Les Tuniques Bleues



Les Tuniques Bleues (The Bluecoats, 1968-) is a Belgian French-language comic set during the American Civil War. It follows the adventures of two soldiers, the brave but dim-witted Sergeant Cornelius Chesterfield, and his sidekick, the cowardly but clever Corporal Blutch. Unlike Sgt. Chesterfield, Blutch is not particularly keen on the war, and is mainly interested in getting through it alive. This results in no end of bickering between the two, and Chesterfield often dragging Blutch to battle at gunpoint.

The strips have begun to be translated into English; one collection came out under the title of The Blue Tunics, but after the publisher folded, Cinebook continued with the title The Bluecoats.

The comic contains examples of:

 * The Alcatraz: Robertsonville Prison.
 * American Civil War: The setting for most of the pair's adventures.
 * Armchair Military: General Alexander, and especially General Stilman, who never leaves his armchair. On one occasion, he suggested waiting after the battle to pay the troops, expecting to save money due to high losses.
 * Though this is subverted in one story where Blutch and Chesterfield join a circus (long story) and end up performing in front of the Union army, Stilman of all people recognizes Blutch's horse and fires a gun wildly yelling CHAAAAAARGE!!!!, causing the disguise to fall apart when the horse collapses and plays dead.
 * Annoying Laugh: Blutch
 * Artistic License Military: Characters are often shown saluting or presenting arms in the French manner, which is not authentic for American soldiers.
 * Bad Habits: In El Padre, Chesterfield dresses up as a Catholic monk while stranded South of the Border. He and Blutch find themselves conducting a mass even though neither has ever set foot in a Catholic church and has any idea how to proceed; fortunately for them, the parishioners take it in stride.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Blood Knight : Captain Stark.
 * Canada, Eh?: In L'Or du Québec, the pair are sent to retrieve a stash of gold willed by a French Canadian prospector to the Confederate government.
 * Comic Book Time: 50+ albums and counting set in the 4-year period of the Civil War.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Many characters can act like this from time to time, but Blutch his a master ofit.
 * Dirty Coward: Blutch, sort of. He trained his horse to fall down as though fatally hit by a bullet whenever she hears CHAAAAAARGE!, Captain Stark's Catch Phrase. However, he is regularly seen performing acts of great bravery, and for all his talk of deserting, he hasn't yet made a serious attempt at fleeing (though this might have to do with Chesterfield always being in hot pursuit).
 * So he's more of a Lovable Coward, then?
 * He did at least once, by staging a fake wedding with one of the camp nurses.
 * Dressing As the Enemy: Blutch and Chesterfield dress as Confederate soldiers in Le David.
 * Easy Amnesia: Faked by Blutch in an attempt to be discharged.
 * Fate Worse Than Death: being assigned in captain Stark's company is often considered as such.
 * In one story, Blutch and Chesterfield are touring the prisons trying to recruit prisoners. One is about to be hanged when Chesterfield gives his speech. The guy then tells the hangmen to get on with it. Turns out he'd deserted from Stark's company.
 * Flanderization: Captain Stark's determinator attitude increased to ludicrous levels with the ongoing series; he started as a ruthless soldier to some sort of "war autist", whose language skills are limited to CHAAAAARGE! and who sleeps on the back on his horse between two battles. Granted that he has been shot to near-death so many times he might be brain damaged by now.
 * Confirmed in a recent album, in which it's revealed that he took a shrapnel in the head in a Confederate ambush.
 * Friendly Enemy: In Rumberley, Stark and a Confederate cavalry officer take advantage of a lull in the fighting to have a drink and share war stories.
 * Grey and Grey Morality: Neither side is shown as having the moral upper hand.
 * Don't you mean Blue And Gray Morality?
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Chesterfield and Blutch are inseparable, for all their quarreling.
 * Historical Domain Character: President Lincoln, General Lee and other historical figures have cameos.
 * Hunter Trapper: Blutch and Chesterfield use one as a guide into the Canadian forest. In a subversion of the trope, that particular hunter trapper is totally clueless about survival in the wild, and makes mistake upon mistake.
 * Last-Name Basis: this being the Army, characters are adressed by their family name when the military grades are not used. The exception being Blutch whose name is just... Blutch.
 * The Mole: A woman is sent to infiltrate Union forces in Les Bleus dans la gadoue, and the title character of Drummer Boy is a Confederate informant. In Le David, Chesterfield and Blutch take on cover identities as disabled Confederate soldiers to gather intelligence on a submarine the CSA navy has built.
 * Only Sane Man: Corporal Blutch.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni
 * South of the Border: El Padre takes place in Mexico.
 * Those Two Guys: Blutch and Chesterfield in their occasional cameos in other Dupuis works (such as Lucky Luke).
 * Truth in Television: A great deal of the background detail is authentic, and the events in the strip often follow real Civil War events, with the addition of Sgt. Chesterfield and Cpl. Blutch.
 * War Is Hell: It isn't dwelt on as much as it would be in some other works, but wounded and dead men are shown as a matter of course.
 * We Have Reserves: Stark is cynically profligate with his men's lives. As a result, his favorite tactic (in fact his only one) is to charge straight into enemy lines.
 * What Did I Do Last Night?: Chesterfield and Blutch signed up for military service during a night of excessive drinking. The next morning, Blutch made the first of his many attempts at desertion, while Chesterfield took it in stride.
 * Whole-Episode Flashback: Blue Retro introduces Chesterfield and Blutch before they knew each other, and reveals how they joined the army.
 * Wild West: The series started out as a Western, before Blutch and Chesterfield got transferred back to the main theater of the war, and returns there every so often.