{"id":33346,"date":"2025-07-16T16:40:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33346"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:40:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:40:18","slug":"rails-on-the-prairie-lucky-luke-adventure-vol-32-the-bluefeet-are-coming-lucky-luke-adventure-vol-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/07\/16\/rails-on-the-prairie-lucky-luke-adventure-vol-32-the-bluefeet-are-coming-lucky-luke-adventure-vol-43\/","title":{"rendered":"Rails on the Prairie – Lucky Luke Adventure vol. 32 & The Bluefeet are Coming! – Lucky Luke Adventure vol. 43"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nLucky Luke volume 25: Rails on the Prairie<\/strong>
\nBy Morris<\/strong> & Goscinny<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin <\/strong>(Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-84918-104-4 (Album PB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Lucky Luke volume 43 – The Bluefeet are Coming!<\/strong>
\nBy Morris<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-84918-173-0 (Album PB\/Digital editions)<\/p>\n

These books include Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today in 2001 we said \u201cadios!\u201d to one of the true masters of our industry and art form. Happily, his legend lives on in the form of his most significant creation.<\/em><\/p>\n

A precocious, westerns-addicted, art-mad kid, well off and educated by Jesuits, Maurice de Bevere was born on December 1st<\/sup> 1923 in Kortrijk, Belgium. A far from illustrious or noteworthy scholar – except in all the ways teachers despise – Maurice later sought artistic expression in his early working life via forays into film animation before settling into his true vocation. While working at the CBA (Compagnie Belge d\u2019Actualiti\u00e9s<\/em>) animation studio, \u201cMorris\u201d met future comics superstars Franquin & Peyo, and worked for weekly magazine Le Moustique<\/em><\/strong> as a caricaturist. Morris quickly became one of la Bande des quatre<\/em> – The Gang of Four – comprising Jij\u00e9, Will and old comrade Franquin: leading proponents of a loose, free-wheeling artistic style known as the \u201cMarcinelle School\u201d which dominated Le journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong> in aesthetic contention with the \u201cLigne Claire\u201d style favoured by Herg\u00e9, EP Jacobs and other artists in Le Journal de Tintin<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 1948, said Gang (all but Will) visited America, befriending many US comics creators and sightseeing. Morris stayed for six years, meeting fellow traveller Ren\u00e9 Goscinny, scoring some work from newly-formed EC sensation Mad<\/strong> and making copious notes and countless sketches of the swiftly vanishing Old West. That research would resonate on every page of his life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Working solo, albeit with occaisonal script assistance from his brother Louis De Bevere until 1955, Morris produced nine albums of affectionate sagebrush parody and comedic cinematic homage before formally uniting with Goscinny, who became the regular wordsmith as Luke attained the dizzying heights of superstardom, commencing with Des rails sur la Prairie<\/em><\/strong> which began in weekly\u00a0 LJd S <\/em><\/strong>on August 25th<\/sup> 1955. The collected album was first released for Christmas in 1957, the ninth in the series, and was follewed by Morris\u2019 final solo tale Alerte aux Pieds Bleus<\/em><\/strong>\/The Bluefeet are Coming!<\/strong> in 1958.<\/p>\n

Lucky Luke Rails on the Prairie<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doughty, rangy, and dashingly dependable Lucky Luke<\/strong> is a likable, imperturbable, implacably even-tempered cowboy do-gooder who can \u201cdraw faster than his own shadow\u201d. He amiably ambles around a mythic, cinematically informed Old West, having light-hearted adventures on his petulant, stingingly sarcastic wonder-horse Jolly Jumper<\/em>. Over nearly nine decades, his exploits in Le Journal de Spirou<\/em><\/strong> (and from 1967, in rival periodical Pilote<\/em><\/strong>) have made the sharp shooter a legend of stories across all media and monument of merchandising.<\/p>\n

