| Jo, Zette and Jocko | |
|---|---|
 Main characters Zette, Jocko and Jo with the series logo | |
| Publication information | |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | January 19, 1936 – 1957 |
| Main character(s) | Jo, Zette, Jocko, Mr Legrand, Mrs Legrand |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Hergé |
The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko is aFranco-Belgian comics series created byHergé, the writer-artist best known forThe Adventures of Tintin. The heroes of the series are two young children, brother and sister Jo and Zette Legrand, and their petchimpanzee Jocko, plus their parents, Mr Legrand, Jo and Zette’s father, aerospace engineer and designer, and Mrs Legrand, Jo and Zette’s mother, housewife and Mr Legrand’s wife.
Jo, Zette and Jocko appear on the rear covers of someThe Adventures of Tintin comic books, but never appear in the stories. A few Jo, Zette and Jocko comics allude to characters or events inThe Adventures of Tintin, such as the Maharaja of Gopal (briefly mentioned inThe Castafiore Emerald) appearing as a prominent character, and a portrait of Captain Haddock in the Legrand house.[citation needed]
The following are the fiveJo, Zette and Jocko titles, both in English and French, which are published between 1951 and 1957.
| No. | English title | French title | Notes | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 'Manitoba' No Reply | Le "Manitoba" ne répond plus | Volume 1 ofThe Secret Ray | 1952 |
| ThetransatlanticlinerManitoba breaks down on its way toEngland and then the passengers and crew fall strangely asleep. When they wake up it is to find that they have all been robbed of their valuables. Later, while on holiday at the seaside, Jo, Zette and Jocko, playing in a rowing boat, get lost at sea when a thick fog comes down. Rescued by asubmarine, they are taken to a secret undersea base where a mad scientist has plans for the two young children. | ||||
| 2 | The Eruption of Karamako | L'Eruption du Karamako | Volume 2 ofThe Secret Ray | 1952 |
| Jo, Zette and Jocko escape the undersea base in an amphibious tank, and end up on an island. But their problems are far from over. They have to deal withcannibals, modern-daypirates, an eruptingvolcano,gangsters, themedia and there is still the mad scientist who wants them for his evil plans. | ||||
| 3 | Mr. Pump’s Legacy | Le Testament de Monsieur Pump | Volume 1 ofThe Stratoship H-22 | 1951 |
| Killed while exercising his love for speed in a racing car, American millionaire John Archibald Pump leaves behind ten million US dollars. It will go to the builders of the first aeroplane to fly from Paris to New York at 1000 kilometres per hour. Mr Legrand, Jo and Zette's father sets about designing such a plane, but the project comes under threat from a gang ofsaboteurs led by William and Fred Stockrise, shortly after Mr Legrand was arrested and detained by the French national police service, the Sûreté, and Jo is seriously injured in a shooting by Werner. The doctor had telephoned to Mrs Legrand about the attempted shooting that Jo is seriously injured but stable and Jo needs plenty of rest. Zette and Jocko paid a brief visit an injured Jo in hospital but Zette had informed the doctor that Jo must rest before he recovers fully. Before leaving the hospital, Zette met Werner and told that Jo did not say a word since the shooting but Werner left. Zette continued her journey on own by foot but she is being approached by two strangers Werner and Charlie before abducting and taking her prisoner in a blue car. With Jo still injured in hospital, both Werner and Charlie go undercover as customs border officers as they seize a van with Zette being bound and gagged onboard before freeing herself, near the French-Belgian border. The detectives and the Sûreté finally set Mr Legrand free. While Jo makes a speedy recovery in hospital surrounded by his family, the two criminals Werner and Charlie are put on trial for the attempted shooting of Jo Legrand and the abduction of Zette Legrand. After the trial, both the criminals are escorted by the police but their custody van is collided by another car and the two criminals escape. That night with the Legrand family asleep, the two intruders break in their house and kidnap Jo but they escape. The next day, the construction of Stratoship H-22 is complete ahead of the flight testing process. The first flight of the Stratoship H-22 took place by their father Mr Legrand and his co-pilot but they suffer a lack of fresh oyxgen as they touched down to the airbase. During the dedication ceremony of the Stratoship H-22 by the Legrand's two children, Jocko is found asleep after drinking too much champagne. Pump's passed-over nephews who will only inherit if the ship is not completed within the year after the reading of the will, who go to all lengths, from theft to bombing, to prevent it. | ||||
| 4 | Destination New York | Destination New-York | Volume 2 ofThe Stratoship H-22 | 1951 |
