Editing Cigars of the Pharaoh (section)

==Critical analysis==
[[Jean-Marc Lofficier]] and Randy Lofficier considered ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' to be graphically between ''Tintin in America'' and ''The Blue Lotus'', as Hergé was expanding his "visual vocabulary" and making use of "unforgettable moments" such as the dream sequence in the tomb.{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=32}} Although recognising that Hergé was still devising his plot on a week-by-week basis, they thought that the work was an improvement on his earlier stories because of the inclusion of "mystery and fantasy".{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=33}}
Awarding it three stars out of five, they thought the book was a "surreal thriller, drenched and atmospheric". Believing that the work not only dealt with madness, but also was madness, they thought the book evoked "a sense of dreamlike suspension of disbelief".{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=33}} They also highlighted the inclusion of the Kih-Oskh symbol throughout the book, describing it as being akin to a recurring musical theme, stating that it added "a note of pure [[oneirism]]".{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=33}}

[[File:Benoit Peeters 20100329 Salon du livre de Paris 3.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of a middle-aged man speaking into a microphone.|Hergé biographer [[Benoît Peeters]] considered ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' to be the first of ''The Adventures of Tintin'' to exhibit "narrative unity".]]

Harry Thompson considered ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' "almost completely unrecognisable from its predecessors", praising its "inspired comic characters" and "observed character comedy", which he thought escaped the sheer slapstick evident in the earlier ''Adventures''.{{sfn|Thompson|1991|p=52}} He also praised the elements of mystery and suspense that Hergé introduced, opining that it created "a genuine sense of fear without recourse to a ''[[deus ex machina]]''".{{sfn|Thompson|1991|p=55}} More critically, he thought that the plot's "glaring flaw" was the immediate transposition of events from Egypt to India, also believing that the inclusion of British colonialists as the antagonists made "partial amends" for the colonialist attitude displayed by Tintin in ''Tintin in the Congo''.{{sfn|Thompson|1991|p=56}} [[Michael Farr]] thought that Tintin was "a maturer hero" in ''Cigars'', being more of a detective than a reporter.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=41}} He thought that the dream sequence was "one of the most imaginative and disturbing scenes" in the series, illustrating Hergé's "growing virtuosity with the medium".{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=45}} He also praised the scenes set in the Indian colonial bungalow, commenting that it was "claustrophobic and sinisterly dramatic" and worthy of the work of Agatha Christie,{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=48}} opining that the car chase provided "a highly cinematic ending".{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=48}} Overall, he thought it to be a narrative "rich in mystery and drama" which was as much of a landmark in the series as ''The Blue Lotus''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=48}}

Hergé biographer Benoît Peeters thought that with ''Cigars'', Hergé was engaging in the "novelesque", and that the opening scene had echoes of [[Rodolphe Töpffer]]'s ''Mr Pencil''.{{sfn|Peeters|2012|p=62}} He also thought it the first of the ''Adventures'' to have a "semblance" of "narrative unity".{{sfn|Peeters|2012|p=64}} Fellow biographer Pierre Assouline thought that the story was difficult for the reader to follow, because the exoticism of the backdrop faded amid the fast pace of the narrative.{{sfn|Assouline|2009|p=43}}
Literary critic [[Tom McCarthy (novelist)|Tom McCarthy]] highlighted the prominent role of [[tobacco]] in the story, drawing on the ideas of French philosopher [[Jacques Derrida]] to suggest the potential symbolism of this.{{sfn|McCarthy|2006|pp=135–137}} He also suggested that the inclusion of mummified Egyptologists in the story warns readers of the "dangers of mummification through interpretation".{{sfn|McCarthy|2006|p=90}}