His exploits have made him one of the bestselling comic characters in Europe (83 collected albums plus around a dozen spin-offs and specials – totalling over 300 million books in at least 33 languages), with all the spin-off toys, computer games, puzzles, animated cartoons, TV shows and live-action movies that come with that kind of popularity.<\/p>\n

The rapid pace and seeming simplicity of these spoof tales means older stories can generally sit quite comfortably alongside newer material crafted for a more modern readership. Here, material from Le Journal de Spirou<\/em><\/strong> #906-929 – originally spanning 25th<\/sup> August 1955 to 2nd<\/sup> February 1956 – was collected in November 1957 as ninth album Des rails sur la Prairie<\/em><\/strong>: the first epic result of a grand partnership.
\n\"\"
\nAlthough initially uncredited, it was cowritten by Morris and fellow euro-expat\/US tourist Goscinny: auguring an astounding creative partnership to come. Goscinny produced 45 albums with Morris before his death in 1977, from whence Morris continued both singly and with fresh collaborators. Before all that, though, this wild & woolly transitional delight offers a far more boisterous and raw hero than we\u2019re used to, highlighting the sunnier side of a mythic western scenario. Moreover, it ends with the first incidence of Lucky riding into the sunset singing \u201cI\u2019m a poor, lonesome cowboy\u201d…<\/p>\n

When track-laying for the Transcontinental Railroad stalls, outraged train moguls demand action. Dead Ox Gulch, Nebraska becomes a crunch point of construction confrontation. Constant hold-ups are actually caused by a traitor at home back East. Although a board-member in good standing, Black Wilson<\/em> is secretly sabotaging the project to protect his other business: a stage coach company…<\/p>\n

He contracts the nefarious Wilson Boys<\/em> to keep up their bad work, even as a laconic stranger rides into town. Before long, the newcomer is assuredly spearheading the march of progress and civilisation simply by foiling every dirty trick the gang can conceive…<\/p>\n

Once renewed efforts have moved beyond town and onto the prairie and the rails inch ever closer to California, a train carries Lucky, passengers and the navvies further westward, negotiating and stymying hostile natives, greedy townships and the still-active Wilson boys\u2019 shady tactics and stratagems.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Black Wilson takes personal charge and boards a stagecoach westward to destiny. Despite his every trick, though, the showdown between spoiler and visionary is a foregone conclusion…
\n\"\"
\nFast funny, episodic and enthralling, these early exploits are a big old hoot in the tradition of Destry Rides Again<\/strong> or Support Your Local Sheriff<\/strong>, superbly set up and laid out by a master storyteller, and make a wonderful introduction to a unique genre for modern kids who might well have missed the romantic allure of the Wild West that never was.<\/p>\n

The Bluefeet are Coming! Lucky Luke volume 43<\/strong><\/p>\n

Au Continent<\/em>, the populace has a mature relationship with comics, according them academic and scholarly standing as well as nostalgic value and the validation of acceptance as an art form. That even applies to challenging material such as seen in Alerte aux Pieds Bleus:<\/em><\/strong> Morris\u2019s final solo effort until Goscinny passing in 1977. A tribute to all the purest western tropes and leitmotifs, it too offers a rowdier, boldly raw hero in transition, just hitting his stride and strutting his stuff, but also relies heavily on the cliches and narrative shortcuts of that earlier era, particularly in the depiction of other cultures and races appearances and customs for comedic intent. I can only apologise for my ancestors and ask that you read with an open mind: after all, Morris was simply exploiting longstanding filmic and comics influences. If I was really desperate, I might also say that his utilsation of comedy in these stereotypes may have helped challenge the status quo…<\/p>\n

Lucky Luke<\/strong> debuted in autumn 1946: catapulted sans name or title into rolling gag vignettes in the French edition of multinational publication Le Journal de Spirou<\/em><\/strong>, before appearing (with a name) in Christmas Annual L\u2019Almanach Spirou 1947<\/em><\/strong>. Then his comic serial \u2018Arizona 1880\u2019 <\/em>opened in the December 7th<\/sup> 1946 comic; and no one has ever looked back…<\/p>\n

