A Tintin prophet inspired by a real falling-out

The prophet Philippulus is a grotesque character who announces the end of the world in The Shooting Star. He caricatures Philippe Gérard, a former scout comrade of Hergé who predicted misfortunes for the cartoonist if he continued to work for the newspaper Le Soir. This real confrontation between the two men led to a definitive rift and marked the history of the series.