''Lucky Luke'' is a Western '' bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René 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 artist Achdé has drawn the series, scripted by several successive writers. The series takes place in the

American 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 ...

of the United States. It stars the titular Lucky Luke, a street-smart gunslinger known as the "man who shoots faster than his shadow", and his intelligent horse

Jolly Jumper Jolly Jumper is a horse character in the Franco-Belgian comics series ''Lucky Luke'', created by Belgian artist Morris. Described as "the smartest horse in the west" and able to perform tasks such as chess-playing and tightrope walking, Jolly ...

. Lucky Luke is pitted against various villains, either fictional or inspired by American history or folklore. The most famous of these are the Dalton Brothers, loosely based on the Dalton Gang of the early 1890s and claimed to be their cousins. The stories are filled with humorous elements parodying the Western genre. ''Lucky Luke'' is 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 by Dupuis. From 1968 to 1998 they were published by Dargaud and then by Lucky Productions. Since 2000 they have been published by Lucky Comics. Each story was first serialized in a magazine: in '' Spirou'' from 1946 to 1967, in '' Pilote'' from 1968 to 1973, in ''Lucky Luke'' in 1974–75, in the French edition of ''

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

'' in 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 will be available in English translation.

Publication history

Simultaneously a tribute to the mythic Old West and an affectionate

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

, the comics were created by Belgian artist Morris, who drew ''Lucky Luke'' from 1946 until his death in 2001. The first ''Lucky Luke'' adventure, ''Arizona 1880'', appeared in the French version of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou'' in December 1946. It later appeared in the ''Almanach'' issue of ''Spirou'' on 7 December 1946. After several years of writing the strip himself, Morris began a collaboration with René Goscinny. He was the series writer during what is considered its golden age, starting with the story , published on 25 August 1955 in ''Spirou'', until his death in 1977 (with the exception of ). Ending a long run of serial publications in ''Spirou'', the series was shifted to Goscinny's '' Pilote'' magazine in 1967 with the story . Later it was taken to Dargaud publisher. After the death of Goscinny in 1977, several writers succeeded him: including Raymond "Vicq" Antoine,

Bob de Groot Bob de Groot is a Belgian comics artist and writer, born on 26 October 1941 in Brussels, to Dutch and French parents. Career While still a young art student de Groot got his first comics experience as an assistant to Maurice Tillieux on ''Fél ...

, Jean Léturgie and

Lo Hartog van Banda Lodewijk Hartog van Banda (4 November 1916, in The Hague – 2 February 2006, in The Hague) was a Dutch comics writer.Angoulême International Comics Festival, ''Lucky Luke'' was given an honorary exhibition. After Morris' death in 2001, French artist Achdé continued drawing new ''Lucky Luke'' stories 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 Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

, Finnish,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Greek,

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese,

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

, Turkish, Vietnamese and

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

The stories

Overview

Although always described as a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

, 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 the Dalton brothers, Joe, William, Jack and Averell. He rides

, "the smartest horse in the world" and is often accompanied by prison guard dog

Rantanplan Rantanplan (; alternatively spelled Ran-Tan-Plan and Ran Tan Plan) is a fictional hound dog created by a Belgian cartoonist Morris and French writer René Goscinny. Originally a supporting character in the ''Lucky Luke'' series, Rantanplan la ...

, "the stupidest dog in the universe", a spoof of Rin Tin Tin. Luke meets many historical Western figures such as Calamity Jane, Billy the Kid, Judge Roy Bean and Jesse James's gang, and takes part in events such as the guarding of Wells Fargo

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

es, the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pike ...

, the building of the First Transcontinental Telegraph, the Rush into the Unassigned Lands of Oklahoma, and a tour by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

actress Sarah 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 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 album ''Daily Star'', Lucky Luke meets a young

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and editor of the '' New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressman from New York ...

, prior to his moving to New York in 1831. Judge Roy Bean, who was appointed judge in 1882, appears in another album, and in another album yet, Lucky Luke takes part in the 1892

Coffeyville Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most popul ...

shootout against the Dalton 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 in ''Le 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 (in

) "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home...".