| When the Stratoship H-22, designed by their father, is the subject of an attempted bombing from the air, Jo and Zette fly it out of itshangar but are unable to get back. Crash-landing near theNorth Pole, the propeller suffers major damage. The trio are being rescued by an Eskimo as they spend their first day at the igloos during a snowstorm. The next day, the trio start exploring with their Eskimo but Jocko is left behind. Shortly before nightfall during another snowstorm, Jo, Zette and the Eskimo spend another night at the igloo while Jocko remains stranded on the iceberg. As the ship approaches the iceberg but with minor damage, Jocko climbs onboard as he finds refuge in the galley. One of the chefs has found Jocko asleep in the galley after eating too much bananas. After the snowstorm has died down, Jo, Zette and the Eskimo continue their onward journey as they meet Professor Nielsen. At Nielsen's hut, Jo and Zette made good contact progress with Mr Legrand about the journey to the North Pole. As the Stratoship H-22's damaged propeller is repaired by a team of engineers, they face a race against time to get the plane back home and win the trans-Atlantic challenge. Shortly after Jo and Zette left the North Pole, they touch down on a beach packed with tourists. Jo telephoned Mrs Legrand about their time in the North Pole as Mr Legrand had just returned from Scotland. During the night at an empty beach, both policemen were ambushed by the two criminals, Werner and Charlie while guarding the Stratoship H-22. The Stratoship H-22 was almost destroyed by fire by Werner and Charlie. With Jo and Mr Legrand at the scene of the attack, Mr Legrand finally managed to extinguish the fire of the red-coloured plane into the sea. The next day, thousands of crowds are expected to attend the Stratoship H-22's journey to New York piloted by Jo and Zette, with the crew from the French aerospace company S.A.F.C.A., due to arrive while celebrating their victory but unfortunately the celebrations turned sour as they fall into their comas due to a suspected soporific illness. With Mr Legrand on sick leave, Jo and Zette meet a watchman Jules to talk about Mr Legrand's recovery and their upcoming journey to New York but the duo left. While Jo and Zette are flying the Stratoship H-22 en route to New York, Werner wakes up and continued his journey by car but his car has crashed into a tree. Mrs Legrand had telephoned the hospital to the nurse that Werner has been seriously injured in a car crash and Mrs Legrand paid a visit to Werner in hospital who remains seriously injured there following a car crash to recall the memories of the late American millionaire John Archibald Pump and the inheritance to his nephews, William and Fred Stockrise. The Stockrise brothers and their gang are still determined to thwart the operation even if Jo and Zette successfully make it home before the deadline expiry date. With Werner now gone, Charlie and Fred Stockrise are expecting the detectives' arrival but they are caught up in the shooting ambush. One of the Stockrise brothers stood trial to talk about the memories of Werner, Charlie, the Stratoship H-22 and the late millionaire John Archibald Pump. While at the New York airfield, thousands of crowds are expected for the arrival of Jo and Zette as their journey to New York onboard Stratoship H-22 comes to a final stop. In the end, a relieved Jocko is finally being reunited with Jo and Zette after being stranded at the North Pole shortly Jo and Zette had just safely disembarked from the red-coloured plane after a heavy crash landing. While Mr Legrand finally recovers from his illness, Jo, Zette and Jocko arrive at New York to recuperate and on the way there, the trio are questioned by the authorities at the New York Police Station before being cleared and released. In the end, one of the Stockrise brothers is finally arrested and detained by the New York police. | ||||
| 5 | The Valley of the Cobras | La Vallée des cobras | Final Volume ofThe Adventures of Jo Zette and Jocko | 1957 |
| TheMaharajah of Gopal is abad-tempered sort of person, whose behaviour ranges from the childish to the eccentric, and his long-suffering secretary Badalah is usually on the receiving end. Nevertheless, Jo and Zette's father agrees to build him a bridge in his kingdom. The problem is there is a group of scoundrels led by Prime Minister Ramauni and the evil fakir Rabindah who aren't too keen on the idea. | ||||
Jo Legrand is the oldest of the Legrand children. He is the son of Mr and Mrs Legrand.
Zette Legrand is the youngest of the Legrand children. She is the sister of Jo Legrand and the daughter of Mr and Mrs Legrand.
Jocko is Jo and Zette’s pet chimpanzee.
Mr Legrand is Jo and Zette’s father. He works for S.A.F.C.A. (a French Aerospace Company) as a designer and aviation engineer.
Mrs Legrand is Jo and Zette’s mother and also Mr Legrand’s wife. She looks after her children at home.
Werner Brooke and Charlie Brooke are the two villains in both volumes of The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko:Mr Pump’s Legacy andDestination New York.
Fred Stockrise and William Stockrise are Mr Pump’s two nephews. They are also both villains. Alongside Werner and Charlie Brooke, the Stockrise brothers also appear in both volumes of The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko:Mr Pump’s Legacy andDestination New York.
