King Ottokar's Sceptre was originally published in black-and-white in 1938, the story was redrawn in 1947 in colour. Like earlier stories, King Ottokar's Sceptre has a political subtext. Written in the late 1930s, the storyline reflects real-life events taking place in Europe at the time: the annexation of neighbouring states by Nazi Germany.

Snowy tries to warn Tintin not to pick up the abandoned briefcase on the park bench, but the boy reporter's good nature leads them once again into adventure. They travel to Syldavia with Professor Alembick, only to find themselves mixed up in a rebel plot to depose the Syldavian king. If the king does not carry King Ottokar's scepter in the royal procession he will lose his throne, and when the rebels manage to steal the scepter the detectives Thomson and Thompson are called in. The situation is critical, but in an all-night chase over the mountains an adventurous trip by airplane, Tintin and Snowy come to the rescue. In this adventure Tintin first meets Bianca Castafiore.