History Recap / TintinTheRedSeaSharks

** Subverted when Haddock is trying to unstick the engine lever that controls the ship's speed with a hammer, which works as well as expected. Haddock is reduced to yelling into the hammer while holding a phone receiver in his other hand.

* HurtFootHop: Captain Haddock, after accidentally breaking and then failing to fix the steering wheel on the Ramona, fumes in Angrish and lets the "confounded rattletrap... tin-can contraption" have it with his right foot. The next panel has him clutching his foot while howling in pain.

* TheNamesake: The English title for this story is a reference to a single shark which appears in one of the closing scenes. In the original French and most other languages, this album is known as "Coke on Board", with "coke" or some variant being a code word for human cargo being shipped off to slavery. Coke is a form of fuel, derived from coal, used here as a synonym for "black". Though the "sharks" is likely also a reference to the various villains they encounter, including SubmarinePirates in a sType VII U-boat codenamed "Shark."

* UnderlingWithAnFInPR: : Captain Haddock finds himself in charge of a cargo ship full of black Muslims. When the villains' buyer (who think Haddock is substituting for the usual captain) comes aboard and starts examining the passenger's muscles and teeth, Haddock angrily tells him the man isn't a slave, and the buyer rebukes Haddock for using the "s" word instead of "coke"[[labelnote:*]]a type of coal and the slavers' codeword throughout the book, in the same way "ebony" (a dark-colored wood) was the euphemism for African slaves in the 19th century[[/labelnote]] in front of witnesses. [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil Haddock goes ballistic]], bellowing insults at the fleeing slaver even after he's out of hearing range.

* SkewedPriorities : While slave trafic is indeed a very odious crime, Emir Ben Kalish Ezbab's reasons for threatening the Arabair to reveal it to the world were not out of moral concerns but because they refused Abdullah's ridiculous request of making the Arabair planes fly in loops before landing (for which they gave justified reasons to explain their refusal none the less).

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Tintin, Captain Haddock and Skut are shipwrecked on the ocean, and Tintin suggests that they drink ''sea water'' to survive. Yes, Tintin, who usually knows everything. And to make things worse, the captain only objects to the taste, not the fact that drinking salt water would only make them more thirsty[[note]]Briefly, the reason you can't drink seawater (to take care of thirst, that is) is because when your body sees all the salt in the water, it needs to get rid of it, so it does so in the only way it can - by ''flushing'' it out of the body, diluting it and carrying it away with the water already in your body, causing you to have ''less'' water in your body[[/note]]. '''Haddock''' of all people should know this, due to being an experienced ''sailor''. However, they ''do'' refer to the studies Dr. Alain Bombard did on a sea water diet, so it may just be that ScienceMarchesOn.

* WideEyedIdealist: Subverted with the black Muslims whom Allan and Rastapopulous are slave-trading under the guise of transporting them to Mecca on the Hajj. Initially Haddock is completely unable to convince them of this, but after a bit of consideration, most of them decide he probably has a point, as some previous hajjis Allan took on the journey never came home.

-->'''CAPTAIN''': If we go on much longer, I'll be on my knees! If only I could lie down!\\
'''TINTIN''': Lie down? We simply must reach Wadesdah before Dawn, Captain. Lying down is out of the question. ''(next frame)'' Quick, lie down!

* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Haddock goes on the investigation just to get away from Abdullah. On returning he finds to his relief that the RoyalBrat and his entourage had left the day before, only for Jolyon Wagg to turn up, having decided to hold a car rally at Marlinspike Hall.

* SoMuchForStealth: Tintin is listening in on Dawson arranging a weapons shipment, only to find Adbullah has planted an alarm clock in his coat as a practical joke.

* [[ThreateningShark Everything's Even Worse With Sharks]]: Despite the English title, this story actually features just one shark. It swallows a bomb that was meant to be planted on the side of a ship, unintentionally saving the lives of everyone on board and blowing itself up in the process.
** That said, the submarine that tries to sink the ''Ramona'' is codenamed "Shark."

