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Lucky Luke

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For other uses, seeLucky Luke (disambiguation).

Lucky Luke
Sous le Ciel de l'Ouest(1952), cover of an early softcovered issue
Character information
First appearanceSpirou(October1946)
In-story information
Full nameLuke
SpeciesHuman
Place of originUnited States
PartnershipsJolly Jumper,Rantanplan
Publication information
Publisher
  • Dupuis(1949–1967)
  • Dargaud(1968–1988)
  • Lucky Productions (1989–1998)
  • Lucky Comics (1999–present)
Title(s)
Full list
FormatsComics album
Original languageFrench
GenreWestern
Creative team
Writer(s)
Artist(s)
  • Morris (1946–2001)
  • Achdé(2001–present)
Colorist(s)

Lucky Lukeis aWesternbande dessinéeseries created by Belgian cartoonistMorrisin 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writerRené Goscinny.Their partnership lasted until Goscinny's death in 1977. Afterwards, Morris used several other writers until his own death in 2001. Since Morris's death, French artistAchdéhas drawn the series, scripted by several successive writers.

The series takes place in theAmerican Old Westof the United States. It stars the titularLucky Luke,a street-smart gunslinger known as the "man who shoots faster than his shadow", and his intelligent horseJolly Jumper.Lucky Luke is pitted against various villains, either fictional or inspired by American history or folklore. The most famous of these arethe Dalton Brothers,loosely based on theDalton Gangof the early 1890s and claimed to be their cousins. The stories are filled with humorous elements parodying theWestern genre.

Lucky Lukeis one of the best-known and best-selling comics series in Europe. It has been translated into 23 languages. 82 albums have appeared in the series as of 2022, and 3 special editions/homages, at first published byDupuis.From 1968 to 1998 they were published byDargaudand then by Lucky Productions. Since 2000 they have been published by Lucky Comics. Each story was first serialized in a magazine: inSpiroufrom 1946 to 1967, inPilotefrom 1968 to 1973, inLucky Lukein 1974–75, in the French edition ofTintinin 1975–76, and in various other magazines since.

The series has also had adaptations in other media, such as animated films and television series, live-action films, video games, toys, and board games. As of 2022, all 82 books in the series' regular albums are available in English.

Publication history

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First appearance of Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper inArizona 1880(1946)

Simultaneously a tribute to the mythic Old West and an affectionateparody,the comics were created by Belgian artist Morris, who drewLucky Lukefrom 1946 until his death in 2001. The firstLucky Lukeadventure,Arizona 1880,appeared in the French version of theFranco-Belgian comicsmagazineSpirouin October 1946.[4]It later appeared in theAlmanachissue ofSpirouon 7 December 1946.[5]

After several years of writing the strip himself, Morris began a collaboration withRené Goscinny.He was the series writer during what is considered its golden age, starting with the story"Des rails sur la Prairie",published on 25 August 1955 inSpirou,until his death in 1977 (with the exception of"Alerte aux Pieds Bleus").[6]Ending a long run of serial publications inSpirou,the series was shifted to Goscinny'sPilotemagazine in 1967 with the story"La Diligence".Later it was taken toDargaudpublisher.

After the death of Goscinny in 1977, several writers succeeded him: including Raymond "Vicq" Antoine,Bob de Groot,Jean Léturgie andLo Hartog van Banda.At the 1993Angoulême International Comics Festival,Lucky Lukewas given an honorary exhibition.[7]

After Morris' death in 2001, French artistAchdécontinued drawing newLucky Lukestories in collaboration with writers Laurent Gerra, Daniel Pennac and Tonino Benacquista. Since 2016, new albums are scripted by writer Jul.

Lucky Luke comics have been translated into:Afrikaans,Arabic,Bengali,Catalan,Croatian,Czech,Danish,Dutch,English,Estonian,Finnish,German,Greek,Hebrew,Hungarian,Icelandic,Indonesian,Italian,Norwegian,Persian,Polish,Portuguese,Serbian,Slovene,Spanish,Swedish,Tamil,Turkish,Vietnamese,WelshandBulgarian.

Stories

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Overview

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Although always described as acowboy,Luke generally acts as a righter of wrongs or bodyguard of some sort, where he excels thanks to his on-hand resourcefulness and incredible gun prowess. A recurring task is that of capturing the bumbling but menacing gangsters theDalton brothers,Joe, William, Jack and Averell. He ridesJolly Jumper,"the smartest horse in the world" and is often accompanied by prison guard dogRin Tin Can,"the stupidest dog in the universe", a spoof ofRin Tin Tin.

