Comic hero Tintin nets $ 1,300,000 for auction

PARIS - A bronze statue of the life of the reporter Tintin comic books and more than 200 products in connection with the globe-trotting diminutive reported more than (euro) 1 ($ 1,300,000) on an auction sale in Paris. The most expensive lot was inked and painted two panels of water from the original 1938 "King Ottokar's Sceptre" album, which for (€) 243 750 ($ 299,620). The bronze statue, ads with Tintin, his hands in his pockets and dog Snowy at her side, 125,000 for (Euro) ($ 153,650) at auction on Saturday at the Drouot Montaigne auction house. Belgian artist Hergé Tintin adventures have been translated into 80 languages and sold more than 200 million pounds since 1929. The racial and cultural stereotypes in books such as "Tintin in the Congo" has been criticized, but the demand for objects Tintin remains strong.