* RoguesGalleryShowcase: The album brings back many of Tintin's old enemies and [[OneDegreeOfSeparation connects them to each other in various ways]]. Included are Dawson (''The Blue Lotus''), Bab El Ehr (''Land of Black Gold''), General Tapioca (mentioned in ''The Broken Ear''), Dr. Müller (''The Black Island''), Rastapopoulos (''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' and ''The Blue Lotus''), and Allan Thompson (''The Crab with the Golden Claws'' and, in a later edition, ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'').

* CentipedesDilemma: Captain Haddock is unable to sleep after Allan mockingly asks him if he sleeps with his beard under or above the covers. This ends up saving his life and those of [[NiceJobFixingItVillain everyone on the ship.]]

* IdiotBall: Tintin, of all characters, suggests that they drink ''the sea water'' to survive while he, Haddock and Skut are drifting away on their raft. Haddock even lampshades this.

* InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike: In French, Skut's name sounds like he's saying "[[GoshDangItToHeck Push off!]]" when Haddock asks his name. The English version changes it to Haddock thinking he'd said "Scoot" and getting angry.

* HighSpeedMissileDodge: The BigBad orders his submarine to sink the ship, killing the meddlesome Tintin and destroying all the evidence against him. Haddock has to keep turning the ship to avoid the torpedoes being fired at them, only to have an OhCrap moment when the handle of the engine order telegraph breaks off in his hand.

* TheNamesake: The English title for this story is a reference to a single shark which appears in one of the closing scenes. In the original French and most other languages, this album is known as "Coke on Board", with "coke" or some variant being a code word for human cargo being shipped off to slavery. Coke is a form of fuel, derived from coal, used here as a synonym for "black". Though the "sharks" is likely also a reference to the various villains they encounter, including SubmarinePirates in a shark-prowed Type VII U-boat.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Tintin, Haddock and Piotr Skut are adrift on a raft in the middle of the Red Sea. They eventually are sighted by some passengers in Gorgonzola's ship, after which a woman immediately shouts to the latter, "Look! Real castaways! How madly gay!"

* InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike: In French, Szut's name sounds like he's saying "[[GoshDangItToHeck Push off!]]" when Haddock asks his name.

* TheNamesake: The English title for this story is a reference to a single shark which appears in one of the closing scenes. In the original French and most other languages, this album is known as "Coke on Board", with "coke" or some variant being a code-word for human cargo being shipped to slavery. Coke is a form of fuel, derived from coal, used here as a synonym for "black".
** Though the "sharks" is likely also to be a reference to the various villains they encounter, including SubmarinePirates in a shark-prowed Type VII U-boat.

* RaceLift: The Nelvana AnimatedAdaptation turned the enslaved black people onboard the Ramona into enslaved Middle Eastern people.

* WantedPoster: Wanted posters for Tintin and Haddock in Khemed.
* WhosOnFirst: Haddock asks a shot-down fighter pilot his name and he thinks he's replying "scoot!" as a rejection. Turns out he's Estonian and his name is actually Piotr Skut.

* AbandonShip: Tintin and Haddock's kidnappers abandon ship after setting fire to its cargo of ammunition and explosives. As the heroes struggle to extinguish the fire, it is swamped by a large wave and Haddock is able to get the ship working again.
** The Ellipse-Nelvana adaptation removes the wave: Tintin and Haddock rescue the prisoners and bring the fire down with their help.

* AmericaSavesTheDay: While Americans in previous albums are typically villains, this album culminates with the USS Los Angeles coming in to rescue the heroes from submarine attack by dropping depth charges. The United States Navy saves the day.

* IdiotBall: Tintin, of all characters, suggests that they drink ''the sea water'' to survive while he, Haddock and Skut are drifting away on their raft, Haddock even lampshades this.