Historical figures who have appeared in ''Lucky Luke''

Smoking controversy

Morris, who had been criticized over Lucky Luke's

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

for a long time, answered his critics: "the cigarette is part of the character's profile, just like the pipe of Popeye or Maigret". 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". Morris received an award from the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

in 1988 for replacing Luke's omnipresent cigarette with a wisp of straw in the story ''Fingers'' (1983). In the 2007 animated film ''Tous à l'Ouest: Une aventure de Lucky Luke'', Lucky Luke is seen using what appears to be a

nicotine patch A nicotine patch is a transdermal patch that releases nicotine into the body through the skin. It is used in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), a process for smoking cessation. Endorsed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FD ...

and mentions that before that he had to "chew on a piece of straw for a while" right after he quit smoking. In the 1994 story ''Le 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 in ''Sarah 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

A spin-off series called ''

'' 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 called ''Kid Lucky'' was designed in 1995, aimed at attracting a younger readership. This starred Luke as a little boy, a format that had been very popular with Spirou. Two albums starring this version of the character were released as part of the main series: ''Kid Lucky'' and ''Oklahoma 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 and

Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He deve ...

. 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 as ''Les 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 Squaw'' and ''Suivez la flèche'', released in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, respectively. In June 2020, It was announced ''Kid Lucky'' will be adapted into an animated series.

Collected editions

By Morris (1949–1958)

Dupuis Publishing

By Morris & Goscinny (1955–1977)

Dupuis Publishing

Dargaud Publishing

Between ''Le Fil qui chante'' and ''La Corde du pendu'' is ''

La Ballade des Dalton ''La Ballade des Dalton'' (aka ''The Ballad of the Daltons'' in English) is a 1978 French animated film written and directed by René Goscinny, Morris, Henri Gruel and Pierre Watrin starring the comic book character Lucky Luke. Two different ...

'', 1978 (''The Daltons' Ballad or The Ballad of the Daltons''), an adaptation from the animated film.

By Morris and various writers (1980–2002)

Dargaud Publishing

Lucky Productions

Lucky Comics

By Achdé and various writers (since 2004)

Lucky Comics

''Kid Lucky'' spin-off

# , 2011 (''Cowboy in Training'') # , 2013 (''The Dangerous Lasso'') # ''Statue Squaw'', 2015 # , 2017 (''Follow the Arrow'') # , 2019 (''Kid or Double'')

Special editions and homages

*, 2016, by Matthieu Bonhomme (''The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke'') * , 2017, by Guillaume Bouzard (''Jolly Jumper Stops Responding'') * , 2019, by Mawil (''Lucky Luke Saddles Up'') *''Lucky Luke: Wanted'', 2021, by Matthieu Bonhomme (''Wanted Lucky Luke'') *, 2021, by Ralf König (''Swiss Bliss'').

English translations

Apart from the collections mentioned below, Lucky Luke comics were published in British comic book magazines such as ''Film Fun Comic'' or '' Giggle'' (in 1967). The '' Giggle'' version had Luke's name changed to "Buck Bingo". 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 Ltd have been publishing English language translations of Lucky Luke in

softcover A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

album 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 of ''Lucky Luke'', published in chronological order featuring three to four original albums per volume together with a vast amount of extras included, titled ''Lucky Luke – The Complete Collection.'' Cinebook also published translations of the two Matthieu Bonhomme homages: ''Wanted Lucky Luke'' (2016) and ''The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke'' (2021). List of single albums in English

Brockhampton Press Brockhampton Press was a British publishing company, based in Leicester. Children's books Originally specialising in children's books, from about 1940, Brockhampton Press published the Asterix comic book series, many of Enid Blyton's story collec ...

(UK) *'' Jesse James'', 1972 *''The Stagecoach'', 1972 *'' Dalton City'', 1973 *'' The Tenderfoot'', 1974 *'' Western Circus'', 1974 *'' Apache Canyon'', 1974 Knight Books (UK) *''The Stagecoach'', 1976 *'' Dalton City'', 1976 *'' Jesse James'', 1976 *'' The Tenderfoot'', 1976 *'' Apache Canyon'', 1977 *'' Western Circus'', 1977 Hodder Dargaud (UK) *'' Ma Dalton'', 1980 *''Curing the Daltons'', 1982 *'' The Dashing White Cowboy'', 1982 Dargaud USA and Canada *''The Stage Coach'', US, 1980s *''The Greenhorn'', US, 1980s *'' Dalton City'', US, 1980s *'' Jesse James'', US, 1980s *'' Western Circus'', US, 1980s *'' Ma Dalton, US, 1980s *''The Dalton Brothers' Analyst'', Canada, 1982 *''Curing the Daltons'', Canada, 1982 Fantasy Flight (US) *''The Stage Coach'', 1990s *'' Jesse James'', 1990s Ravette Books (UK) *''The Dalton Brothers Memory Game'', 1991 Glo'worm (UK) *'' Calamity Jane'', 1998 *'' Dalton City'', 1998 *'' Ma Dalton'', 1999 *'' Jesse James'', 1998 *'' The Tenderfoot'', 1999 *'' Western Circus'', 2000 *'' The Dashing White Cowboy'', 2000 Cinebook Ltd # '' Billy The Kid'', 2006, # ''

Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

'', 2006, # '' Dalton City'', 2006, # '' Jesse James'', 2006, # '' In the Shadow of the Derricks'', 2007, # '' Ma Dalton'', 2007, # '' Barbed Wire on the Prairie'', 2007, # '' Calamity Jane'', 2007, # '' The Wagon Train'', 2008, # '' Tortillas for the Daltons'', 2008, # '' Western Circus'', 2008, # '' The Rivals of Painful Gulch'', 2008, # '' The Tenderfoot'', 2008, # '' The Dashing White Cowboy'', 2008, # '' The Daltons in the Blizzard'', 2009, # '' The Black Hills'', 2009, # '' Apache Canyon'', 2009, # '' The Escort'', 2009, # '' On the Daltons' Trail'', 2009, # '' The Oklahoma Land Rush'', 2009, # '' The 20th Cavalry'', 2010, # '' Emperor Smith'', 2010, # '' A Cure for the Daltons'', 2010, # '' The Judge'', 2010, # '' The Stagecoach'', 2010, # '' The Bounty Hunter'', 2010, # '' Lucky Luke versus Joss Jamon'', 2011, # '' The Dalton Cousins'', 2011, # ''

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for ...

'', 2011, # '' The Daltons' Escape'', 2011, # ''Lucky Luke versus the Pinkertons'', 2011, # '' Rails on the Prairie'', 2011, # ''The One-Armed Bandit'', 2012, # '' The Daltons Always On The Run'', 2012, # '' The Singing Wire'', 2012, # '' The Daltons Redeem Themselves'', 2012, # ''Fingers'', 2012, # '' Doc Doxey's Elixir'', 2012, # ''The Man from Washington'', 2013, # '' Phil Wire'', 2013, # ''The Daily Star'', 2013, # ''Lone Riders'', 2013, # '' The Bluefeet are coming!'', 2013, # '' Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker'', 2013, # ''Tying the Knot'', 2014, # ''The Pony Express'', 2014, # ''

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

'', 2014, # '' Dick Digger's Gold Mine'', 2014, # ''The Daltons' Amnesia'', 2014, # ''Seven Stories'', 2014, # ''The Painter'', 2015, # ''The Beautiful Province'', 2015, # ''Nitroglycerin'', 2015, # '' Rodeo'', 2015, # ''

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

'', 2015, # '' Under a Western Sky'', 2015, # ''Legends of the West'', 2016, # ''The Daltons' Stash'', 2016, # ''Bride of Lucky Luke'', 2016, # '' The Ballad of the Daltons and other stories'', 2016, # '' Daisy Town'', 2016, # ''The Cursed Ranch'', 2016, # '' Sarah Bernhardt'', 2017, # ''The Wedding Crashers'', 2017, # ''Ghost Hunt'', 2017, # ''The Promised Land'', 2017, # ''Belle Starr'', 2018, # ''Bridge Over the Mississippi'', 2018, # ''Kid Lucky'', 2018, # ''The O.K. Corral'', 2018, # ''A Cowboy in Paris'', 2018, # ''Marcel Dalton'', 2019, # ''The Prophet'', 2019, # ''The Klondike'', 2020, # '' Rin Tin Can's Inheritance'', 2020, # ''Oklahoma Jim'', 2020, # ''A Cowboy in High Cotton'', 2020, # ''The Dalton Uncles'', 2021, # ''Steaming up the Mississippi'', 2021, # ''The Alibi'', 2021, # ''The Hanged Man's Rope and Other Stories'', 2022, # ''Rin Tin Can's Ark'', 2022, Eurokids (India) # ''The Alibi'', 2009, # ''Ghost Hunt'', 2009, # ''Kid Lucky'', 2009, # ''Oklahoma Jim'', 2009, # ''The Prophet'', 2009, # ''Belle Star'', 2009, # ''The Klondike'', 2009, # ''The Pony Express'', 2009, # ''Sarah Bernardt'', 2009, # ''The bridge on the Mississippi'', 2009, # ''The Hanged Man’s Rope and other stories'', 2009, # '' The Ballad of the Daltons and other stories'', 2009, # '' Daisy Town'', 2009, # ''Fingers'', 2009, # ''Marcel Dalton'', 2009, # ''The Artist'', 2009, # ''The legend of the west'', 2009, # ''The Daily Star'', 2009, # ''Lucky Luke's fiancé'', 2009, # ''Nitroglycerine'', 2009, # ''The Cursed Ranch'', 2009, # ''The Beautiful Province'', 2009, # ''From the Gallows to the Altar'', 2009, # ''The Dalton’s Loot'', 2009, Europe Comics # ''The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke'', 2016 # ''Cowboy in Training'', 2017 # ''Dangerous Lasso'', 2017 # ''Statue Squaw'', 2017 # ''Follow the Arrow'', 2019

