Lucky Luke: Difference between revisions

A Franco-Belgian School [[The Western|Western]] comic, it was created in 1946 by graphic artist Morris, who at first did both art and writing. It began as a semi-serious comic with a rugged cowboy hero, lots of gunplay and occasional almost-onscreen deaths. Then, from 1955 to 1977, the writing was taken over by ''[[Asterix]]'' creator [[Rene Goscinny]] and the comic turned into an unabashed [[Affectionate Parody]] of the whole western genre. Around the same time, the authors dropped all pretense of portraying the protagonist as a realistic cowboy and turned him into a [[The Drifter|Drifter]]/[[The Gunslinger|Gunslinger]] type whose fame and skill often made him the US Government's last resort when it came to particularly tricky situations (much to his annoyance).

 

[[No Export for You|English translations were fairly rare and obscure]], but thankfully British-based publishing firm [[Cinebook]] has to date published 31 of Morris & Goscinny's works, with many more translations on the way.

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* [[The Ace]]: Lucky Luke is good at what he does. Very much so. A lot of the later Goscinny/Morris albums (especially those following the Daltons), tend to focus more on the villains trying to top Lucky Luke than Luke himself saving the day. Many of the movies also do this.

* [[Adventure Towns]]

* [[All Psychology Is Freudian]]: In one album, Luke comes across an alienist arrived from Austria to study the psychology of Western outlaws. His methods parody those of the Freudian school, even though Freud's own pioneering work is still some years in the future.

* [[Boring Invincible Hero]]: This is very much how Luke evolved in the series... An example of [[Tropes Are Not Bad]]: Morris and [[Rene Goscinny]] used this to their advantages, by making the villains (especially the Dalton Cousins) the driving force of many stories. The fun is not watching how Luke will win, but how the villains will lose (and, in the Dalton's case, how will Averell and Joe's interaction doom Joe's plans).

* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: Lampshaded.

'''Luke:''' Yes, at the end of every episode. }}

* [[Bounty Hunter]]: the book ''[[wikipedia:Chasseur de primes|The Bounty Hunter]]'' (in French ''Chasseur de primes'') is a hilarious parody of the trope. Following a short introductional treaty on the general status of bounty hunters in the [[The Western|Old West]], we get introduced to the titular character, Elliot Belt, a notorious and unscrupulous representative of his trade. His appearance is an obvious nod on Western actor [[Lee Van Cleef]], particularly his acting roles as merciless bounty hunter.

* [[Card Sharp]]: There seems to be one in every town.

* [[Catch Phrase]]:

'''Joe:''' I hate Lucky Luke! }}

* [[The Cavalry]]: Acts as [[Only the Author Can Save Them Now]]: the cavalry will come just in time, if and only if there is no other way to save the day anymore.

* [[Evil Gloating]]: The [[Big Bad]] in the album about oil in Oklahoma. If he hadn't done it, he could've succeeded.

* [[Evil Twin]]: Mad Jim

** Not to mention that he rightly deserves to be called "Lucky".

* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: Averell Dalton and Rantanplan.

'''Mexican:''' It's called a bowl, amigo. }}

* [[False Roulette]]

* [[Feuding Families]]: exaggerated [[Up to Eleven]] wit the O'Timminses and the O'Haras in ''The Rivals of Painful Gulch''.

* [[Friendly Enemy]]: A reversed version. Lucky Luke starts acting rather friendly to the Dalton brothers after a while.

* [[Funny Animal]]: Rantanplan, of course, by way of his [[The Ditz|ditzy]] status. Jolly Jumper counts as this, too.

* [[Ghost Town]]: Several show up, and one is the setting of an entire episode.

* [[Horsing Around]]: Jolly Jumper, the horse of Lucky Luke, is a textbook example. Besides being able to run impossibly fast and long, even while sleeping, and always coming when Lucky Luke whistles, as the series develops he gets the ability to speak and play Chess with Lucky Luke. Oh, and don't think of stealing him. It will get really painful, when he recognises that you are not his rider.

* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Most memorably when Luke shoots what seems to be random holes into a roll of waxed paper. Then he puts the roll and a coin into a player piano, and the piano starts playing [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEX1dYyvmig Chopin's "Funeral March"].

* [[In the Past Everyone Will Be Famous]]: Luke has met almost every celebrity from the Old West.

* [[Institutional Apparel]]: The striped prison outfits worn by the Daltons and other jail inmates.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Joe Dalton really doesn't like Rantanplan.

* [[Kung Shui]]: The obligatory [[Bar Brawl]]. In one episode the saloon owner routinely removes the mirror behind the bar whenever a brawl is about to begin.

** Subverted on at least one occasion, when he jumped through the wrong window and fell flat on the ground instead of ending up on his horse, much to the latter's amusement.

** On another occasion, as he didn't know from which window Luke would jump, Jolly Jumper posted a fellow horse under each window of the building.

** Later lampshaded when a guy offers him a cigarette. Luke refuses, saying he quit. The guy apologizes, and offers a straw of grass. Luke then says, "No thanks, I'm trying to quit."

* [[Made of Iron]]: Ironhead in ''Going Up the Mississippi''.

** In ''Daisy Town'' he does have a "Wanted" poster like the other brothers. The posters are shown throughout their childhood and teens until adulthood with older faces and larger bounties. Averell's bounty stays at $4... Until it's lowered to ''$3''.

* [[The Napoleon]]: Joe Dalton

* [[Napoleon Delusion]]: The character of Smith, convinced he is the Emperor of the United States, references the historical "Emperor" [[wikipedia:Emperor Norton|Joshua Norton]], with the important difference that he is a millionaire ranch owner who can afford full Napoleonic costumes, paraphernalia and ''army''. He names Napoleon as his "model" and insists on full-on First Empire protocol in all circumstances, to the hilarious dismay of his employees-turned-soldiers.

** Luke even says he'd never been so scared as during his quick-draw with her, as there's no way he could shoot an old lady even if she was in fact very much about to kill him. {{spoiler|Good thing Sweetie chose that moment to jump into her arms, allowing Luke to disarm her.}}

* [[Nitro Express]]: One is comic devoted to this. It's just too bad that the Daltons decide to hijack the train, not knowing what's on it, and run close to blowing themselves to kingdom come.

* [[Riding Into the Sunset]]

* [[Russian Roulette]]: Yes, it ''is'' possible to cheat.

** Mainly, but he also does talk to Lucky Luke sometimes.

** He's also exchanged the occasional word with Rantanplan, though not often -- probably because he detests the dog.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Many!

* [[The Shrink]]: [[Herr Doktor|Otto von Himbeergeist]], who tries to cure the Daltons. While his diagnosis is usually right on-spot, he doesn't manage to turn them. And then, he gets the idea that he should've started a career in crime rather than in academics...

* [[Snake Oil Salesman]]: Dr. Doxey

* [[Soap Punishment]]: Done by Ma Dalton to one of her foul-mouthed sons.

** Not to mention that the comic was also about a fictional [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|oil millionaire from Texas who wants to become president]] and doesn't coincidentally look like [[George W. Bush]]. Laurent Gerra is just ''that'' subtle.

* [[Strong Family Resemblance]]: The Dalton brothers.

* [[Tar and Feathers]]: A common form of mob justice for professional gamblers who get caught. Also, in one story the Daltons got tarred and feathered repeatedly, to the point where Averell decided to stay that way.

* [[Telegraph Gag STOP]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Belgian Comics]]

[[Category:Comic Books]]

[[Category:The Forties]]