in French and in English (although it is very rare and hard to find!). What I am offering today is not that! This is a version that some fan drew of The Golden Fleece in comic strip format. He drew it in French and I started to translate it into English. I'm sad to say that this project also never was completed. I finished the first 9 pages of the comic (which is actually divided into 3 volumes). But if you have never seen the movie or read the film book (and don't speak French!), then maybe this will give you a good taste of what you're missing!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TINTIN AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE IN ENGLISH 

UPDATE 2026: I now have an English translation of the entire movie script of "The Golden Fleece." It's still not the same as being able to watch the movie in English, but it at least helps you know the entire story, even if you can't see it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TINTIN AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE SCRIPT IN ENGLISH 

The Adventures of Totor

This is a very interesting comic, in my opinion! Totor is kind of like the proto-Tintin character. Hergé drew this for a Boy Scout paper before he had worked on Tintin. Totor is a boy scout who is very similar to Tintin. He travels to America and encounters bandits and native Americans. It's not a very politically correct story, but that's not unique to this story by Hergé only! Obviously. It is also different because the story is told with narration under the drawings, rather than speech bubbles. But it's still a fun little story that helps us understand Hergé's early career. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ADVENTURES OF TOTOR IN ENGLISH

Then, there was also a brief continuation of Totor drawn by another artist, Evany. This was done with Herge's approval in his lifetime. I was only able to find one page from this continuation, but it is nonetheless interesting to see.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MEMOIRS OF TOTOR IN ENGLISH 

The Misadventures of Jeff Debakker

For this comic, I originally posted it incomplete; but I have since found the entire strip that Hergé drew. This is an unusual comic called The Misadventures of Jeff Debakker. It seems to be about what the title suggests: a man called Jeff the Baker (da-Baker), and his misadventures...

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MISADVENTURES OF JEFF DEBAKKER IN ENGLISH