Captain Haddock the time of their last completed and published adventure, "Tintin and the Picaros", Haddock had become such an important figure that he dominates much of the story. Captain (Archibald) Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, is hinted at being the illegitimate son of the French Sun King (Louis XIV), a possible reference to Hergé's own family history— Hergé liked to believe that his father was the illegitimate son of the Belgian king Leopold II. As Hergé was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish—haddock.”
GAL (cartoonist) and Geert van Istendael, as well as non-fiction works about political topics. Gal also illustrated the album cover of Zjef Vanuytsel's album "Tederheid" (1983). GAL (cartoonist) Gerard Alsteens (born 3 August 1940 in Oudergem) is a Belgian political cartoonist, graphic artist and painter who works under the pseudonym "GAL". He is infamous for his sharp political cartoons which, artistically speaking, share a closer resemblance to paintings than regularly drawn cartoons. Throughout the years his work has received several prizes and awards. GAL was born in 1940 in Oudergem, Flanders, together with his twin brother Edgard. At the age of twelve