Lucky Luke in other media

Films

Animation

*Goscinny directed and co-produced two animated Lucky Luke films: **'' Daisy Town'' (1971) ** (1978) *The French company Xilam produced a theatrical animated film: ''

Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure ''Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure'' (french: Tous à l'Ouest: Une Aventure de Lucky Luke) is a 2007 French animated western comedy film directed by Olivier Jean-Marie from a screenplay penned by Jean-Marie and Jean-François Henry with the kind ...

'' (5 December 2007)

Live-action

There are a number of feature adaptations from various countries, including: *Turkish films: ** (1970), starring Izzet Günay ** (1975), starring Sadri Alışık *Italian films, both starring Terence Hill: **'' Lucky Luke'' (1991) **''Lucky Luke 2'' (1991) *French films, both produced by Saïd Ben Saïd and Yves Marmion: ** (2004), featuring

Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin. Early life Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...

as Lucky Luke (one of the most expensive European films ever made) **'' Lucky Luke ''(2009), starring French actor

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

as Lucky Luke *Iranian films: **''The Return of Lucky Luke'' (2015), featuring Siavash Kheirabi as Lucky Luke

Television

In 1983,

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

Productions, France 3, Gaumont Film Company, Extrafilm Berlin and Morris collaborated to release the animated TV series '' Lucky Luke'' which ran for 26 episodes, based on original album stories. The series' main voice actors were William Callaway as Lucky Luke,

Robert Ridgely Robert Ridgely (December 24, 1931 – February 8, 1997) was an American actor, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work. Biography Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Ridgely worked as a cabaret entertainer.Staff"Robert Ridgely, 6 ...

as Jolly Jumper, Paul Reubens as Bushwack,

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as Joe Dalton, Rick Dees as Jack Dalton, Fred Travalena as William Dalton, Bob Holt as Averell Dalton, and

Mitzi McCall Mitzi McCall is an American comedian and actress. Life and career Television In the early 1950s, then known as Mitzi Steiner, McCall had the ''Kiddie Castle'' program on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received national attention in 1 ...

as Ma Dalton. Additional voices were provided by Peter Cullen, Pat Fraley, Barbara Goodson, and Mona Marshall. Notably, an episode of H-B's '' The Huckleberry Hound Show'' featured Huck as an Old West Sheriff attempting to capture a separate Dalton family (named Dirty, Dangerous, Detestable, Desperate, Despicable, Dastardly and Dinky) 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 as ''The Adventures of Lucky Luke'', was based on the films of the previous year, and again starred Terence Hill. In 2001, Xilam produced the 52-episode animated series ('' 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 Colonel Custer who in this incarnation is an Indian-hater and a dwarf. Unlike the two earlier animated series, this series featured original stories. Xilam produced two further animated series involving Lucky Luke: ''Rintindumb'' (2006) and (2010). Mediatoon Distribution produced ''Kid Lucky'' (2020).

Video games

Over the years, several ''Lucky Luke'' video games have been released for many platforms, most of them by Infogrames, and only released in Europe (the only ones released for the North American market were the Game Boy Color and PlayStation versions). A Lucky Luke game was also developed for mobile phones by The Mighty Troglodytes. ''Lucky Luke: Go West'' was released in Europe for the PC, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS in the end of 2007. In 2013, French publishers Dupuis and

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 ...