Luke meets many historical Western figures such asCalamity Jane,[8]Billy the Kid,JudgeRoy BeanandJesse James's gang, and takes part in events such as the guarding ofWells Fargostagecoaches,thePony Express,the building of theFirst Transcontinental Telegraph,the Rush into theUnassigned LandsofOklahoma,the building of theStatue of liberty,and a tour byFrenchactressSarah Bernhardt.Some of the books feature a one-page article on the background to the events featured. Goscinny once said that he and Morris tried to base the Lucky Luke adventures on real events whenever possible, but that they would not let the facts get in the way of a funny story.

The Dalton gang

The chronology of the albums is deliberately murky, and in most albums no particular year is given. The villains and incidental characters based on real persons lived over most of the mid-to-late-19th century. For example, in the albumDaily Star,Lucky Luke meets a youngHorace Greeley,prior to his moving to New York in 1831. JudgeRoy Bean,who was appointed judge in 1882, appears in another album, and in another album yet, Lucky Luke takes part in the 1892Coffeyvilleshootout against theDalton gang.Lucky Luke himself appears unchanged in all stories.

Except in the first few stories, where he shoots and kills Mad Jim and the old Dalton brothers gang in Coffeyville, Luke is never seen to kill anyone, preferring to disarm people by simply shooting weapons out of their hands.

Phil Defer was killed in the first publication inLe Moustique,but in the later album collection, this was changed into a debilitating shoulder wound.

In the final panel of each story, except the earliest, Lucky Luke rides off alone on Jolly Jumper into the sunset, singing (inEnglish) "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home...". Luke first said this line in 1949 and it became a tradition afterwards. The song itself is based on a real life cowboy song, collected byJohn LomaxinCowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads.[9]

Historical figures who have appeared inLucky Luke

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Smoking controversy

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Lucky Luke's cigarette was replaced with a wisp of straw in 1983.

Morris, who had been criticized over Lucky Luke'scigarettefor a long time, answered his critics: "the cigarette is part of the character's profile, just like the pipe ofPopeyeorMaigret".[11]It is claimed that Morris was forced to remove cigarettes Lucky Luke smokes from his strip and Lucky Luke who "used to be a heavy smoker", had to give up smoking for "commercial reasons", apparently to "gain access to the American market".[12][13][14]

Morris received an award from theWorld Health Organizationin 1988 for replacing Luke's omnipresent cigarette with a wisp of straw in the storyFingers(1983).[12][15][16] In the 2007 animated filmTous à l'Ouest: Une aventure de Lucky Luke,Lucky Luke is seen using what appears to be anicotine patchand mentions that before that he had to "chew on a piece of straw for a while" right after he quit smoking. In the 1994 storyLe Pont sur le Mississippi(The Bridge Over the Mississippi), he is seen rolling a cigarette again, although he claims it was just to hide his boredom. And inSarah Bernhardt(1982), when Bernhardt's cook lights a fire to make a cake, despite Luke's strict orders not to, Luke is seen rolling a cigarette in an irate mood. He then strikes a match, only for it to be blown out by Jolly Jumper, who reminds him of his own "no fire" orders.

Spin-off series

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A spin-off series calledRantanplanand starring Luke's dimwitted canine sidekick began in 1987. It has been written over the years by several successive teams of writers and artists. The character also got a 76-episode animated television series in 2006.

A second spin-off series calledKid Luckywas created in 1995, aimed at attracting a younger readership. This starred Luke as a little boy, a format that had been very popular withSpirou.Two albums starring this version of the character were released as part of the main series:Kid LuckyandOklahoma Jim.These were credited to veteran writer Jean Léturgie and unknown artist Pearce, who was later revealed to be a joint pen name for Yann Lepennetier andDidier Conrad.The series was scrapped due to poor sales and the two albums removed from the official list of Lucky Luke albums. The series was however re-launched in 2011 asLes aventures de Kid Lucky d'après Morris,with Achdé now solely in charge of it. To date, Achdé has written four Kid Lucky albums,L'apprenti Cow-boy,Lasso périlleux,Statue SquawandSuivez la flèche,released in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, respectively. In June 2020, It was announcedKid Luckywill be adapted into an animated series.[17]

