| Blueberry | |
 Blueberry as drawn by Jean Giraud |
|
| Publisher | Dargaud, Le Lombard, Fleurus, Hachette, Novedi, Alpen Publishers |
|---|---|
| Format | Graphic novel |
| Publication date | 1963 - Present |
| Main character(s) | Mike S. Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series Le Lombard or Lombard Editions is a Belgian Comic book publisher established in 1946 when the Tintin magazine Hachette is a large French Media group, now a Multinational. Originally Hachette was a bookshop and publishing company set up by Louis A Blueberry (born as Michael Steven Donovan) |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Jean-Michel Charlier (until 1990), Jean Giraud (from 1995) |
| Artist(s) | Jean "Mœbius" Giraud |
| Creator(s) | Jean-Michel Charlier Jean Giraud |
Blueberry is a Franco-Belgian comics western series created by the Belgian scriptwriter Jean-Michel Charlier and French comics artist Jean "Mœbius" Giraud. Jean-Michel Charlier ( October 30, 1924 - July 10, 1989) was a Belgian Scriptwriter best known as a writer of realistic Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (born May 8, 1938) is a French comics artist. Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (born May 8, 1938) is a French comics artist. Jean-Michel Charlier ( October 30, 1924 - July 10, 1989) was a Belgian Scriptwriter best known as a writer of realistic Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (born May 8, 1938) is a French comics artist. Franco-Belgian comics are Comics that are created in Belgium and France. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Jean-Michel Charlier ( October 30, 1924 - July 10, 1989) was a Belgian Scriptwriter best known as a writer of realistic This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A comics artist is an Artist working within the Comics medium on Comic strips Comic books or Graphic novels The term may refer to Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (born May 8, 1938) is a French comics artist. It chronicles the adventures of Mike Blueberry on his travels through the American Old West. Blueberry is an atypical western hero, he is not a wandering lawman who brings evil-doers to justice, nor a handsome cowboy who "rides into town, saves the ranch, becomes the new sheriff and marries the schoolmarm. "[1]
Contents |
Synopsis
The story follows Michael Steven Donovan, nicknamed "Blueberry", a name he chose when fleeing from his Southern enemies (which was inspired when he looked at a blueberry bush), starting with his adventures as a lieutenant in the United States Cavalry shortly after the American Civil War. Blueberries are Flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South 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. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that He was framed for a murder he did not commit, had to flee and was saved by an African-American. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa 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. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States
Publication history
Original publications in French
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 his collaboration on Jijé's Jerry Spring in 1961, which appeared in the Belgian comics magazine Spirou. Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West between the years of 1860 and 1900 Jijé ( January 13, 1914 - June 20, 1980) was a Belgian comics artist, best known for Spirou et Fantasio Jerry Spring is a Franco-Belgian Western Comics series created by the Belgian comics creator Jijé. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Belgium and France have a long tradition in Comics. They have a common history for comics (see Franco-Belgian comics) and magazines Spirou magazine is a Belgian comics magazine. First published April 21, 1938 as Le Journal de Spirou, it was an eight page weekly comics Around 1961-1962 Jean Giraud asked Jean-Michel Charlier, whether he wanted to write scripts for a new western series for Pilote. Pilote was a French cartoon periodical published from 1959 to 1989 Charlier refused at first, since he never felt much empathy for the genre. In 1963 the magazine sent Charlier on a reporting assignment to Edwards Airforce Base in the Mojave Desert, California. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope For the indigenous American tribe see Mohave. The Mojave Desert (moʊˈhɑːvi or /məˈhɑːvi/ ( Hayikwiir Mat'aar in Mojave He took the opportunity to discover the American West, returning to France with a strong urge to write a western. First he asked Jijé to draw the series, but Jijé thought there would be a conflict of interest, since he was a regular artist at Spirou, a competing comic magazine. Jijé ( January 13, 1914 - June 20, 1980) was a Belgian comics artist, best known for Spirou et Fantasio [2] Therefore Jijé proposed his protégé Giraud as the artist. [3] Charlier and Giraud have also collaborated on another Western strip, Jim Cutlass.
Blueberry was first published in the October 31, 1963 issue of the comics magazine Pilote. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pilote was a French cartoon periodical published from 1959 to 1989 [4] Initially titled "Fort Navajo", the story grew into 46 pages over the following issues. In this series Blueberry was only one of many protagonists. Charlier came up with the name during his American trip: "When I was traveling throughout the West, I was accompanied by a fellow journalist who was just in love with blueberry jam, so much in love, in fact, that I had nicknamed him "Blueberry". When I began to create the new series, and everything started to fall into place, I decided to reuse my friend's nickname, because I liked it and thought it was funny. [. . . ] I had no idea that he would prove so popular that he would eventually take over the entire series, and later we would be stuck with that silly name!"[2]
Charlier and Giraud continued to add to the legend of Mike Blueberry in Pilote and other titles even into the 1990s. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 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.
Between 1963 and 1973 Blueberry stories were first published in Pilote or Super Pocket Pilote prior to issuing them in album format. [5]
Since Charlier's death, Giraud writes and draws each album (from Mister Blueberry to Dust - 5 albums until today).