Beginning a series of newspaper supplements in late 1928, AbbéNorbert Wallez founded a supplement for children,Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), which subsequently appeared inLe XXe Siècle every Thursday.[1] Carrying strong Catholic and fascist messages, many of its passages were explicitlyantisemitic.[2] For this new venture, Hergé illustratedL'Extraordinaire Aventure de Flup, Nénesse, Poussette et Cochonnet (The Extraordinary Adventure of Flup, Nénesse, Poussette and Cochonnet), a comic strip authored by one of the paper's sport columnists, which told the story of two boys, one of their little sisters, and her inflatable rubber pig.[3] Hergé was unsatisfied, and eager to write and draw a comic strip of his own. He was fascinated by new techniques in the medium – such as the systematic use of speech bubbles – found in such American comics asGeorge McManus'Bringing up Father,George Herriman'sKrazy Kat andRudolph Dirks'sKatzenjammer Kids, copies of which had been sent to him from Mexico by the paper's reporterLéon Degrelle, stationed there to report on theCristero War.[4]
In late 1935 Hergé was visited by Abbot Courtois and Abbot Pihan, the editors ofCœurs Vaillants ("Valiant Hearts"), a French Catholic newspaper that was publishingThe Adventures of Tintin. Courtois was often unhappy with elements of Hergé's work, and had recently complained about a scene in his latest story,The Broken Ear, in which the two antagonists drown and are dragged toHell by demons. On this occasion, he asked Hergé to create new characters who would be more relateable for their young readership. Whereas Tintin had no parents and did not go to school, they wanted a series in which the protagonists had a family and acted more "normal"; they also requested that these characters have their adventures in France.[5]
Hergé did not want to displease the editors, recognising thatCœurs Vaillants was his only foothold in the French market at the time.[6] He later related that "I happened to have some toys at home just then, for an advertising project I was working on, and among them was a monkey named Jocko. And so I based a new little family around Jocko, really just to please the gentlemen fromCœurs Vaillants, telling myself they might have the right idea."[6] Taking onJo, Zette, & Jocko alongsideThe Adventures of Tintin andQuick & Flupke, Hergé soon found himself overworked, and put the latter series on the back burner.[6]
The firstJo, Zette & Jocko adventure was titledThe Secret Ray, and began serialisation inCœurs Vaillants on 19 January 1936. It would continue to appear in the newspaper in installments until June 1937, throughout being printed in red and black.[6] Several months later it also began to appear in the pages ofLe Petit Vingtième.[6] For New Year 1938, Hergé designed a special cover forLe Petit Vingtième in which the characters ofJo, Zette and Jocko were featured alongside those fromThe Adventures of Tintin andQuick & Flupke.[7]
Hergé was unhappy with the series, commenting that its characters "bored me terribly, these parents who wept all the time as they searched for their children who had gone off in all directions. The characters didn't have the total freedom enjoyed by Tintin... Think ofJules Renard's phrase 'Not everyone can be an orphan!' How lucky for Tintin; he is an orphan, and so he is free."[8]
Le Thermozéro is the sixth, incomplete, Jo, Zette and Jocko adventure. It began in 1958 as a Tintin adventure of the same name. The Tintin version is also known asTintin et le Thermozéro. Hergé had asked the French comic book creatorGreg (Michel Regnier) to provide a scenario for a new Tintin story. Greg came up with two potential plots:Les Pilules (The Pills) andLe Thermozéro. Hergé made sketches of the first eight pages ofLe Thermozéro[9] before the project was abandoned in 1960 – Hergé deciding that he wished to retain sole creative control of his work.
Sometime after this, Hergé sought to resurrectLe Thermozéro as a Jo, Zette and Jocko adventure and instructed his long-time collaboratorBob de Moor to work on an outline. Bernard Tordeur of the Hergé Foundation has suggested, at the World of Tintin Conference held at theNational Maritime Museum,Greenwich on May 15, 2004, that a complete draft outline (similar to what survives ofTintin and Alph-Art) was completed before the project was terminated[10] This draft version of the book apparently survives in the Tintin Archives.[11]
Commenting onThe Secret Ray, Hergé biographerBenoît Peeters noted that it "used rather conventional elements to vivid effect", using many clichés from popular novels such as a robot, a mad scientist, and gullible cannibals.[6] He criticised the characters as being "so colorless that we can hardly bring ourselves to care what befalls them."[6] When discussing its sequel,The Stratoship H-22, he thought that it had been "conceived in almost a single burst" from a "general framework", in this way operating in a more linear fashion than he did with hisAdventures of Tintin.[6]He felt that the series' "failure" was not inevitable, as evidence noting that comics series involving families, such as George McManus'Bringing up Father, could be popular.[8]
The Valley of the Cobras was the firstJo, Zette and Jocko adventure to be translated and published inEnglish in 1986.Mr Pump’s Legacy andDestination New York followed in 1987.
The ‘Manitoba’ No Reply andThe Eruption of Karamako remained unpublished (possibly due to Hergé’s unsympathetic depiction of the primitive natives of the island of Karamako, similar toTintin in the Congo) until 1994 when they were published together in a single limited-edition double volume titledThe Secret Ray.
WhileHerge'sAdventures of Tintin were published in early 1970s in Iran, all of The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko books got translated toFarsi and published in early 1980s almost at the same time by "Original"(اوریژینال) publication for the first time. The 'Manitoba' No Reply (Le Manitoba ne répond plus) was translated with title "آدم آهنی" (Adam Ahani=Iron Man), The Eruption of Karamako (L'Eruption du Karamako) was translated "انفجار کاراماکو" (Enfejareh Karamako), Mr. Pump’s Legacy (Le Testament de Monsieur Pump) was translated "جنون سرعت" (Jonoon Soraat=Speed Maniac), Destination New York (Destination New York) was translated "مقصد نیویورک" (Magsad Neyoyork), The Valley of the Cobras (La Vallée des cobras) was translated "دره مارها" (Dareh Marha=Valley of Snakes).
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