Collected editions

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See also:List of Lucky Luke albums

By Morris (1949–1958)

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Dupuis Publishing

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  1. La Mine d'or de Dick Digger,1949 (Dick Digger's Gold Mine)
  2. Rodéo,1951
  3. Arizona,1951
  4. Sous le ciel de l'Ouest,1952 (Under the Western Sky)
  5. Lucky Luke contre Pat Poker,1953 (Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker)
  6. Hors-la-loi,1954 (Outlaws)
  7. L'Élixir du Dr Doxey,1955 (Doc Doxey's Elixir)
  8. Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer,1956 (Phil Wire)
  9. Alerte aux Pieds Bleus,1958 (The Bluefeet are Coming)

By Morris & Goscinny (1955–1977)

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By Morris and various writers (1980–2002)

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By Achdé and various writers (since 2004)

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English translations

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Apart from the collections mentioned below, Lucky Luke comics were published in British comic book magazines such asFilm Fun ComicorGiggle(in 1967). TheGiggleversion had Luke's name changed to "Buck Bingo".[19]

Brockhampton Press Ltd, Leicester, began publishing the books in hardcover and softcover, with six titles from 1972 to 1974, translated by Frederick W Nolan. Brockhampton became part of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd in 1976, and under their children's imprint, Knight Books, Hodder published mini-sized paperback editions of the first six books, in 1976 to 1977. In 1980 and 1982, Hodder & Stoughton published three new titles as Hodder Dargaud, as well as reprints of the previous six.

Cinebook Ltdhave been publishing English language translations of Lucky Luke insoftcoveralbum format since 2006. One new volume is released every two months. In India only, Euro Books, a division of Euro Kids International Ltd. published English versions of 24 Lucky Luke titles in 2009.

In 2019, Cinebook began releasing a hardcover collection ofLucky Luke,published in chronological order featuring three to four original albums per volume together with a vast amount of extras included, titledLucky Luke – The Complete Collection.

Cinebook also published translations of the two Matthieu Bonhomme homages:Wanted Lucky Luke(2016) andThe Man Who Shot Lucky Luke(2021).Untamedby Blutch was published in 2024.

List of single albums in English

Europe Comics

  1. The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke,2016
  2. Cowboy in Training,2017
  3. Dangerous Lasso,2017
  4. Statue Squaw,2017
  5. Follow the Arrow,2019

In other media

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DVD cover for the live-action filmLucky Luke,directed by and starring Italian actorTerence Hill

Films

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Animation

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Live-action

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There are a number of feature adaptations from various countries, including:

  • Turkish films:
    • Ret Kid(1970), starring Izzet Günay
    • Atını Seven Kovboy(1975), starring Sadri Alışık
  • Italian films, both starringTerence Hill:
  • French films, both produced by Saïd Ben Saïd and Yves Marmion:

Television

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In 1983,Hanna-BarberaProductions,France 3,Gaumont Film Company,Extrafilm Berlin and Morris collaborated to produce the animated TV seriesLucky Luke,which ran for 26 episodes and was based on original album stories. The series' main voice actors wereWilliam Callawayas Lucky Luke,Robert Ridgelyas Jolly Jumper,Paul Reubensas Bushwack,Frank Welkeras Joe Dalton,Rick Deesas Jack Dalton,Fred Travalenaas William Dalton,Bob Holtas Averell Dalton, andMitzi McCallas Ma Dalton. Additional voices were provided byPeter Cullen,Pat Fraley,Barbara Goodson,andMona Marshall.

In 1990, a new animated series of 26 episodes was produced by IDDH, with the collaboration of Morris, based on album stories not adapted in the prior series.

The 1992 live-action Italian television series,Lucky Luke,also known asThe Adventures of Lucky Luke,was based on the films of the previous year and again starred Terence Hill.

In 2001,Xilamproduced the 52-episode animated seriesLes Nouvelles aventures de Lucky Luke(The New Adventures of Lucky Luke). It was made available on an eight-disc DVD set with French and English audio tracks. This series also featured ColonelCuster,who is an Indian-hater and a dwarf in this incarnation. Unlike the two earlier animated series, this series featured original stories.

Xilam produced two further animated series involving Lucky Luke:Rintindumb(2006) andLes Dalton[fr](2010).

Mediatoon Distribution producedKid Luckyin 2020.[28]

Video games

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Lucky Lukevideo games have been released for many platforms, most of them byInfogramesfor the European market.[29]OnlyGame Boy ColorandPlayStationversions were released in North America.

