Blueberry (comic)
Blueberry is a
French language comic strip created by
Jean-Michel Charlier and
Jean "MÅ"bius" Giraud. It chronicles the adventures of Mike Blueberry on his travels through the
American Old West.
The story follows
Michael Steven Donovan, nicknamed "Blueberry", a name he chose when fleeing from his Southern enemies) starting with his adventures as a Lieutenant in the United States
Cavalry shortly after the
American Civil War. He is accompanied in many tales by his hard-drinking deputy, Jimmy McClure, and later also by Red Woolley, a rugged pioneer.
Donovan is the son of a rich
Southern farmer and started as a dedicated
racist. He was framed for a murder he did not commit, had to flee and was saved by an
African-American. He became an enemy of
discrimination of all kinds, fought against the
Confederates (although he was a Southerner himself), and tried to protect the rights of
Native Americans.
Blueberry has its roots in Giraud's earlier
Western-themed works such as
Frank et Jeremie, which was drawn for
Far West magazine when he was only 18, and
Jerry Spring, a
1961 strip that appeared in five issues of
Spirou. Charlier and Giraud have also collaborated on another Western strip,
Jim Cutlass.
Blueberry began in the
31 October,
1963 issue of
Pilote magazine. That first serial, "Fort Navaho", grew into 46 pages over the next few issues. Charlier and Giraud continued to add to the legend of Mike Blueberry in
Pilote and other titles even into the
1990s. During that time the artistic style has varied greatly, much as with Giraud's other works. In the same volume, sweeping landscapes will contrast sharply with hard-edged action scenes and the art matches the changing mood of the story quite well. Like much of the Western genre,
Blueberry touches on the constant conflict between violence and tranquility, nature and civilization, and the obligation of the strong to protect the weak. In addition to the comic strips, Blueberry and his fellow characters can be found on posters, clothing, and other items.
A "prequel" series,
Young Blueberry, as well as the sequels
Marshal Blueberry and
Mister Blueberry have been published as well.
A few companies, particularly Egmont/
Methuen,
Epic Comics and
Mojo Press, have released collections of
English translations of the
Blueberry strips and stories. Opinions are mixed on these, as sometimes the artwork is shrunk to fit smaller book formats, and in the case of the first Mojo Press collection
Blueberry: Confederate Gold (ISBN 1885418086), printed in black and white. The hardbound collections by
Graphitti Designs are generally considered to be the best available to English-speaking fans, especially as they feature additional material and commentary by Giraud, but are difficult to find due to limited print runs.
A
2004 film adaptation,
Blueberry (
U.S. release title is
Renegade), was directed by
Jan Kounen and starred
Vincent Cassel in the lead role. However, purists were appalled by this film. It arguably did not stay true to action-based, gritty comic, but rather featured an esoteric, trippy presentation of
shamanism which appealed to people with drug experiences.
The series has received recognition in the comics community, including a Shazam Award for Best Foreign Comic Series in 1973 for the Lieutenant Blueberry books, and a nomination for the Squiddy Award for Favorite Reprint Volume in 1990.
Blueberry
Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud
Fort Navajo Tonnerre à l'ouest L'aigle solitaire Le cavalier perdu La piste des Navajos L'homme à l'étoile d'argent Le cheval de fer L'homme au poing d'acier La piste des sioux Général tête jaune La mine de l'allemand perdu Le spectre aux balles d'or Chihuahua Pearl L'homme qui valait 500 000 $ Ballade pour un cerceuil Le hors-la-loi Angel Face Nez Cassé La longue marche La tribu famtôme La dernière carte Le bout de la piste Arizona LoveMister Blueberry Ombres sur Tombstone Geronimo l'apacheOK CorralDust La jeunesse de Blueberry
Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud
La jeunesse de Blueberry Un Yankee nommé Bleuberry Cavalier bleuJean-Michel Charlier and Colin Wilson
Les démons du Missouri Terreur sur le Kansas Le raid infernal François Corteggiani and Colin Wilson
La pousuite impitoyable Trois hommes pour Atlanta Le prix du sang François Corteggiani and Michel Blanc-dumont
La solution Pinkerton La piste des maudits Dernier train pour Washington Il faut tuer Lincoln Le boucher de Cincinnati Marshal Blueberry
Jean Giraud and William Vance
Sur ordre de Washington Mission Shermann Jean Giraud and Michel Rouge
Frontière sanglante*
Erik Svane,
Martin Surmann,
Alain Ledoux,
Martin Jurgeit,
Gerhard Förster,
Horst Berner:
Blueberry und der europäische Western-Comic (
Zack-Dossier 1;
Berlin:
Mosaik,
2003). ISBN 393266759X
*
Franco-Belgian comics*
Blueberry - The site[
1] Comic Book Awards Almanac
