The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry
Mike Steve Blueberry, the Hero of a popular Franco-Belgian Western Comic book series, celebrated his first appearance in 1963 in the French Comic magazine Pilote. The Cowboy with the broken nose and the alcohol problem, was in its 57 years, a number of transformations. At the beginning, still radiant Western Hero, was brought in line with the nature, as well as what the appearance of blue berry’s, more and more the popular Italo-Western. His adventures were dark and he began his and the role of his comrades in the war against the indigenous people has to be questioned. Also, his latest appearance , The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry in its content is darker than the first look convey’d.
Lieutenant Blueberry is not at first glance what you would call a gentle soul: he gambles, has an affair with the wife of his superiors, and his Motivation, he has drowned many years ago in the alcohol. And yet a highly distinct moral core is in the Inside. When he sees a group of young people is supposedly attacked by natives, he rushes, with his horse, Piggy, to help. On closer inspection of the situation, the good-hearted drunkard is not clear that it was probably so, as it seemed at first. The three young people, two men and a woman, rode through the countryside, they discovered a young Indian woman, which was bathing in a lake. One of the Three came up with stupid ideas and when the girls and their mother put up a fight, they were shot by the leader in cold blood. Stupid only: in the case of the dead is the wife of the Apaches Amertume, which was thanks to his cunning and cruelty of a legend among the American soldiers. But the murderer is not a blank slate, it is the oldest and favorite daughter of a radical fundamentalist band leader. Blueberry that is unintentionally caught between the fronts, trying everything to avoid an escalation and to protect innocent life
© DARGAUD 2020, by Blain & Sfar, after Charlier & Giraud/ Egmont Comic Collection
The Italo-Western on paper
The story, written by Christophe Blain and Joann Sfar pays homage to the classics. The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry is my first encounter with the title heroes. In this respect, I have no comparisons to previous classic stories of the figure and can The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry for just standing values. In short, I found the Comic very much.
A total of 61 pages a Wild unfolds-West Story, which is also dark themes like rape, racism, religious fanaticism, Yes, even before the (implied) incest a halt. There are in The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry is not really Good and Evil. All pages will have comprehensible motives that drive them to their actions, and all believe to be right. Unfortunately, however, there is hardly anything more dangerous than a man who sees himself in the right, because this is justified in the situation of absolute cruelty for as long as the end justifies the means. Between these fronts, we have a hero, this fact-oriented, because he thought even once to fight for a just cause. This Knowledge he drowned in alcohol, it hides behind pithy sayings and acts like he is Indifferent. At the same time, he continues, however, with great passion for a bloodless solution to the conflict, and it is clear that in the bearded, rough shell is a very empathetic core is hidden.
Whether it’s Blueberry manage the Situation to solve, – oriented at this point, not yet, because The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry ends with a Cliffhanger. Therefore, I had the feeling to have to do it with a prologue.
© DARGAUD 2020, by Blain & Sfar, after Charlier & Giraud/ Egmont Comic Collection
CONCLUSION
I had The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry is not on the screen, since I figure not knew. Only during my research for the article, I found out that there was, for example, a screen adaptation from the year 2004 with Vincent Cassel in the lead role – which is expected but does not appear to be have been very good. Therefore, I was looking forward to the Comic and had a fun time. I’m a big Western fan and I liked the dark bonds of history. Also Mike Blueberry as a disillusioned cynic with the heart in the right place worked for me on all levels. Only with the drawings of Christophe Blain, I was not very warm, however, this was purely my personal taste and says nothing about the quality of these. For my part, I’m glad I went with The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant Blueberry could extend and I am excited to see how the story continues.
The Trauma of the Apaches – A tribute to Lieutenant BlueberryLanguage: English
Hardcover: 64 Pages
Publisher: Egmont Comic Collection;
Release: 02. April 2020 (1. Edition)
Link: Official Website
The adventures of Lieutenant Blueberry appear in the German-speaking countries at the Egmont Comic Collection.
© DARGAUD 2020, by Blain & Sfar, after Charlier & Giraud/ Egmont Comic Collection