A Lucky Luke game was developed for mobile phones by The Mighty Troglodytes.Lucky Luke: Go Westwas released in Europe forWindows,Wii,andNintendo DSin late 2007.

In 2013, French publishers Dupuis andAnuman Interactiveannounced the development of a new Time Management game:Lucky Luke: Transcontinental Railroad(set in the 1860s) for Windows, Mac,iOS,andAndroid.[30]

  • Lucky Luke– Tiger Handheld – 1984
  • Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine– Coktel Vision, C64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Thomson TO – 1987[31][32][33][34][35]
  • Lucky Luke: The Video Game– Philips Interactive,Philips CD-i– 1996[36]
  • Lucky Luke– Infogrames, Game Boy (Europe only) – 1996 and Game Boy Color – May 1999
  • Lucky Luke– SNES, MS-DOS, and Windows (Europe only) – October 1997
  • Lucky Luke– Infogrames, PlayStation – 1998 and Windows (Europe only) – 2000 asLucky Luke: On the Dalton's Trail
  • Lucky Luke: Desperado Train– Game Boy Color (Europe Only) – 2000 (Infogrames)
  • Lucky Luke: Western Fever– Windows and PlayStation (Europe only) – 2001
  • Lucky Luke: Wanted!– Game Boy Advance (Europe only) – 11 February 2001 (Infogrames)
  • Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure– DS, Windows, Wii – 2007

Tributes

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Lucky Luke statue inMiddelkerke

In theBelgian Comic Strip CenterinBrussels,the permanent exhibition pays homage to the pioneers ofBelgian comics,with Morris being among them. In the room dedicated to his work, the entry hassaloondoors and Luke's shadow can be seen on the floor and on the wall.[37]

In 1992, as part ofBrussels' Comic Book Route,a wall in the Rue de la Buandrie/ Washuisstraat in Brussels was dedicated to Lucky Luke.[38]It was designed by D. Vandegeerde and G. Oreopoulos.

Since 2007, the Rue des Pierres/ Steenstraat in Brussels has acommemorative plaquewith the nameRue Lucky Luke/Lucky Luke straatplaced under the actual street sign.[39]

InCharleroi,Belgium, a statue of Lucky Luke can be seen in Astrid Park. The nearbyCharleroi MetrostationParcis also decorated with scenes of Lucky Luke.[40][unreliable source?]

In 2000, statues of Lucky Luke, Ratanplan and Joe Dalton were erected in theJules Van den Heuvelstraat,Middelkerke,Belgium. They were designed by Luc Madou.[41]

In 1993, French rapperMC Solaarreleased his song"Nouveau Western"with references to Lucky Luke and theDaltons.

Lucky Luke is also referenced in the 2010Obsidian Entertainment-developed andBethesda Softworks-published video gameFallout: New Vegas.Posters appear in the game, as well as in some loading screens, stating "There's a new sheriff in town and he's looking for deputies... Become a part of the human dignity bloc". Accompanying this text is an image of a frontier-erasheriffdoing afinger gunmotion with both hands. Aside from the star-shaped sheriff badge he wears, the sheriff is dressed identically to Lucky Luke, sporting his trademark white hat, yellow shirt, black vest, and red bandana tied around his neck.

In 2015, Danishreggaetonband Camilo & Grande released a single titled "Lucky Luke", in which they liken their lives to that of Lucky Luke.[42]