English translations
The first English translations of Blueberry comics were published in Europe during the late seventies by Egmont/Methuen. Egmont is one of the leading Media industry groups of Scandinavia. Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British Publishing house and publishes in the areas of Theatre and Drama. Since then English translations were published by many other companies (Epic Comics, Comcat, Mojo Press, Dark Horse Comics) resulting into all kinds of formats and quality - from b/w, american comic book sized budget collections to full color European style albums with many extras. Epic Comics was a creator-owned Imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982 lasting through the mid-1990s and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s Catalan Communications was a New York Publishing company operated by Bernd Metz which mainly focused on English-language translations of European Mojo Press is a now-defunct Small press which primarily published Science fiction, horror, and western books and Graphic novels between Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest independent American Comic book publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics Since 1993 no Blueberry comics were published in English. Moebius painted new covers for the Epic line of Blueberry. Actually this was the first time Blueberry was published under Giraud's pseudonym, Moebius. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) As R.J.M. Lofficier, the translator of the books wrote: "This is quite ironic because Giraud first coined the "Moebius" pseudonym precisely because he wanted to keep his two bodies of work separate. Jean-Marc Lofficier (born June 22, 1954) is a French author of Books about Films and Television programs, as well as numerous Yet, the artist recognizes the fact that he he has now become better known in this country under his "nom-de-plume," and this is his way of making it official!"[1]
| French title | French release (yyyy/mm)[6] | English saga title | English title and data | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Navajo | 1965/09 | Lieutenant Blueberry: Fort Navajo Series | Fort Navajo (Egmont/Methuen, 1977) | Published in Belgium |
| Tonnerre à l'ouest | 1966/01 | Thunder in the West (Egmont/Methuen, 1977) | ||
| L'aigle solitaire | 1967/01 | Lone Eagle (Egmont/Methuen, 1978) | ||
| Le cavalier perdu | 1968/01 | Mission to Mexico (Egmont/Methuen, 1978) | ||
| La piste des Navajos | 1969/01 | not translated | ||
| L'homme à l'étoile d'argent | 1969/10 | The Man with the Silver Star (Dargaud, 1983) | ||
| Le cheval de fer | 1970/01 | Lieutenant Blueberry | The Iron Horse (Epic, 1991) | |
| L'homme au poing d'acier | 1970/03 | Steel Fingers (Epic, 1991) | ||
| La piste des sioux | 1971/01 | General Golden Mane (Epic, 1991) | Two chapters in one book. A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity Chapter title: The Trail of the Sioux | |
| Général tête jaune | 1971/10 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book title. | ||
| La mine de l'allemand perdu | 1972/01 | Marshall Blueberry | The Lost Dutchman's Mine (Epic, 1991) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. |
| Le spectre aux balles d'or | 1972/07 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: The Ghost with the Golden Bullets | ||
| Chihuahua Pearl | 1973/01 | Blueberry | Chihuahua Pearl (Epic, 1989) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. |
| L'homme qui valait 500 000 $ | 1973/07 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: "The Half-a-Million Dollar Man" | ||
| Ballade pour un cerceuil | 1974/01 | Ballad for a Coffin (Epic, 1989) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. | |
| Le hors-la-loi | 1974/10 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: The Outlaw | ||
| Angel Face | 1975/07 | Angel Face (Epic, 1989) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. | |
| Nez Cassé | 1980/01 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: Broken nose | ||
| La longue marche | 1980/10 | The Ghost Tribe (Epic, 1990) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: The Long March | |
| La tribu fantôme | 1982/03 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. | ||
| La dernière carte | 1983/11 | The End of the Trail (Epic, 1990) | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title: The Last Card | |
| Le bout de la piste | 1986/09 | Two chapters in one book. Chapter title same as book. | ||
| Arizona Love | 1990/10 | Arizona Love (Dark Horse Comics, 1993) | Divided into sequels: Cheval Noir #46-50. Black and white, american current size comic book format. | |
| Mister Blueberry | 1995/11 | not translated | ||
| Ombres sur Tombstone | 1997/11 | not translated | ||
| Geronimo l'apache | 1999/10 | not translated | ||
| OK Corral | 2003/09 | not translated | ||
| Dust | 2005/03 | not translated | ||
- In the case of some Epic versions (e. g. Chihuahua Pearl, Ballad for a Coffin), Titan Books has issued the identically same albums for the UK market, with a few months delay. Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company established in 1981
- Mojo Press published a black and white, American comic book sized budget collection: The Blueberry Saga #1: The Confederate Gold in 1996. It contains the following stories: Chihuahua Pearl, "The Half-A-Million Dollar Man", Ballad for a Coffin, The Outlaw, Angel Face. It also contains a 14 page non Blueberry comic.
- Some issues of Graphitti Design's series presenting Moebius dealt with Blueberry. Moebius #9 contains the The Lost Dutchman's Mine and The Ghost with the Golden Bullets, along with non Blueberry westerns (King of the Buffalo, Jim Cutlass: Mississippi River).
