 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 . 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 . " 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 . Michael Farr thought that Tintin was " a maturer hero " in Cigars , being more of a detective than a reporter . 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 . " 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 , opining that the car chase provided " a highly cinematic ending . " 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 . 
