Le Vingtième de cavalerie

A list of comics albums featuring the character Lucky Luke, written and drawn by Morris.

La Mine d'or de Dick Digger

La Mine d'or de Dick Digger (Dick Digger's Gold Mine)
Cover of the Belgian edition
Date	1949
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Le Journal de Spirou
Issues	478 - #502 #505 - #527
Date of publication	1947
Language	French
ISBN	2-8001-1441-X

La Mine d'or de Dick Digger, written and drawn by Morris, is an album containing two stories from serial publication in Le Journal de Spirou during the year 1947, namely La Mine d'or de Dick Digger and Le Sosie de Lucky Luke. Together they were released as the first official Lucky Luke hardcover album in 1949 and in English by Cinebook in 2014 as Dick Digger's Gold Mine.

Stories

La Mine d'or de Dick Digger

Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper meet an old friend, the prospector Dick Digger in ecstasy over a recent gold ore discovery in the West Hills, en route to register his gold mine claim in Nugget City. He has hidden his map in a bottle of rum. Celebrating loudly at a saloon, Digger is identified as a target of robbery by two hardened criminals. During the night while sleeping in a room above a saloon, he has his gold and his plan stolen by two bandits. He tries to defend himself but he gets a bad blow on the head and loses his memory. The following day, Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper take up pursuit following their trail. Luke finds the bandits' trail and manages to steal the bottle containing the plan. The bandits launch themselves on its track and, after a mad chase, take again the bottle. But Lucky Luke played a trick on them: he drew a false map that sent the desperados in a trap. He and the Nugget City Sheriff capture the bandits. Dick Digger recovers his memory during a face-to-face meeting with the band leader and goes off with his family to dig for the gold.

Le Sosie de Lucky Luke

Luke discovers he causes fear in the inhabitants of a town, because he is remarkably similar to a notorious felon named Mad Jim, currently in prison and scheduled for hanging. Spotted by two thugs, Luke is ambushed and knocked out, with the thugs replacing him with the doppelgänger in a drunken sheriff's jail cell, in order to get a share of Mad Jim's loot. Lucky Luke, awake, tries to persuade the sheriff's sheriff that he is not Mad Jim but it is a waste of time. Fortunately, the executor fails when he has to hang him and Lucky Luke just manages to escape. He gets on the trail of Mad Jim and his accomplices, Stan Strangler and Charley Chick. He succeeds quite easily in capturing them but they manage to escape thanks to two Indians who do not like Lucky Luke's present (a harmonica) and make him prisoner. Fortunately, Lucky Luke escapes following an argument between the two acolytes. He manages to capture the three bandits again and brings them back to Silverbrook. Again, Mad Jim manages to escape. The final confrontation between him and Lucky Luke takes place at the local saloon. This confrontation ends in the death of Mad Jim, who is therefore one of the rare people that Luke kills during a duel. In the following albums, he never again kills a single man during a duel, contenting himself with disarming his adversaries using his colt or by putting them in a state of harm in another way.

Rodéo

Rodéo (Rodeo)
Date	1951
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Issues	528 - #545 #546 - #566 #567 - #584
Date of publication	1948 - 1949
Language	French
ISBN	2-8001-0141-5

Rodéo, written and drawn by Morris, is an album containing three stories from serial publication in Spirou magazine during 1948–49, namely Grand rodéo ("Grand Rodeo"), Lucky Luke à Desperado City ("Lucky Luke in Desperado City") and La ruée vers l'or de Buffalo Creek ("The Buffalo Creek Gold Rush"). Together they were released as the second Lucky Luke hardcover album in 1951, and in English by Cinebook as the 54th in 2015.

Stories

Grand Rodéo

Lucky Luke arrives in Navajo City, a town about to stage a rodeo. In the saloon of the place he meets Cactus Kid, a thug who attacks him, but is no match for Luke. The rodeo takes place the next day. Presumed the favourite to win by the town and himself, Cactus Kid realises he may have met his match in Lucky Luke, and resorts to foul play, sabotaging Luke's lasso and then trying to cut the strap of his saddle. This time, Lucky Luke takes him by the wayside and beats him up. Luke wins the rodeo but Cactus Kid takes revenge by grabbing the prize money. The sheriff and several men run after him, but it is Lucky Luke who succeeds in capturing him.

Lucky Luke à Desperado City

Lucky Luke arrives in Desperado City, where two desperados, the Pistol Brothers, appear to be the source of local terror. They quickly confront Luke who captures them during a stagecoach attack. However, the town is flooded with bandits, unwilling to accept the enforcement of the law, and Lucky Luke finds himself attacked from every direction. The undertaker is the boss of all these people who free the Pistol brothers and succeed in capturing Lucky Luke. He was barely saved from hanging by a panicked herd of cattle. Lucky Luke then succeeds in neutralizing the undertaker (who benefits from the lawlessness), then the Pistol brothers. He then renames the city "Justice City".