Non-English translations
Since its inception, the series has slowly gained a large following in Europe, and has been extensively translated into several languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, Finnish, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside The Serbo-Croatian language or Croato-Serbian language (cрпскохрватски језик srpskohrvatski jezik) is a South Slavic Diasystem Hungarian ( magyar nyelv) is a Uralic language (more specifically a Ugric language) unrelated to most other languages in Europe. Apart from Europe, in India it has been translated in Tamil by Prakash Publishers in their "Muthu" comics.
Prequels and sequels
A "prequel" series, La Jeunesse de Blueberry (Young Blueberry), as well as the sequels Marshal Blueberry and Mister Blueberry have been published as well, with other artists and writers, most famously William Vance. William Vance, the pen name of William van Cutsem, born August 9, 1935, is a Belgian Comics artist widely known throughout a long
The Young Blueberry (La Jeunesse de Blueberry)
A prequel dealing with Blueberry's early years, during the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South How the racist son of a wealthy plantation owner turned into a Yankee bugler and all the adventures after that. The material for the first few albums were first seen in digest sized Super Pocket Pilote during the late sixties. Later these were blown up, rearranged, colored, to fit the album format. Some panels were omitted in the process. The English language, ComCat edition of these stories give track of the changes and present the left out panels. Only the first three stories were published in English, although the company planed to publish The Missouri Demons and Terror over Kansas, as can be seen on the back covers of the ones published. The three albums were also published in a single hardcover version.
Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud
- La jeunesse de Blueberry - Blueberry's Secret (ComCat comics, september 1989)
- Un Yankee nommé Blueberry - A Yankee Named Blueberry (ComCat comics, march 1990)
- Cavalier bleu - The Blue Coats (ComCat comics, july 1990)
Jean-Michel Charlier and Colin Wilson
- Les démons du Missouri (The Missouri Demons)
- Terreur sur le Kansas (Terror Over Kansas)
- Le raid infernal (The Train from Hell)
François Corteggiani and Colin Wilson
- La pousuite impitoyable (The Merciless Pursuit)
- Trois hommes pour Atlanta (The Three Men from Atlanta)
- Le prix du sang (The Price of Blood)
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, page layout by René Follet
- Sur ordre de Washington
- Mission Shermann
Jean Giraud and Michel Rouge
- Frontière sanglante
Characters
Legacy and Awards
The series has received wide recognition in the comics community, and the chief factor when Giraud received the Swedish Adamson Award for Best International Comic Series in 1979. Colin Henry Wilson (born June 26, 1931 in Leicester) is a prolific British writer François Corteggiani (born 1953 is a French Comics artist and writer William Vance, the pen name of William van Cutsem, born August 9, 1935, is a Belgian Comics artist widely known throughout a long René Follet (born April 10, 1931) sometimes known by the Pen name Ref, is a Belgian illustrator Comics Writer "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Adamson Awards is a Swedish award awarded to notable cartoonists named after the famous Swedish comic strip "Adamson" (Silent Sam [7]
The Blueberry saga published by Epic was nominated for Best American Edition of Foreign Material for the 1992 Harvey Awards. The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993 and coordinated by the publisher Fantagraphics are given for achievement in Comic books [8]
The Blueberry Saga #1: The Confederate Gold published by Mojo Press was nominated for Best Archival Collection for the 1997 Eisner Awards [9]
Adaptations and merchandise
A 2004 film adaptation, Blueberry (U.S. release title is Renegade), was directed by Jan Kounen and starred Vincent Cassel in the lead role. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is a prize given for creative achievement in American Comic books It is named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ---- Blueberry ( Blueberry L'expérience secrète) is a French movie adaptation of the popular Franco-Belgian comic book series The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jan Kounen (born May 2 1964 Utrecht Netherlands) is a Dutch-born French Film director and producer. Vincent Cassel (born November 23 1966) is a French Actor. He has appeared in both French and English language Films. 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. In addition to the comic strips, Blueberry and his fellow characters can be found on posters, clothing, and other items.
Further reading
- Erik Svane, Martin Surmann, Alain Ledoux, Martin Jurgeit, Gerhard Förster, Horst Berner: Blueberry und der europäische Western-Comic (Zack-Dossier 1; Berlin: Mosaik, 2003). Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Mosaik is a German Comic book. First published in December 1955, it is the longest running German (and European monthly comic book Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ISBN 3-932667-59-X
Notes
- ^ a b R. J. M. Lofficier: Before Nick Fury, There was. . . Lieutenant Blueberry in Marvel Age #79 october, 1989.
- ^ a b Afterword by Jean-Michel Charlier in Blueberry 2: Ballad for a Coffin. Epic Comics. 1989 ISBN #0-87135-570-1
- ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia. Jean Giraud.
- ^ BDoubliées. Pilote année 1963 (French).
- ^ http://www.bdoubliees.com/journalpilote/series1/blueberry.htmí
- ^ According to http://www.bedetheque.com
- ^ Comic Book Awards Almanac. Adamson Awards.
- ^ 1992 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners
- ^ 1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners
References
- Fort Navajo and Blueberry publications in Pilote BDoubliées (French)
External links
- Blueberry official site (French)
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