He first appeared in Britain syndicated to weekly comic Film Fun<\/strong> and again in 1967 in Giggle<\/strong> where he was renamed Buck Bingo<\/em>. In all these venues – as well as numerous attempts to follow the English-language successes of Tintin<\/strong> and Asterix<\/strong> albums – Luke hung a trademark cigarette insouciantly from his lip, before in 1983 Morris, no doubt amidst pained howls and muted mutterings of \u201cpolitical correctness gone mad\u201d (oooh! That\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> what \u201cwoke\u201d must mean!!) substituted a strand of straw for the dog-end, which garnered him an official tip of the hat from the World Health Organization…<\/p>\n

Morris died in 2001, having drawn 70 Lucky adventures, plus spin-off tales of Rantanplan <\/em><\/strong>(\u201cdumbest dog in the West\u201d and a charming spoof of cinema canine Rin-Tin-Tin<\/em>), with a posse of talented creators taking over the franchise.<\/p>\n

The most successful attempt to bring Lucky Luke<\/strong> to our shores and shelves comes from Cinebook (who rightly restored the foul weed to his lips on the interior pages if not the covers), but sensibly took their own sweet time bringing the oldest, most potentially controversial tales to market. As serialised in LJdS<\/em><\/strong> #938 – #957, Alerte aux Pieds Bleus<\/em><\/strong> is certainly one of those…
\n\"\"
\nA procession of linked gags sees Morris pile on and kick hard familiar themes and scenarios as the town of Rattlesnake Valley welcomes wanderer Lucky. The lone rider is just in time to save super-superstitious sheriff Jerry Grindstone<\/em> from sneaky gambler and professional cheat Pedro Cucaracha<\/em> whose plans to fleece the old codger result in his painful and shameful eviction from civilisation. Of course, the scoundrel had tried to rob and blow up the bank on his way out…<\/p>\n

Chased into the desert, the scurvy Mexican then gulls the alcoholic Great Chief of the local Bluefeet Indians into laying siege to the town, tempting the old warrior with promises of unlimited booze…<\/p>\n

Old Parched Bear<\/em> is happy to oblige, and soon the town is forming a militia, telegraphing for the cavalry and setting up barricades. As food and water grow scarce profiteering proliferates, with Lucky and Jerry battening down the hatches and bolstering morale for a long and dangerous defence of their lives and loved ones…<\/p>\n

Against that framework of classic movie moments there are rich slapstick pickings as spies, crossdressers, raids & counter-raids and devious secret weapons all build to a bombastic finale, with Pedro and Parched Bear attempting all manner of nefarious invention to get respectively vengeance and more \u201cfirewater\u201d…<\/p>\n

… And then, when it\u2019s almost too late, the Cavalry arrive… just after the deployment of late arriving support from the Greenfeet and Yellowfeet branches of the family of First Nations. It can only end in catastrophe unless Lucky can contrive a solution…
\n\"\"
\nDaft and Spectacular in equal amounts, this is perhaps a tale for older kids who have gained a bit of historical perspective and social understanding, although the action and slapstick situations are no more contentious than any old movie…
\n\u00a9 Dargaud Edituer Paris 1971 by Morris. \u00a9 Lucky Comics. English translations \u00a9 2011, 2013 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lucky Luke volume 25: Rails on the Prairie By Morris & Goscinny, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-84918-104-4 (Album PB\/Digital edition) Lucky Luke volume 43 – The Bluefeet are Coming! By Morris, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-84918-173-0 (Album PB\/Digital editions) These books include Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Today in … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Rails on the Prairie – Lucky Luke Adventure vol. 32 & The Bluefeet are Coming! – Lucky Luke Adventure vol. 43”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,280,113,63,122,125,192,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-animal-antics","category-comedy","category-european-classics","category-historical","category-humour","category-lucky-luke","category-satirepolitics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8FQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33346"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33353,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33346\/revisions\/33353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}