La ruée vers l'or de Buffalo Creek

Lucky Luke spots a sleeping prospector, and decides to play a practical joke on him, planting a little gold nugget in the pan. The prospector awakes to his greatest dream come true, and when Lucky Luke chases the euphoric gold digger and tries to reveal the joke, the prospector shoots at him, speeding into town to stake his claim and shout the news. The madness of a gold rush follows, bringing changes to Buffalo Creek of a greater scale than Lucky Luke expects, and when he makes a final attempt to explain the truth, he finds himself arrested. Unable to remedy the situation from inside a jail cell, Luke must let the situation run its course, a change coming undone as quickly as it started, as an expert examines the gold nugget and realizes that it was discovered in California fifty years ago. Buffalo Creek then empties of its inhabitants, becoming a ghost town.

Arizona

Arizona
Date	1949
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1951
Language	French
ISBN	978-2800114439

Arizona is a Lucky Luke comic by Morris, it was the third album in the series and was printed by Dupuis in 1951 and in English by Cinebook in 2015. It contains two stories - Arizona 1880 and Lucky Luke contre Cigarette Cæsar.

Stories

Arizona 1880

Two bandits attack a stagecoach. Lucky Luke immediately sets out on their trail. In the Nugget City saloon, he faces a tough guy, Big Belly, who cheats at cards. The fat man, defeated, runs away leaving a spur, proving that he would probably be one of the stagecoach's attackers. Lucky Luke follows him and arrives at a hut guarded by a sentinel of Mexican origin. Luke easily neutralizes him and then attacks the two men (including Big Belly) who held the stagecoach up. The fight is tough, but the two bandits end up defeating him and taking him prisoner. Immediately afterwards, Cheat, who appears to be the chief, betrays Big Belly and his Mexican accomplice and flees after having tied them up. Luke manages to break away thanks to Jolly Jumper and immediately sets off in pursuit of Cheat which he succeeds (not without difficulty) in capturing.

Lucky Luke contre Cigarette Cæsar

Lucky Luke sets off in pursuit of Cigarette Cæsar, who has just escaped from prison and who has crossed the Mexican border. Cigarette Cæsar is charged with, among other things, armed robbery and murder. In Mexico, the bandit is struggling to get rid of his pursuer who still manages to find him. However, he manages to arm himself and find an accomplice, a Mexican knife thrower. This one sends to Lucky Luke a message on the door of his room signed by Cigarette Cæsar. He gives him an appointment the next day at 5 a.m. in the plaza where the settlement of accounts will take place. The next day, Lucky Luke goes to the plaza where bullfights take place. The competitors are particularly incompetent. Lucky Luke also enters the arena. Cigarette Cæsar takes the opportunity to shoot him in the back but Luke was careful to make himself a bulletproof. Unarmed, Cæsar is captured by Lucky Luke, who brings him back to the American border.

Sous le ciel de l'Ouest

Sous le ciel de l'Ouest (Under the Western Sky)
Date	1952
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1952
Language	French
ISBN	978-2800114446

Sous le ciel de l'Ouest is a Lucky Luke comic by Morris. It is the fourth album in the series and was printed by Dupuis in 1952 and in English by Cinebook in 2015 as Under a Western Sky. It contains three short stories - Le Retour de Joe la Gachette ("The Return of Joe the Trigger"), Jours de round–up ("Round-up days"), and Le Grand combat ("The Great Fight").

Stories

Le Retour de Joe la Gachette

Lucky Luke meets a man calling himself John the Philanthropist. When he arrives in town, he hears of a horse race with $5,000 prize money. He enrolls Jolly Jumper in it, but is robbed on the day of the race. In the race, John the Philanthropist somehow escapes his competitors, passing one after the other, but the rain falls and John's black horse is shown to be in reality Jolly Jumper painted black. On his faithful horse, Lucky Luke chases after John, who has meanwhile fled with the money from the race bets and catches him, having him shaved by the barber of the city, which reveals that it is in fact by Joe the Trigger, famous bandit. Finally, all is well which ends well.

Jours de round-up

Arriving near a ranch, Lucky Luke hears about the round-up, a custom of cattle ranches where the best cowboys capture the oxen. But when an entire herd is captured, the owner of the "-3" brand ranch is missing 200 heads. Lucky Luke investigates and learn that two associated bandits have stolen these heads and changed the brands on them to "4B" to go unnoticed. But he stops them and the missing cattle are brought back to the ranch.

Le Grand combat

A strong, illiterate man escapes the wrath of a bull and meets Lucky Luke. The latter then offers to put him in boxing combat against a formidable champion, known for "killing" his victims by beating them up, Killer Kelly. The challenger, called by Lucky Luke "Battling Belden", trains hard for the match, and the fight quickly becomes event-driven. Bets on Belden are increasing, so that a dishonest bookmaker, Slippery Nelson, wants to make Belden lose the match by kidnapping Rosita, his fiancée. Luke finds her and brings her back to the boxer who wins the match and the 10,000 dollar reward. As for Nelson, he ends up incarcerated.

Lucky Luke contre Pat Poker

Lucky Luke contre Pat Poker (Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker)
Date	1953
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1953
Language	French
ISBN	978-2800114453

Lucky Luke contre Pat Poker is a Lucky Luke comic by Morris, it was the fifth album in the series and was printed by Dupuis in 1953 and by Cinebook in English in 2013 as Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker. The album contains two stories of Pat Poker - Nettoyage à Red City ("Cleanup in Red City") and Tumulte à Tumbleweed ("Tumult in Tumbleweed").

Stories

Nettoyage à Red City

Named Sheriff of Red City, Lucky Luke is not at his best when he arrives in the city. Shortly before, he had his clothes and Jolly Jumper stolen while going for a swim in a river. He must ride in the accustomed stagecoach dressed in the clothes of a 10-year-old child. Red City is a lawless city dominated by Pat Poker, a professional card player (cheater) who leads a gang of outlaws. They receive Luke like a kid, offer him a sheriff's badge, a toy gun and a small wooden horse. Luke is a bit distraught but he quickly picks up. Thanks to a skunk, it helps a citizen not to be hanged by the men of Pat Poker. Then he finds his horse and realizes that it has been stolen by Pat Poker. He plays for it in cards and, against all odds, wins it. Poker advises him to leave before sunset otherwise his skin will not be worth anything. Luke does but he returns at night, hidden in a cart of hay. He first captures two men from Pat Poker as they rob the vault of the breeder’s bank. Then he tackles Pat Poker himself in his own saloon. Poker manages to escape thanks to another accomplice, the undertaker of the city, but Luke manages quite easily to catch him.

Tumulte à Tumbleweed

Lucky Luke arrives at Tumbleweed after a rough ride. He enters the local saloon and is well received there until the arrival of Angelface, a tough guy who hates foreigners, shepherds and sheep. He threatens Lucky Luke if he does not leave the place. Angelface is distracted by the arrival of a dog in the village. At Tumbleweed, the arrival of a dog heralds the arrival of a shepherd. The mobster follows the dog which leads him to the shepherd who makes his flock of sheep cross the valley. Angry, Angelface tries to hang the shepherd but he is prevented by Lucky Luke who temporarily puts him out of harm's way. The shepherd is quick to leave with his sheep.

Meanwhile, Pat Poker, recently released from prison, arrives at Tumbleweed after crossing the desert. He succeeds playing cards, plucking the owner of the saloon and becomes the new master of the place. When he sees Lucky Luke, he gets scared and tries to trap him. The confrontation does not end to his advantage but Lucky Luke does not have an arrest warrant against him and lets him go. Angelface, who has seen it all, decides to ally himself with Pat Poker. The latter pays him to kill his enemy. A first try in a hotel room ends in failure. Pat Poker then invites Lucky Luke to a game of cards. Angelface will have to shoot him by shooting him in the back of the window of his hotel room. Again, Lucky Luke survives because he suspected something and he took advantage of a moment of inattention from Angelface to sabotage his rifle.

Later, a sheriff arrives at Tumbleweed to catch Pat Poker. At the saloon, he is beaten up by Angelface who seriously injures him, throwing him outside. Lucky Luke searches him and finds an arrest warrant for Pat Poker. He takes the place of the sheriff offside and enters the saloon where he whips Angelface. Pat Poker flees but Luke manages to catch and capture him.

Hors-la-loi

Hors-la-loi (Outlaws)
Date	1954
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1954
Language	French

Hors-la-loi is a Lucky Luke comic by Morris, it was the sixth album in the series and was printed by Dupuis in 1954 and by Cinebook in English in 2014 as Outlaws. The story pits Lucky Luke against a fictionalized version of the Dalton brothers.^[1]

Synopsis

The story begins with a quick presentation of the four Dalton brothers: Bob, Great, Bill and Emmet Dalton. Their first bank attack in 1889 in El Reno, Oklahoma, marked the start of their criminal careers, followed by a stagecoach attack. The Daltons' growing reputation worries the government, sending Lucky Luke to stop them. This ensures the transport of money of a train. Luke later meets the bandits in a saloon where he gives them a show of force. The Dalton escape under the noses of the villagers. Once released, the Dalton continue their misdeeds and their reputation forces them to remain on their guard. They find Lucky Luke in a saloon and flee. They then try to have cosmetic surgery without success. Believing Lucky Luke removed for good, they decide to attack Coffeyville, on October 5, 1892, at 9 o'clock. There, Lucky Luke finds them and ambushes them in front of the bank, an ambush which will be fatal for them since they will be imprisoned then hanged.

Notes

It is the first Lucky Luke story that was based (loosely) on real historical events from the Old West.^[2]

L'Élixir du Dr Doxey

L'Élixir du Dr Doxey (Dr Doxey's Elixir)
Date	1955
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1955
Language	French

L'Élixir du Dr Doxey is a Lucky Luke adventure in French, written and illustrated by Morris. It is the seventh title in the original series and was published by Dupuis in 1955, and by Cinebook in English in 2012 as Doc Doxey's Elixir. The album contains two stories of Doc Doxey - Lucky Luke et le Docteur Doxey ("Lucky Luke and Doctor Doxey") and Chasse à l'homme ("Manhunt"). The story is about quackery.

Stories

Lucky Luke et le Docteur Doxey

Doctor Doxey is an unscrupulous charlatan ready to do anything to sell his worthless elixir. With the help of his henchman, Scraggy, he tries to persuade people in the many cities where he stops that his medicine cures everything. Scraggy disguises himself as a helpless old man or a disabled old woman, swallows the elixir then starts to frolic and jump like a young man of 20 years. Gullible people buy the elixir. Doxey does not hesitate to poison the water of a village to make its inhabitants sick, so that he can cure them with his elixir. Another time, he kidnaps a sheriff who wanted to stop him from doing his "job". The first time Doxey and Scraggy meet Lucky Luke, they steal Jolly Jumper from him. Luke, who sees a dishonest man in Doxey, decides to trap him. He publishes an article in a newspaper saying that the sheriff had $5,000 with him when he disappeared. Doxey and Scraggy go to the cabin where they put him to take the money from him. But Lucky Luke follows them and catches them in the act.

Chasse à l'homme

Doctor Doxey escapes from prison, and Lucky Luke sets off in pursuit. After a rough crossing of the desert during which he loses his horse, Doxey arrives at Coyoteville. After quenching his thirst (with a whole keg of beer), he shaves his beard to go unnoticed. In fact, Lucky Luke does not recognize him when he arrives in Coyoteville. Doxey begins again quietly to make his quack trade under the name of Doctor Oxide in front of Luke, who continues not to recognize him. However, when a child draws a false beard on the portrait of his poster, Luke immediately makes the link. He goes to arrest Doxey, but Doxey manages to escape thanks to an explosive. Momentarily rid of Luke, Doxey tries to sell his elixir to the inhabitants of La Siesta but circumstances and the sheriff prevent him. It is in the neighboring village that Luke manages to catch him and neutralize him.

Phil Defer

Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer (Lucky Luke versus Phil Wire)
Date	1956
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Le Moustique magazine
Date of publication	1954
Language	French

Phil Defer is a Lucky Luke adventure in French, written and illustrated by Morris. It was the eighth title in the original series and was published by Dupuis in 1956 and in English by Cinebook in 2013 as Phil Wire. The album contains two stories - Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer "the Faucheux" ("Lucky Luke versus Phil Wire 'The Spider'") and Lucky Luke et Pilule ("Lucky Luke and Pill").

Stories

Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer

In the town of Bottleneck Gulch, the only saloon for miles around is the "Ace of Spades". It belongs to a crook, O'Sullivan, who sells adulterated whiskey. But as it is the only bar in the area, "Ace of Spades" does good business thanks to thirsty cowboys passing by. But one day, a certain O'Hara opens his own "Ace of Hearts" saloon. Failing to take over his rival and being on the verge of bankruptcy, O'Sullivan decides to hire a professional hitman, Phil Wire, to rid him of O'Hara, dead or alive. Lucky Luke, who is a friend of O'Hara, decides to impersonate Phil Wire. With O'Hara, they put on a production to make believe the death of Phil Wire. As O'Sullivan prepares to leave, the real Phil Wire arrives in town. Together, they try by all means to get rid of Luke and O'Hara. But Lucky Luke is watching. Finally, Phil Wire provokes Lucky Luke into a final duel. Lucky Luke wins the duel and shoots Phil Defer on the shoulder which will end his career as a hitman. Because of this injury, Phil can no longer use a weapon. Afterwards, O'Sullivan is chased away. O'Hara takes his rival's saloon and unites it with his to form the "2 Aces Saloon" (spades and hearts), with "the longest bar in the west".

Lucky Luke et Pilule

Lucky Luke tells other cowboys the story of a little man nicknamed Pill (because he regularly consumes pills) and who looked like a weed from big cities and who had, at first sight, nothing of a hero of the West. He arrives in a city infested by criminals and revolver fights, "Smokey Town". After having contributed (involuntarily) to the arrest of a bandit, Pill is named Sheriff. Thereafter, Pill must arrest the whole gang of criminals. Luckily, his clumsiness and myopia (having lost his glasses at that time) which made him deviate from the target he was aiming at, help Pill to kill all the criminals. The gang leader almost killed him, but the bullet was stopped by the pill box the Sheriff was carrying.

Des rails sur la Prairie

Des rails sur la Prairie (Rails on the Prairie)
Date	1957
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Date of publication	1957
Language	French

Des rails sur la Prairie is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the ninth album in the series and the first on which Goscinny worked. It is also the first in which Lucky Luke, moving away towards the setting sun at the last box, sings his song "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy ..." The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1957 and in English by Cinebook in 2011 as Rails on the Prairie.

Synopsis

Lucky Luke must protect the construction of the railway to the West against the threats of a crooked shareholder of the stagecoaches who sees in the arrival of the train the end of his business.

Alerte aux Pieds Bleus

Alerte aux Pieds-Bleus (The Bluefeet are coming!)
Date	1958
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1958
Language	French

Alerte aux Pieds Bleus is a Lucky Luke adventure in French, written and illustrated by Morris it was the tenth title in the original series and was published by Dupuis in 1958 and by Cinebook in English as The Bluefeet are coming!. It is unique in the sense that it was the only story published solo by Morris after starting a collaboration with René Goscinny.

Plot summary

Convinced that they will find firewater among the palefaces, blue-foot (like the Blackfoot) Indians besiege the town ... Lucky Luke will see all the colors! ^[3]

In Rattlesnake Valley, Arizona, Pedro Cucaracha is causing a stir by defrauding the locals in poker. Lucky Luke, who had stopped there by chance, catches him playing against the city's peacekeeper, Sheriff Jerry Grindstone. Thanks to his dexterity with regard to persuasion by arms, the cowboy has no trouble scaring the cheater of Mexican origin who runs away quickly. To take revenge, he appeals to the Bluefeet, an Indian tribe of the valley, for compensation in kind (alcohol). The latter besiege the city, which they eventually lose, trying to attack as the cavalry arrives to settle the situation.

Ruée sur l'Oklahoma

Ruée sur l'Oklahoma (The Oklahoma Land Rush)
Cover of the French edition
Date	1960
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Date of publication	1960
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Le Juge (1959)
Followed by	L'Évasion des Dalton (1960)

Ruée sur l'Oklahoma is a Lucky Luke comic written by Morris. It is the fourteenth album in the Lucky Luke series. The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1960 and by Cinebook in 2009 as The Oklahoma Land Rush. The story is based on the historical Land Run of 1889.

Synopsis

By 1830, the American government had given Oklahoma to the Indians where they were bored. Several years later, they bought the land back for some glass beads to promote colonization. It was decided that on April 22, 1889, the territory would be open to colonization and, to be sure that there will be no one installed before the rush, Lucky Luke is responsible for monitoring the operation. The adventure begins by emptying the territory of the inhabitants who had ventured there without legal authorization, then watching the candidates with the rush with the border. Some, including Beastly Blubber, do not hesitate to try to cross the border but they are easily detected by Lucky Luke. Coyote Will, who has a simple-minded accomplice called Dopey, is also trying to cross the border, but he is quickly overtaken by Luke.

The day before the rush, everyone seems ready. Some have doped their horse to leave faster, others have sabotaged the carriage of a possible competitor.

The next day at noon, the signal is given and it's the rush. The settlers enter Oklahoma and take over the land in a rather anarchic way. A city is created, Boomville, where houses are built at full speed. The speculation is going well and some do business in gold. It is in this context that Coyote Will, Beastly Blubber and Dopey arrive. After taking over the saloon, they sell alcohol despite the ban and form a secret gambling den. Lucky Luke stops them.

Then elections for the town hall are organized and three quarters of the population are candidates. The three bandits are released to vote and Dopey decides to also campaign. To the surprise of all and first of all his accomplices, he is elected mayor. And, to the great satisfaction of all and thanks to the help of Lucky Luke, he makes a good mayor. But misery sets in because of drought. Coyote Will organizes a demonstration against the mayor but a sandstorm ruins everything. People leave Oklahoma; it's the end of Boomville. Dopey chases his two former accomplices, declaring that he now leads an honest life. Finally, Oklahoma is returned to the Indians for the same glass beads they had accepted at the beginning.

Les Rivaux de Painful Gulch

Les Rivaux de Painful Gulch (The Rivals of Painful Gulch)
Cover of the English edition
Date	1962
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	À l'ombre des derricks (1962)
Followed by	Billy the Kid (1962)

Les Rivaux de Painful Gulch is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the nineteenth book in the series and it was originally published in French in 1962 . English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud and Cinebook Ltd as The Rivals of Painful Gulch.

In this adventure Lucky Luke tries to sort out a bitter feud between two warring families: the big-eared O'Haras and the big-nosed O'Timmins, whose rivalry causes endless mayhem in the town of Painful Gulch and has ruined the local economy. The inspiration was the Hatfield-McCoy feud.

Synopsis

In the town of Painful Gulch, the families O'Timmins (big red nose) and O'Hara (big ears) have been fighting for decades, and do not even know why. Lucky Luke is named mayor of the city to try to solve this problem.

Lucky Luke tries to reconcile the two families through a big party with competitions where everything is programmed so that only O'Timmins and O'Hara win. But this party ends in a fist fight. Lucky Luke finally decides to put the men of both families in prison until they decide to make peace. The women of the two families who are tired of this war speed up the rapprochement when they force the two to work together to put out a fire on the O'Hara ranch. Painful Gulch finally knows peace and the two families become great friends.

La Ville fantôme

La Ville fantôme (Ghost Town)
Cover of the English edition
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1965
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	La Caravane (1964)
Followed by	Les Dalton se rachètent (1965)

La Ville fantôme is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original French-language version was printed in 1965 by Dupuis. English editions of this comic have been published by Dargaud, and Cinebook in 2006, under the title Ghost Town.

Plot

While trekking through a mountain, Lucky Luke encounters two men, Denver Miles and Colorado Bill, who accompany him in his journey. They eventually come across Gold Hill, a town that has been abandoned for years. Its only resident is Powell, an old, bitter and delusional miner, who threatens them with a shotgun. It is later revealed that in his young days, Powell was tricked into buying a gold mine that was salted by its previous owner. When the rumors spread that there was gold in the mountain, people rushed there and built the town of Gold Hill. But when no gold was found the people left as soon as they came. Powell refused to accept the fact and still believes that there is gold in his obviously worthless mine. Luke, Miles and Bill leave for another town, Bingo Creek.

Miles and Bill are revealed to be con artists, who plan on buying Powell's mine, salt it and sell it back for a high price. Luke meanwhile begins to feel sympathy for Powell and decides to help him in his hard times. The con men are thwarted at every turn, but eventually Powell realizes the futility of his pursuit and agrees to sell the mine to them in a few days when the relevant authorities arrive in Bingo Creek. Miles and Bill proceed to salt the mine, however Bill gets hasty and has an article published in newspapers about the value of the mine causing another gold rush to begin. Powell is similarly excited and returns to his mine. However, as expected, no one finds anything and people believe that Powell is hiding all the gold for himself. Luke eventually forces Miles and Bill to confess the truth of their actions and they are tar-and-feathered and run out of town. The people prepare to leave Gold Hill once more, but Luke presents a passionate speech about true value of the land being more than the riches it could hold. Powell agrees with Luke and convinces many of the people to stay and help Gold Hill return to its former glory, albeit without the focus of gold mining.

Shortly before Luke leaves to continue his travels, Powell reveals that he has actually discovered a real vein of gold in his mine. Luke points out that should this information be revealed to the public, Gold Hill would return to its old ways and would most probably never revive this time. Powell eventually agrees and blows up his mine with dynamite, ensuring that no one will ever know the truth and allowing Gold Hill to prosper as a normal town.

Le Vingtième de cavalerie

Le Vingtième de cavalerie (The Twentieth Cavalry)
Cover of the French edition
Date	1965
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dupuis
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Date of publication	1965
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Les Dalton se rachètent (1965)
Followed by	L'Escorte (1966)

Le Vingtième de cavalerie is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the twenty-seventh book in the series and it was originally published in French in 1965 and English in 2010 as The Twentieth Cavalry. The character of Colonel McStraggle is a nod on actor Randolph Scott.

Plot

Buffaloes having been illegally hunted on their territory, which the Cheyenne need for their survival, the Cheyenne break the treaty authorizing the free movement of whites on it. Worse than that is that someone has even provided the Indians with firearms! Lucky Luke is sent to find a solution to the crisis and do everything to get a new pact signed between Yellow Dog and McStraggle, colonel of the 20th Cavalry Regiment.

Lucky Luke volunteers as scout for the 20th Cavalry and, visiting Yellow Dog, quickly finds out that Derek Flood, a renegade cavalrist, is hatching a plot against McStraggle for having kicked him out of the army. The situation for the beleaguered soldiers becomes more desperate as Flood exploits his insider knowledge of the fort to starve out his ex-comrades. Lucky Luke and Grover escape the siege to fetch reinforcements to rescue their comrades. The reinforcements arrive just as McStraggle leads a potentially suicidal charge out the fort, forcing the Indians to surrender. Flood is arrested.

Le Pied-tendre

Le Pied-tendre (The Tenderfoot)
Cover of the English edition
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Date of publication	1968
Language	French
Translation
Publisher	Geïllustreerde Pers
Date	1970
Chronology
Preceded by	La Diligence (1968)
Followed by	Dalton City, (1969)

Le Pied-tendre is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original comic in French was published by Dargaud in 1968. English translations titled The Tenderfoot have been published by Dargaud and Cinebook Ltd.

Plot

When Baddy, the owner of a naturally-rich piece of land, dies, his heir, Waldo Badminton, a tenderfoot, leaves from England to take possession of his ranch. This newcomer is not to the liking of Jack Ready, who was waiting to buy Baddy's ranch, a good reason to try to bully the newcomer! This one, contrary to expectations, makes his way in the Far West, aided by Lucky Luke, his butler Jasper and Sam, an Indian who served Baddy after he saved him from a massacre. Jack Ready then fakes his death and has Waldo accused. The ruse is quickly discovered by Lucky Luke, giving the opportunity to hold a pistol duel in European style. Defeated, Ready and his sidekick leave town. Another tenderfoot then arrives from England, who Waldo dislikes, and gives the same tenderfoot treatment as he was given.

Jesse James

Jesse James
Cover of the English edition
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Pilote magazine
Date of publication	1969
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Dalton City (1969)
Followed by	Western Circus (1970)

Jesse James is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original French edition was printed in 1969 by Dargaud. English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud, Cinebook. Brockhampton Press and Tara Press. It is based on the true story of Jesse James (1847–1882).

Plot

In 1880, the story begins with Jesse James, who idolizes and tries to emulate Robin Hood, but somehow he is not able to clearly define the line between the rich he is supposed to rob and the poor he is supposed to help. With the help of his Shakespeare aficionado brother Frank, he therefore simply redefines the term "poor" for his own benefit, and along with Cole Younger the two begin robbing trains en masse, forcing Lucky Luke to move out and stop them with the somewhat inept assistance of two Pinkerton detectives.

Western Circus

Lucky Luke #36 Western Circus
Cover of the English edition
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Pilote
Date of publication	1970
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Jesse James (1969)
Followed by	Canyon Apache (1971)

Western Circus is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It was originally published in French by Dargaud in the year 1970. English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud.

Synopsis

Circus performers left New York City due to an enmity with real-life circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum; but gambling drunkard (yet lovable) manager Captain Mulligan lost more and more of the circus in their tour, until they coincidentially meet Lucky Luke.

Zilch, rich organizer of a great annual rodeo, sees in the arrival of the Western Circus a harmful competition. He hires Rattlesnake Joe, a hit man, to put an end to it. In the end, the villainous Zilch and the kind director of the circus become partners and make a successful tour of Europe.

Ma Dalton

Ma Dalton
Cover of the English edition
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Pilote magazine
Date of publication	1971
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Canyon Apache (1972)
Followed by	Chasseur de primes (1971)

Ma Dalton is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It was first published in French in the year 1971 by Dargaud. English editions of this French series have been published by Cinebooks and Tara Press. Ma Dalton was inspired by real-life Ma Barker.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

Mrs. Dalton, the mother of the Dalton Brothers, spends a relatively quiet life in retirement until she invites her four sons for a visit. At first, Joe uses Ma's reputation among the fellow citizens to commit robberies — and later, Mum, for the love of her sons (Averell in particular), decides to return to family business once more, presenting Lucky Luke with an additional headache: How to deal with a reckless old lady shootist?

Chasseur de primes

Chasseur de primes (The Bounty Hunter)
Cover of the French-language version
Date	1972
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Pilote
Date of publication	1972
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Ma Dalton (1971)
Followed by	Le Grand Duc (1973)

Chasseur de primes is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the thirty-ninth book in the series and it was originally published in French in 1972 and in English by Cinebook in 2010 as The Bounty Hunter.

Plot

Following a short introduction on the general status of bounty hunters in the Old West, we get introduced to the titular character, Elliot Belt, a notorious and unscrupulous representative of his trade.

Lucky Luke decides to find His Highness, a prime stallion belonging to wealthy horse rancher Bronco Fortworth to avoid the risk of an injustice. But Fortworth, convinced that the Cheyenne Wet Blanket (a former farmhand of his) is the thief, launches a wanted notice and a reward of 100,000 dollars to who will bring the Indian. Belt is interested in the offer ande repeatedly offers Lucky Luke to join, but the lone cowboy declines his offer.