announced the development of a new Time Management game: ''Lucky Luke: Transcontinental Railroad'' (set in the 1860s) on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. * ''Lucky Luke'' – Tiger Handheld – 1984 * ''Lucky Luke: Nitroglycerine'' – Coktel Vision, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Thomson TO – 1987 * ''Lucky Luke: The Video Game'' – Philips Interactive, Philips CD-i – 1996 * ''Lucky Luke'' – Infogrames, Game Boy (Europe only) – 1996 and Game Boy Color - May 1999 * ''Lucky Luke'' – SNES and PC (Europe Only) – October 1997 * ''Lucky Luke'' – Infogrames, PlayStation – 1998 and Windows (Europe only) – 2000 as ''Lucky Luke: On the Dalton's Trail'' * ''Lucky Luke: Desperado Train'' – Game Boy Color (Europe Only) – 2000 ( Infogrames) * ''Lucky Luke: Western Fever'' – PC and PlayStation (Europe only) – 2001 * ''Lucky Luke: Wanted!'' – Game Boy Advance (Europe only) – 11 February 2001 (Infogrames) * ''Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure'' – DS, PC, Wii – 2007

Tributes to Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke statue in parc Reine Astrid, Charleroi (DSCF7707)

In the

Belgian Comic Strip Center The Belgian Comic Strip Center (french: Centre belge de la Bande dessinée; nl, Belgisch Stripcentrum) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to Belgian comics. It is located at 20, /, in an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta, ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

the permanent exhibition brings homage to the pioneers of Belgian comics, among them Morris. In the room dedicated to his work the entry has saloon doors and Luke's shadow can be seen on the floor and on the wall. In 1992, as part of

Brussels' Comic Book Route Brussels' Comic Book Route (or ''The comic strip route in Brussels'') is a path composed by several comic strip murals, which cover the walls of several buildings throughout the inner City of Brussels, as well as the neighborhoods of Laeken and Au ...

, a wall in the Rue de la Buandrie/ Washuisstraat in Brussels was dedicated to Lucky Luke. It was designed by D. Vandegeerde and G. Oreopoulos. Since 2007 the Rue des Pierres/ Steenstraat in Brussels has a commemorative plaque with the name / placed under the actual street sign. In

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

, Belgium, a statue of Lucky Luke can be seen in Astrid Park. The nearby Charleroi Metro station Parc is also decorated with scenes of Lucky Luke. In 2000, statues of Lucky Luke, Ratanplan and Joe Dalton were erected in the , Middelkerke, Belgium. They were designed by Luc Madou. In 1993, French rapper MC Solaar released his song with references to Lucky Luke and the Daltons. In the 2010 Obsidian Entertainment developed and Bethesda Softworks published '' Fallout: 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-era sheriff doing a

finger gun The finger gun is a hand gesture in which a person uses their hand to mimic a handgun, raising their thumb above their fist to act as a hammer, and one or two fingers extended perpendicular to it acting as a barrel. The middle finger can als ...

motion 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, Danish reggaeton band Camilo & Grande released a single titled "Lucky Luke", in which they liken their lives to that of Lucky Luke. In 2022, the Belgian government included a tribute to Lucky Luke in the visa pages of its newly redesigned

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

. It features a blank silhouette of Luke and Jolly Jumper in Monument Valley, with the full detail of the characters being revealed under UV light.

Notes

References

''Lucky Luke'' publications in ''Spirou''
an

BDoubliées

External links

''Lucky Luke'' official site

English publisher of ''Lucky Luke'' - Cinebook Ltd

* * In Brussels,

is dedicated to ''Lucky Luke''.

Goscinny website on ''Lucky Luke''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucky Luke 1946 comics debuts 1946 establishments in Belgium American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series Belgian comics adapted into films Belgian comics characters Belgian comic strips Belgian comics titles Comics adapted into animated films Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into television series Comics adapted into video games Comics by Morris (cartoonist) Comics characters introduced in 1946 Comics set in the 19th century Fictional gunfighters Fictional orphans French children's animated action television series French children's animated adventure television series Humor comics Male characters in comics Western (genre) comics Parody comics Children's comics

Publication history

The stories

Overview

Historical figures who have appeared in ''Lucky Luke''

Smoking controversy

Spin-off series

Collected editions

By Morris (1949–1958)

Dupuis Publishing

By Morris & Goscinny (1955–1977)

Dupuis Publishing

Dargaud Publishing

By Morris and various writers (1980–2002)

Dargaud Publishing

Lucky Productions

Lucky Comics

By Achdé and various writers (since 2004)

Lucky Comics

''Kid Lucky'' spin-off

Special editions and homages

English translations

Lucky Luke in other media

Films

Animation

Live-action

Television

Video games

Tributes to Lucky Luke

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links