In 2022, the Belgian government included a tribute to Lucky Luke in the visa pages of its newly redesignedpassport.It features a blank silhouette of Luke and Jolly Jumper inMonument Valley,with the full detail of the characters being revealed under UV light.[43]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^BDGest."Leonardo, Vittorio – La Bibliographie"(in French).
  2. ^BDGest."Ducasse, Anne-Marie – La Bibliographie"(in French).
  3. ^BDGest."Mel – La Bibliographie"(in French).
  4. ^Betrand, Christelle et (18 November 2016).Lucky Luke nouvelle intégrale 1.Dupuis.ISBN978-2-8001-6740-4.
  5. ^BDoubliées."Spirou année 1946"(in French).
  6. ^Lucky Luke les albums(in French). Lucky Comics.Retrieved11 February2021.
  7. ^Lambiek Comiclopedia."Morris".
  8. ^Morris (2018).A Lucky Luke Adventure 8: Calamity Jane.Great Britain: Cinebook ltd.ISBN978-1-84918-406-9.
  9. ^"Morris".lambiek.net.Retrieved6 August2024.
  10. ^Le Daily Star,1983, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche
  11. ^"World Health Forum Vol 11 1990 footnote Les cahiers de la bande dessinée. No. 43, 1980, p. 11"(PDF).Retrieved14 February2012.
  12. ^ab"World Health Forum Vol 11 1990"(PDF).Retrieved14 February2012.
  13. ^"Peopledaily.cn".Peopledaily.cn. 23 August 2006.Retrieved14 February2012.
  14. ^Harrie Verstappen."Thelooniverse".Thelooniverse.Retrieved14 February2012.
  15. ^"ABCnews".Blogs.abcnews. 22 August 2006.Retrieved14 February2012.
  16. ^Surette, Tim (21 August 2006)."TV".TV. Archived fromthe originalon 9 March 2010.Retrieved14 February2012.
  17. ^"Média-Participations AV Preps 'Kid Lucky,' 'Living with Dad' for M6 Kids".18 June 2020.
  18. ^"Matthieu Bonhomme:" Je voulais que mon Lucky Luke soit un vrai cowboy "".France Inter(in French).Retrieved10 May2016.
  19. ^"Lucky Luke as" Buck Bingo "on the Forbidden Planet International Blog Log".Forbiddenplanet.co.uk. 15 July 2008.Retrieved14 February2012.
  20. ^"Lucky Luke 72 - Marcel Dalton".
  21. ^"Lucky Luke 73 - the Prophet".
  22. ^"Lucky Luke 74 - the Klondike".
  23. ^"Lucky Luke 75 - Rin Tin Can's Inheritance".
  24. ^"Lucky Luke 76 - Oklahoma Jim".
  25. ^"Lucky Luke 77 - A Cowboy in High Cotton".
  26. ^"Lucky Luke 78 - the Dalton Uncles".
  27. ^"Tous a l'ouest".Official movie website.Xilam Films. 22 October 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2007.Retrieved22 October2007.
  28. ^"Kid Lucky Arrives in a Brand New Tv Series".30 September 2020.
  29. ^IGN Staff (3 November 1998)."Lucky Luke: Infogrames brings a huge European cowboy to the US market and puts him on the discount rack".IGN.IGN.Retrieved22 June2013.
  30. ^"Anuman Interactive announces Lucky Luke: Transcontinental Railroad".26 August 2013.Retrieved12 December2016.
  31. ^"Lucky Luke (1987)".
  32. ^"Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine (1987) by Coktel Vision C64 game".
  33. ^"Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine (1987) by Coktel Vision Amstrad CPC game".
  34. ^"Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine (1987) by Coktel Vision MS-DOS game".
  35. ^"Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine (1987) by Coktel Vision Thomson game".
  36. ^"Lucky Luke: The Video Game Release Information for CD-I".GameFAQs.Retrieved12 December2016.
  37. ^Belgisch Centrum van het Beeldverhaal Brussel(in Dutch). Accessed 19 December 2019.
  38. ^"Lucky Luke Comic Strip Wall".Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2015.Retrieved12 December2016.
  39. ^"eBru | Bruxelles Capitale de la Bande Dessinée (BD) – Noms de rue".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved12 December2016.
  40. ^"Mr Coyote au pays de Spirou et Fantasio: Spirou en général".Forum Inedispirou.Retrieved12 December2016.
  41. ^"Luc Madou – Lucky Luke".standbeelden.be.Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2011.
  42. ^Agergaard, Rose (2 October 2015)."Hele verden rider med Camilo & Grande i ny musikvideo"[The whole world rides with Camilo & Grande in their new music video].Gaffa.dk(in Danish). Gaffa. Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2017.Retrieved12 December2022.
  43. ^Rankin, Jennifer (6 February 2022)."Tintin's world adventure: comic strip hero joins the Smurfs on new Belgian passport".TheGuardian.Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2022.Retrieved16 September2022.

References

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Further reading

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  • Lefèvre, Pascal. 1998. "Lucky Luke, a 'lonesome cowboy' for more than half a century. In The Low Countries, 1998–1999". InThe Low Countries: Arts and Society in Flanders and the Netherlands: A Yearbook, 1998-99.Stichting Ons Erfdeel.
[edit]
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Wikiquote has quotations related toLucky Luke (in French).
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