''Les Tuniques Bleues'' (Dutch: De Blauwbloezen) is a Belgian series of ''
bandes dessinées Bandes may refer to:
* BANDES, The Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank
* Susan Bandes, American lawyer
* Efim Samuilovich Bandes (1866–1927), Russian-Jewish political activist, known in the United States as Louis Miller
{{dis ...
'' (
comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
in the
Franco-Belgian tradition), first published in ''
Spirou'' magazine and later collected in
albums
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
by
Dupuis
Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines.
Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. It is ...
.
["Best of Belgium's Cartoons",
Ooi Kok Chuen. '']New Straits Times
The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...
'', November 27, 1995. Created by artist
Louis Salvérius and writer
Raoul Cauvin
Raoul Cauvin (26 September 1938 – 19 August 2021) was a Belgian comics author and one of the most popular in the humorist field.
Biography
Raoul Cauvin was born in Antoing, Belgium in 1938.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Raoul Cauvin". In België ges ...
, the series was taken up by artist
Lambil
Lambil (born 14 May 1936) is a Belgian comic-book artist, best known for the series ''Les Tuniques Bleues'', which has been published in English as "The Blue Tunics" and "The Bluecoats".
Biography
Willy Lambillotte was born in Tamines, Belgium ...
after Salverius' death. It follows two United States
cavalrymen
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...
through a series of battles and adventures. The first album of the series was published in 1970. The series' name, ''Les Tuniques Bleues'', literally "the bluecoats", refers to the
Northern (union) army during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Cinebook
Cinebook Ltd is a British publishing company that publishes comic albums and graphic novels. It describes itself as "the 9th art publisher," the 9th art being comics in continental Europe, especially France, Belgium and Italy.
They typically tr ...
has started to print the comics in English as "''The Bluecoats''" releasing ''Robertsonville Prison'' in 2008. It is one of the best-selling series in French-language comics.
History
Cauvin has written the stories for the first 64 volumes.
Six of the first ten volumes were illustrated by Louis Salverius, with Lambil taking over after Salverius' death.
The first book, ' (French for “A Wagon in the West”), was published in 1972. Cauvin retired from writing the series in 2020, with the reins being taken over by
Jose Luis Munuera and the . Their first album ' (“The Special Correspondent”) is published out of sequence in 2020, as volume 65, while the final album by Cauvin and Lambil is released the following year as volume 64, titled ' (“Where is Arabesque?”).
The stories appear first in ''Spirou'', before being published as an album. The French editions are published by Dupuis. New albums are among the top ten best selling comics in French each year, with 184,800 copies for the 50th album alone in 2006. ' spawned a 1989 computer game called ''
North and South North and South may refer to:
Literature
* ''North and South'' (Gaskell novel), an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell
* ''North and South'' (trilogy), a series of novels by John Jakes (1982–1987)
** ''North and South'' (Jakes novel), first novel ...
''.
Plot
The original setting was the frontier of the
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
, where the main characters were American cavalrymen. Those stories, rarely longer than a single page, were comedic adventures about popular Western stereotypes and the absurdity of military life. One recurring feature was the blunder that led to the Cavalry fort being besieged by outraged Native Americans, or in one case, the cavalry having to besiege their own fort after the Indians have tricked them into leaving it and taken over. As the series progressed, the stories became longer and more involved, retaining their humorous highlights. The drawing style also changed, after the death of the original artist Salverius, from overtly
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
ish to semi-realistic.
In the second album, ''Du Nord au Sud'', the main characters, Blutch and Chesterfield, travel east to join
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
's army and fight in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
The 18th album, ''Blue Retro'', describes how the characters were first drafted into the military when the war had already begun and makes no mention of the time they spent on the frontier, contradicting the events in album 2 and others. This
retconned
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
origin and continuity hiccups are not detrimental to the enjoyment and understanding of the series since each album is a stand-alone adventure or collection of short stories. Adventures at the frontier fort still occasionally take place.
The two main protagonists are colorful and clashing opposites. Corporal Blutch is a reluctant soldier, highly critical of authority, whose only wish is to get out of the army and return to civilian life, often threatening to desert and coming up with ways to avoid going into yet another senseless battle. Blutch does have a heroic side and will not hesitate to fight against the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
troops even to the risk of his own life. Sergeant Cornelius Chesterfield is by contrast a devoted and obedient career soldier, always determined that he and Blutch should be in the thick of the action. He is proud of his scars and dreams of military glory. Though strong and brave to the point of recklessness, he is clumsy and narrow-minded, unable to clearly perceive the madness of the war around him. Though their relationship is often antagonistic, they are comrades for life and have saved each other's lives many times in spite of repeated threats made by both of doing the other in.
Other recurring characters include the somewhat insane, charge-obsessed Captain Stark and the bumbling general staff, headed by the anger-prone General Alexander. Historic figures are also occasionally present in the narrative: alongside General Grant, they include President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, Confederate commander
Robert E. Lee, and war photographer
Mathew Brady
Mathew B. Brady ( – January 15, 1896) was one of the earliest photographers in American history. Best known for his scenes of the American Civil War, Civil War, he studied under inventor Samuel Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique ...
. As happens in fiction, especially in ''bandes dessinées'', Blutch and Chesterfield often get sent on special missions which take them all over the map, from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to Canada, and mix them up in projects from railroad construction to spying on the Confederacy's secret
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
project (based on the actual
CSS ''David''). Many albums are built around historical events or characters such as
Chinese immigrant labor, the treatment of African American soldiers, Charleston's submarines, and General Lee's horse
Traveller. Chesterfield even goes undercover to confront
guerrilla leader
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War.
Having endured a tempestuous childhood before later becoming a schoolteacher, Quantrill joined a group of bandits who ...
and his henchmen
Jesse
Jesse may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible.
* Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Jesse (surname), a list of people
Music
* ''Jesse'' ( ...
and
Frank James
Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843 – February 18, 1915) was a Confederate soldier and guerrilla; in the post-Civil War period, he was an outlaw. The older brother of outlaw Jesse James, Frank was also part of the James–Younger ...
. On another occasion they had to contend with a racist officer, Captain Nepel, based on the French politician
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015.
Le Pen graduated fro ...
.
Historical details are generally quite exact, and accuracy has steadily improved over the years. Yet the series is first and foremost entertainment and historic details are altered to suit the story. The serious drama of the plots is balanced by frequent humorous incidents and Blutch's constant sarcastic wisecracks. Although this is not strictly speaking an adult-oriented ''bande dessinée'', the authors are not afraid of showing the reality of war in a harsh, but tactful manner, such as dead bodies in the aftermath of a battle. Military authority, especially the uncaring and/or incompetent leader is often the subject of parody and derision.
Albums
# ''
Un chariot dans l'Ouest''
# ''Du Nord au Sud''
# ''Et pour 1500 dollars en plus''
# ''Outlaw''
# ''Les déserteurs''
# ''La prison de Robertsonville''
# ''Les Bleus de la marine''
# ''Les cavaliers du ciel''
# ''La grande patrouille''
# ''Des Bleus et des tuniques''
# ''Des Bleus en Noir et Blanc''
# ''Les Bleus tournent cosaques''
# ''Les Bleus dans la gadoue''
# ''Le blanc-bec''
# ''Rumberley''
# ''Bronco Benny''
# ''El Padre''
# ''Blue rétro''
# ''Le David''
# ''Black Face''
# ''Les cinq salopards''
# ''Des Bleus et des dentelles''
# ''Les cousins d'en face''
# ''Baby blue''
# ''Des Bleus et des bosses''
# ''L'or du Quebec''
# ''Bull Run''
# ''Les Bleus de la balle''
# ''En avant l'amnésique!''
# ''La Rose de Bantry''
# ''Drummer boy''
# ''Les Bleus en folie''
# ''Grumbler et fils''
# ''Vertes années''
# ''Captain Nepel''
# ''Quantrill''
# ''Duel dans la manche''
# ''Les planqués''
# ''Puppet Blues''
# ''Les hommes de paille''
# ''Les Bleus en cavale''
# ''Qui veut la peau du Général?''
# ''Des Bleus et du Blues''
# ''L'oreille de Lincoln''
# ''Emeutes à New York''
# ''Requiem pour un Bleu''
# ''Les nancy hart''
# ''Arabesque''
# ''Marriage à fort Bow''
# ''La traque''
# ''Stark sous toutes les coutures''
# ''Des bleus dans le brouillard''
# ''Sang bleu chez les Bleus''
# ''Miss Walker''
# ''Indien, mon frère''
# ''Dent pour dent''
# ''Colorado Story''
# ''Les bleues se mettes au vert''
# ''Les quatre évangélistes''
# ''Carte blanche pour un Bleu''
# ''L'étrange soldat Franklin''
# ''Sallie''
# ''La bataille du Cratère''
# ''Où est Arabesque ?''
# ''L'envoyé spécial''
# ''Irish Melody''
Historical correlations
Several albums highlight historical facts of the American Civil War, other adventures are set in a place or anonymous battle. Some accounts tell of an encounter with a Native American tribe without any relation to the American Civil War. However, the chronology of the albums does not follow that of the war, but several albums are in flashback, tracing the past of the two protagonists, possibly narrated by one of them (''Bull Run'') or another character (''Vertes Années'').
English translations
Cinebook Ltd
Cinebook Ltd is a British publishing company that publishes comic albums and graphic novels. It describes itself as "the 9th art publisher," the 9th art being comics in continental Europe, especially France, Belgium and Italy.
They typically tr ...
has started publishing English translations from 2008, as "The Bluecoats". Fifteen books have been published to date.
#''Robertsonville Prison'' (French #6), 2008,
#''The Navy Blues'' (French #7), 2009,
#''The Skyriders'' (French #8), 2010,
#''The Greenhorn'' (French #14), 2011,
#''Rumberley'' (French #15), 2012,
#''Bronco Benny'' (French #16), 2013,
#''The Blues in the Mud'' (French #13), 2014,
#''Auld Lang Blue'' (French #18), 2015,
#''El Padre'' (French #17), 2016,
#''The Blues in Black and White'' (French #11), 2017,
#''Cossack Circus'' (French #12), 2018,
#''The David'' (French #19), 2019,
#''Something Borrowed, Something Blue''
#''The Dirty Five'' ISBN 978-1800440043
#''Bull Run'' ISBN 978-1800440616
Video games
''Les Tuniques Bleues'' was made into a video game named ''
North & South'' in 1989 by
Infogrames
Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Bec ...
. In 2012, this game was adapted by
Anuman Interactive
Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activision ...
as a multiplayer game.
In popular culture
Les Tuniques Bleues are among the many Belgian comics characters to jokingly have a Brussels street named after them. The Rue des Comédiens/ Komediantenstraat has a
commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
with the name ''Rue des Tuniques Bleues/ Blauwbloezenstraat'' placed under the actual street sign.
References
External links
Les Tuniques BleuesEnglish publisher of The Bluecoats – Cinebook LtdOfficial Dupuis site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuniques Bleues, Les
Bandes dessinées
Belgian comic strips
Belgian comics characters
Comics characters introduced in 1968
1968 comics debuts
Dupuis titles
Fictional soldiers
Fictional American people
Comic strip duos
Comics set during the American Civil War
Military comics
Works set in the 1860s
Comics set in the 19th century
Comics adapted into video games
Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant