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solanpolarn's review
4.0
I am always amazed at the blank look on my English-speaking friends' faces when I mention Lucky Luke; the comic books were such a fun part of my adolescence. Now Cinebooks are happily publishing the back catalog in English, though in a slightly strange order.
phileasfogg's review
4.0
When I was a kid, my local library had a few Lucky Luke books in amongst the Tintins and Asterixes. I enjoyed them a lot, but they didn't make as lasting an impression on me as those other European comics, perhaps because there were so few.
Over the past few months, inspired by the trailer for the upcoming Valerian movie, I've been reading the Valerian series (French science fiction comics published between the 1960s and 1990s). Their English publisher, Cinebook, also publishes these Lucky Luke books and a lot more besides--they have a fantastic range of interesting-looking French comics in translation. Every time I visit their website to see when the next Valerian is coming out, I've cast my eye over the dozens of Lucky Lukes. Slowly, those covers have awakened fond long-buried memories of enjoyable childhood reads: Luke's supreme nonchalance in the face of any situation; his ability to shoot faster than his own shadow.
Finally I succumbed, and bought the first three. (I don't believe the Cinebook publication order matches the original French publication order, but I have chosen not to care. Like many long-running series, I guess Lucky Luke took a while to evolve into its ideal form, and it is doubtless best not to start at the very beginning--or else everyone would be repelled by Tintin in the Congo. Even PG Wodehouse buried his first Jeeves and Bertie story and rewrote the other early ones to iron out the bugs. Possibly the Cinebook Lucky Luke series has prioritised releasing the books that were first published in English in the 1970s, to maximise the nostalgia factor for people like me. I read all about it on Wikipedia and elsewhere when I ordered the books, but I evidently haven't retained all that obscure knowledge a few weeks later. That part of my brain is fully occupied with storing Doctor Who trivia. But the Cinebook people are clearly engaged in a labour of love, comparable to what Fantagraphics Books is doing in the US, so I have faith in their ability to curate the series into an enjoyable reading order.)
So, Billy the Kid. This may or may not be one that I read as a kid. The story is spun off from the actual historical outlaw of the same name, punfully making him an actual child. A crack shot and a psychopath, he holds a town hostage to his childish whims, not unlike the Billy Mumy character in that episode of The Twilight Zone.
Lucky Luke is the lone wandering cowboy, distilled from all the best bits of the heroes of a thousand Westerns, who rides into town and takes on the monster no-one else dares to resist.
I liked it. It read a little more for-children than other European comics I've read recently, but at the same time I'm sure I now enjoy it in a very different way than when I was a child, since I've now seen quite a lot of Westerns. I'm familiar with the Western tropes that are lovingly invoked and parodied on every page.
Will I read the whole series? Well, I'm trying to cut down on book-buying at the moment... (I have a few--OK, more than a few--thousand I haven't read yet.) But yeah, I'll probably buy and read at least the ones written by René Goscinny. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I'll be reading Asterix again...
Over the past few months, inspired by the trailer for the upcoming Valerian movie, I've been reading the Valerian series (French science fiction comics published between the 1960s and 1990s). Their English publisher, Cinebook, also publishes these Lucky Luke books and a lot more besides--they have a fantastic range of interesting-looking French comics in translation. Every time I visit their website to see when the next Valerian is coming out, I've cast my eye over the dozens of Lucky Lukes. Slowly, those covers have awakened fond long-buried memories of enjoyable childhood reads: Luke's supreme nonchalance in the face of any situation; his ability to shoot faster than his own shadow.
Finally I succumbed, and bought the first three. (I don't believe the Cinebook publication order matches the original French publication order, but I have chosen not to care. Like many long-running series, I guess Lucky Luke took a while to evolve into its ideal form, and it is doubtless best not to start at the very beginning--or else everyone would be repelled by Tintin in the Congo. Even PG Wodehouse buried his first Jeeves and Bertie story and rewrote the other early ones to iron out the bugs. Possibly the Cinebook Lucky Luke series has prioritised releasing the books that were first published in English in the 1970s, to maximise the nostalgia factor for people like me. I read all about it on Wikipedia and elsewhere when I ordered the books, but I evidently haven't retained all that obscure knowledge a few weeks later. That part of my brain is fully occupied with storing Doctor Who trivia. But the Cinebook people are clearly engaged in a labour of love, comparable to what Fantagraphics Books is doing in the US, so I have faith in their ability to curate the series into an enjoyable reading order.)
So, Billy the Kid. This may or may not be one that I read as a kid. The story is spun off from the actual historical outlaw of the same name, punfully making him an actual child. A crack shot and a psychopath, he holds a town hostage to his childish whims, not unlike the Billy Mumy character in that episode of The Twilight Zone.
Lucky Luke is the lone wandering cowboy, distilled from all the best bits of the heroes of a thousand Westerns, who rides into town and takes on the monster no-one else dares to resist.
I liked it. It read a little more for-children than other European comics I've read recently, but at the same time I'm sure I now enjoy it in a very different way than when I was a child, since I've now seen quite a lot of Westerns. I'm familiar with the Western tropes that are lovingly invoked and parodied on every page.
Will I read the whole series? Well, I'm trying to cut down on book-buying at the moment... (I have a few--OK, more than a few--thousand I haven't read yet.) But yeah, I'll probably buy and read at least the ones written by René Goscinny. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I'll be reading Asterix again...
jotimarino's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
carnation7's review
5.0
I loved this one when I was a kid. The jokes still hold up as funny (but, curiously, not as funny as in the Serbian translation).
maria_zoulia's review
5.0
Από τις καλύτερες ιστορίες αυτής της σειράς! Ο Μπίλυ ήταν ξεκαρδιστικός ανταγωνιστής "όχι, εγώ θέλω την ιστορίας με τον βασιλιά και τις νεράιδες και τους τρεις γιους του!"
12dejamoo's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is such a classic I love Lucky Luke
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Racism
The violence is all in a pretty fun, cartoonish waysuvij's review
3.0
Оце було прикольно. Щасливчик Люк був у якихось журналах, які я гортав малим.
Плюс є ж кумедна екранізація персонажа.
Загалом усе жваво, гротекскно, з гумором.
Біллі the Кід — хлопчик з револьвером, що тероризує місто, змушує старого читати йому на ніч казки, а в салуні подавати лише шоколад. Одна біда — Щасливчик Люк стріляє краще за нього.
Така штука, яка проковтується за один раз, важко зупинитись.
Плюс є ж кумедна екранізація персонажа.
Загалом усе жваво, гротекскно, з гумором.
Біллі the Кід — хлопчик з револьвером, що тероризує місто, змушує старого читати йому на ніч казки, а в салуні подавати лише шоколад. Одна біда — Щасливчик Люк стріляє краще за нього.
Така штука, яка проковтується за один раз, важко зупинитись.
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