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When Bianca Castafiore sings quietly, her notes are fine:

enter image description here

Here's another example:

Normal singing

In nearly every panel depicting Castafiore performing, however, the notes are drawn in a jarring and misshapen fashion:

Performance

Here's another example:

enter image description here

Is Bianca Castafiore actually a good performer?

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  • What is the source for the first image (the one with the information box in the lower right corner)? Depending on its canonicity, it could be an important hint, as both Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi were renowned for their beautiful voice, and they don't appear to be the inspiration for Bianca Castafiore's look.
    – lfurini
    Jul 27, 2019 at 18:48
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    A couple of additional details: Bianca Castafiore's first appearance is in "King Ottokar's Sceptre" (1939), wich predates both Maria Callas' and Renata Tebaldi's debuts but not Florence Foster Jenkins's. The Tintin wikipedia article states Callas was an inspiration for the character "in the post-war comics" (backed by a link to a paywalled article).
    – lfurini
    Jul 28, 2019 at 11:47
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    I think you're seeing Haddock/Tintin's interpretations of her singing. A lot of people don't appreciate opera and would probably depict it similarly.
    – marcellothearcane
    Aug 5, 2019 at 20:29

1 Answer 1

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Only my opinion as a longtime Tintin fan: Castafiore's performances are not off-key; it's the volume that assaults the listeners. Notice Tintin's necktie being blown as if by the wind, but it's the power of Castafiore's voice doing it.

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    This seems like a reasonable interpretation, especially given the other character's reactions when she is performing!
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Aug 5, 2019 at 17:10
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    This seems consistent with her representation on the Tintín and the secret of the unicorn movie too.
    – Jorge Córdoba
    Aug 6, 2019 at 23:34
  • Does any comic depict the public's reaction to Castafiore's performances? Her receiving loud applause would be a proof of her good singing, despite Tintin's and Haddock's not-really-delighted reactions.
    – lfurini
    Aug 10, 2019 at 7:30

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