While Luke seeks to find Wet Blanket first, fearing that this hunt could lead to an Indian war, Elliot Belt is obsessed with the reward he could receive. He brings together several other bounty hunters to attack the Cheyenne village and find Wet Blanket. This incident nearly causes an Indian war and gets Luke captured by the Cheyenne, but Wet Blanket, proclaiming his innocence, frees Luke, interrupts the war before it can begin, and willingly agrees to stand trial. A protest by Fortworth and the bounty hunters is deflected by Luke, and when Belt kidnaps the Indian to collect the bounty, Wet Blanket simply walks away when the other bounty hunters ambush Belt, and is collected by Luke.

On the way back to the town of Cheyenne Pass, where the trial is to be held, Luke and Wet Blanket discover His Highness in the wild, and bring him along to the courthouse. Another dramatic change takes place when Thelma, Fortworth's estranged wife, comes to testify at the trial and admits that it was she who released the stallion, jealous of the affection that Fortworth had for the animal. The Fortworth couple, who had separated, reconciles. Wet Blanket is exonerated, and Fortworth gives the reward to the Cheyennes.

As Luke leaves the court, Belt attempts to kill him for revenge, but his plan fails. Upon seizing him, Luke learns that Belt is wanted for "trying to cause an Indian war". Instead of delivering him to the sheriff, Luke persuades the latter to release Belt; but in turn, the federal warrant is still posted, leaving Belt to be chased by bounty hunters himself. The story ends with the Cheyenne using Fortworth's money to open an amusement park.

Notes

• Elliot Belt's appearance is an obvious nod on Lee Van Cleef, particularly his acting roles as merciless bounty hunter.
• The scene where Elliot as a child denounces himself to his father (for a reward) for having chopped down a cherry tree is inspired by the myth concerning George Washington.
• In one scene, the story makes a humorous pass at the Lone Ranger character Tonto.

L'Héritage de Rantanplan

L'Héritage de Rantanplan (The Inheritance of Rantanplan)
Cover of the French edition
Date	1973
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Published in	Pilote
Date of publication	1973
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	Le Grand Duc (1973)
Followed by	7 histoires complètes (1974)

L'Héritage de Rantanplan is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the forty first book in the series and was originally published in French in the year 1973 and in English by Cinebook in 2020 as Rin Tin Can's Inheritance. Mark Twain appears in two panels on page 13.

Synopsis

A former prisoner of the penitentiary where Rantanplan is located, the late Oggie Svenson, bequeaths his vast fortune in real estate to the latter, who leaves prison to live in his hotel under the protection of Lucky Luke in Virginia City. But the will states that if the dog dies, everything would go to Joe Dalton. Learning of this, the Daltons escape and attempt to kill Rantanplan.

Le Fil qui chante

Le Fil qui chante (The Singing Wire)
Cover of the French edition
Date	1977
Series	Lucky Luke
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writers	Goscinny Morris
Artists	Morris
Original publication
Date of publication	1977
Language	French
Chronology
Preceded by	L'Empereur Smith (1976)
Followed by	La Ballade des Dalton (1978)

Le Fil qui chante is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the forty sixth book in the series and was originally published in French in 1977 by Dargaud and in English by Cinebook in 2012. The story is based on the historical feat of constructing the First Transcontinental Telegraph line connecting the West Coast of the United States and the East Coast of the United States in 1861. The title in English is The Singing Wire, referring both to "singing" of wires (caused by vortex shedding), and the transmission of communication (later voice) across electric cables.

This album was adapted from the animated series Lucky Luke, released for the first time in 1984.

Synopsis

One hundred thousand dollars will be offered to the city which will build the telegraph line to Salt Lake City the quickest. Carson City in the west and Omaha in the east are up to the challenge. But the sabotage of the opposing team and the attacks of Indians will somewhat slow down the pioneers of the singing wire, of which Lucky Luke is a part, having resigned from the Pony Express to join the team.

Historical figures include:

• Buffalo Bill appears in a panel at the start of the story.
• The President of the United States Abraham Lincoln appears at the beginning of the album, when Lucky Luke is invited to The White House.
• The president of the Western Union, Hiram Sibley, appears at the beginning of the album.
• James Gamble and Edward Creighton were the two engineers responsible for the ultimate telegraph junction.
• Washakie, chief of the Shoshone tribe, was real. He initially opposed the installation of the telegraph before being favorable to it.
• Brigham Young appears at the end of the comic book album.
• The president of the court of California, Stephen J. Field, appears at the end of the story. The telegram which he sends to Abraham Lincoln is, moreover, authentic.

Sources

References

External links

• Lucky Luke official site album index (in French)
• Goscinny website on Lucky Luke Archived 2012-12-05 at archive.today(in French)
• Cinebook official website