Lucky Luke

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Sous le Ciel de l'Ouest, cover of an early softcovered issue.

Lucky Luke, quicker than his own shadow, the classical series back cover

Lucky Luke is a Franco-Belgian comic book series. Set in the American Old West, it stars the titular character, Lucky Luke, the cowboy known to shoot faster than his shadow.

Along with The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix, Lucky Luke is one of the most popular and best-selling comic-book series in continental Europe^[1], but unlike Tintin and Asterix, while popular in Canada only a handful of his adventures have been published in the English-speaking world.

1 History
2 Plot summary
3 List of albums
4 Lucky Luke in other media
5 Real prototypes of Lucky Luke series characters
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

Both a tribute to the mythic Old West and an affectionate parody, the comics were drawn by the Belgian artist Morris. Morris drew Lucky Luke from 1947 until his death in 2001. The first Lucky Luke album Morris wrote and drew could be seen in the Almanach Spirou. The scripts of several (though not all) of the earlier books were written by Frenchman René Goscinny, best known for Asterix. After Goscinny's death many tried to fill the gap. After Morris' death, French artist Achdé continued drawing new Lucky Luke stories. The Morris-Goscinny period is seen as the golden age of the series.

[edit] Plot summary

Luke, drawing a gun faster than his shadow, fights crime and injustice, most often in the form of the bumbling Dalton brothers, Joe, William, Jack and Averell (each one being taller and dumber than the previous one). He rides Jolly Jumper, "the smartest horse in the world". He is often seen with Rantanplan, "the stupidest dog in the universe", the name being an allusion to Rin Tin Tin. A cigarette was constantly at his lips in the early albums, but (since it was essentially a parody of abundant cigarette usage in Western movies to begin with), in 1983 Morris replaced the cigarette with a piece of straw, which earned him recognition from the World Health Organization.

In the albums, Luke meets many factual Western figures like Calamity Jane, Billy the Kid, Judge Roy Bean and Jesse James's gang, and takes part in historical endeavors such as guarding of Wells Fargo stagecoaches, the Pony Express, the building of the first transcontinental telegraph, and the Rush into the Unassigned Lands of Oklahoma.

At the end of each story, except the earliest, Lucky Luke rides off alone into the sunset, singing (in English) "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home...".

[edit] List of albums

[edit] By Morris only

1. La mine d'or de Dick Digger, Dupuis, 01/1949 (Dick Digger's Gold Mine)
2. Rodéo, Dupuis (Rodeo)
3. Arizona, Dupuis, 01/1951 (Arizona)
4. Sous le ciel de l'Ouest, Dupuis, 01/1952 (Under the Western Sky)
5. Lucky Luke contre Pat Poker, Dupuis, 01/1953 (Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker)
6. Hors-la-loi, Dupuis, 01/1954 (Outlaw)
7. L'élixir du Dr Doxey, Dupuis, 01/1955 (Dr Doxey's Elixir)
8. Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer, Dupuis, 01/1956 (Lucky Luke versus Phil Defer - the name 'Phil Defer' sounds like the French Fil de Fer, or Iron Wire)
10. Alerte aux Pieds Bleus, Dupuis, 01/1958 (Beware of the Bluefoots)

[edit] Script by René Goscinny

9. Des Rails sur la Prairie, Dupuis, 01/1957 (Rails on the Prairie)
11. Lucky Luke contre Joss Jamon, Dupuis, 01/1958 (Lucky Luke versus Joss Jamon)
12. Les Cousins Dalton, Dupuis, 01/1958 (The Dalton Cousins)
13. Le Juge, Dupuis, 01/1959 (The Judge)
14. Ruée sur l'Oklahoma, Dupuis, 01/1960 (The Oklahoma Run)
15. L'évasion des Dalton, Dupuis, 01/1960 (The Daltons Escape)
16. En remontant le Mississippi, Dupuis, 01/1961 (Travelling Up The Mississippi)
17. Sur la piste des Dalton, Dupuis, 01/1962 (On the Daltons' Trail)
18. À l'ombre des derricks, Dupuis, 01/1962 (In The Shadow of the Derricks)
19. Les rivaux de Painful Gulch, Dupuis, 01/1962 (The Rivals of Painful Gulch)
20. Billy the Kid, Dupuis, 01/1962 (Billy the Kid)
21. Les collines noires, Dupuis, 01/1963 (The Black Hills)
22. Les Dalton dans le blizzard, Dupuis, 01/1963 (The Daltons in the Blizzard)
23. Les Dalton courent toujours, Dupuis, 01/1964 (The Daltons - Always On The Run)
24. La Caravane, Dupuis, 01/1964 (The Caravan)
25. La ville fantôme, Dupuis, 01/1965 (The Ghost Town)
26. Les Dalton se rachètent, Dupuis, 01/1965 (The Daltons Redeem Themselves)
27. Le vingtième de cavalerie, Dupuis, 01/1965 (The 20th of the Cavalry)
28. L'escorte, Dupuis, 01/1966 (The Escort)
29. Des barbelés sur la prairie, Dupuis, 01/1967 (Barbed Wire on the Prairie)
30. Calamity Jane, Dupuis, 01/1967 (Calamity Jane)
31. Tortillas pour les Dalton, Dupuis, 01/1967 (Tortillas for the Daltons)
32. La diligence, Dargaud, 03/1968 (Perseverance)
33. Le pied-tendre, Dargaud, 07/1968 (The Tenderfoot)
34. Dalton-City, Dargaud, 01/1969 (Dalton City)
35. Jesse James, Dargaud, 07/1969 (Jesse James)
36. Western Circus, Dargaud, 01/1970 (Western Circus)
37. Canyon Apache, Dargaud, 01/1971 (Apache Canyon)
38. Ma Dalton, Dargaud, 10/1971 (Ma Dalton)
39. Chasseur de primes, Dargaud, 10/1972 (The Bounty Hunter)
40. Le Grand Duc, Dargaud, 04/1973 (The Grand Duke)
41. L'héritage de Ran-Tan-Plan, Dargaud, 10/1973 (Ran-Tan-Plan's Inheritance)
42. 7 histoires complètes - série 1, Dargaud, 09/1974 (7 Full Stories - Series 1)
43. Le cavalier blanc, Dargaud, 03/1975 (The White Horseman)
44. La guérison des Dalton, Dargaud, 07/1975 (The Daltons' Cure)
45. L'empereur Smith, Dargaud, 04/1976 (Emperor Smith)
46. Le fil qui chante, Dargaud, 10/1977 (The Singing Wire)
HS. La ballade des Dalton, Dargaud, 07/1978 (The Daltons' Ballad)
50. La corde du pendu, Lombard, 06/1982 (The Rope of the Hanged)
51. Daisy Town, Dargaud, 01/1983 (Daisy Town)
55. La ballade des Dalton et autres histoires, Dargaud, 03/1986 (The Dalton's Ballad and Other Stories)

[edit] Different writers

47. Le magot des Dalton, Dargaud, 03/1980, by Vicq (The Daltons' Loot)
48. Le bandit manchot, Dargaud, 03/1981, by Bob de Groot (The One-Armed Bandit)
49. Sarah Bernhardt, Dargaud, 03/1982, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (Sarah Bernhardt)
52. Fingers, Dargaud, 09/1983, by Lo Hartog Van Banda (Fingers)
53. Le Daily Star, Dargaud, 09/1983, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (The Daily Star)
54. La fiancée de Luky Luke, Dargaud, 11/1985, by Guy Vidal (Lucky Luke's Fiancee)
56. Le ranch maudit, Dargaud, 11/1986, by Jean Léturgie, Xavier Fauche and Claude Guylouis (The Cursed Ranch)
57. Nitroglycérine, Dargaud, 04/1987, by Lo Hartog Van Banda (Nitroglycerine)
58. L'alibi, Dargaud, 12/1987, by Claude Guylouis (The Alibi)
59. Le Pony Express, Dargaud, 06/1988, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (The Pony Express)
60. L'amnésie des Dalton, Lucky Productions, 09/1991, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (The Daltons' Amnesia)
61. Chasse aux fantômes, Lucky Productions, 09/1992, by Lo Hartog Van Banda (Ghosthunt)
62. Les Dalton à la noce, Lucky Productions, 09/1993, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (The Daltons at a Wedding)
63. Le pont sur le Mississippi, Lucky Productions, 08/1994, by Jean Léturgie and Xavier Fauche (Bridge Over The Mississippi)
64. Belle Star, Lucky Productions, 08/1995, by Xavier Fauche (Belle Star)
65. Le Klondike, Lucky Productions, 08/1996, by Yann and Jean Léturgie (The Klondike)
66. O.K. Corral, Lucky Productions, 08/1997, by Eric Adam and Xavier Fauche (O.K. Corral)
67. Marcel Dalton, Lucky Productions, 10/1998, by Bob de Groot (Marcel Dalton)
68. Le prophète, Lucky Comics, 03/2000, by Patrick Nordmann (The Prophet)
69. L'artiste-peintre, Lucky Comics, 03/2001, by Patrick Nordmann (The Painter)
70. La légende de l'ouest, Lucky Comics, 01/2002, by Patrick Nordmann (The Legend Of The West)

[edit] Art by Achdé

71. La belle province, Lucky Comics, 09/2004, by Laurent Gerra (The Beautiful Country)
72. La corde au cou, Lucky Comics, 11/2006, by Laurent Gerra (Rope On The Neck)

[edit] English translations

The Stagecoach; Knight Books (UK), 1976
Apache Canyon; Knight Books (UK), 1977
Curing the Daltons (published 1982)
The Stage Couch; Dargaud USA, 1980s; Fantasy Flight (US) 1990s
The Greenhorn; Dargaud USA, 1980s
Dalton City; Dargaud USA, 1980s
Jesse James; Dargaud USA, 1980s; Fantasy Flight (US) 1990s
Western Circus; Dargaud USA, 1980s
Ma Dalton; Dargaud USA, 1980s
The Dalton Brothers' Analyst; same as "Curing the Daltons"; Dargaud Canada (Canada), 1982
The Dalton Brothers Memory Game; Ravette books (UK), 1991
Calamity Jane; Glo'worm (UK), 1998
Dalton City, Glo'worm (UK), 1998
Ma Dalton; Glo'worm (UK), 1999
Jesse James; Glo'worm (UK), 1998
The Tenderfoot; Glo'worm (UK), 1999
Western Circus; Glo'worm (UK), 2000
The Dashing White Cowboy; Glo'worm (UK), 2000
Billy the Kid: v. 1; Cinebook Ltd, 2006
Ghost Town: v. 2; Cinebook Ltd, 2006
Dalton City:v. 3; Cinebook Ltd, 2006
Jesse James:v. 4; Cinebook Ltd, 2006
In the Shadow of the Derricks: v. 5; Cinebook Ltd, 15 Feb 2007; ISBN-10: 1905460171
Ma Dalton: v. 6; Cinebook Ltd, 2007
Barbed Wire on the Prairie: v. 7; Cinebook Ltd, 2007
Calamity Jane: v.8; Cinebook Ltd, 2007

[edit] Lucky Luke in other media

French DVD cover for the Terence Hill movie.

[edit] Animation

In addition to three theatrical animated movies, there was also an animated Lucky Luke television series: In 1983, Hanna-Barbera studios and Morris released 26 episodes, and in 1991, 26 more episodes were released. In 2001, Xilam [1] produced a new series of 52 episodes known as "Les Nouvelles aventures de Lucky Luke" (Lucky Luke's new adventures). It is now available on 8 DVDs with French and English audio tracks. This series also featured colonel Custer who is an Indian-hater and a dwarf.

[edit] Live-action movies and television

In the early 1990s, two movies and a television series starring Terence Hill as Lucky Luke were produced. In 2004, Til Schweiger starred as Lucky Luke in the movie Les Dalton.

Yves Marmion and UGC, the producers of Les Dalton, are currently developing a 20M€ stand-alone Lucky Luke feature, starring Jean Dujardin as the gunslinger, according to FilmDeCulte.com. ^[2]

[edit] Video games

Over the years, several Lucky Luke video games were released for many platforms, most of them by Infogrames, and only released in Europe (the only ones released for the North American were the Game Boy Color and PlayStation versions). The last one is being developed for mobile phones by The Mighty Troglodytes and will be available by the end of 2005.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Real prototypes of Lucky Luke series characters

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Ratier, Gilles. ACBD bilan 2006:new Lucky Luke had an initial run of 650,000 copies... ACBD.fr. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.(French)
^ Engle, Liam (September 27, 2006). Lucky Luke set to return. FilmDeCulte.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../l/u/c/Lucky_Luke_458d.html"