On September 14, 2026, the Belgian postal service, La Poste, will issue a block of five stamps and a philatelic souvenir in its comic book series, celebrating the 80th anniversary of Lucky Luke, the legendary lone cowboy.
It all started 80 years ago in Spirou magazine. Maurice de Bévère, a young Belgian cartoonist, soon to become famous under the pseudonym Morris, drew the first panel of what would become a landmark in comics: The Adventures of Lucky Luke. Influenced by Disney's aesthetic, the style was still rounded and the stories short, but the character displayed a strong visual and narrative identity. With bowed legs and jet-black hair topped with a Stetson, wearing a yellow shirt, a black vest, and a red scarf—reminiscent of the Belgian flag Lucky Luke roams the American West on the back of Jolly Jumper, his faithful steed, as intelligent as he is mischievous and capable of talking... to the reader. A champion of justice and a defender of the underdog, the big-hearted but quick-draw "lonesome cowboy" certainly has the makings of a legend.
In 1948, Morris embarked on a trip to the United States where he had one of the most important encounters of his life: his meeting with René Goscinny. Under the pen of the future creator of Asterix, Lucky Luke's adventures gained depth and took on a more parodic dimension.
The stories were inspired by great figures of the American West, such as Jesse James, Calamity Jane, and Billy the Kid, while the Dalton cousins, their mother Ma Dalton, and Rantanplan made their first appearance.
From 1955 to 1977, Morris and René Goscinny created thirty-eight albums and their first animated film, Daisy Town, released in theaters in 1971. This was Lucky Luke's golden age. After René Goscinny's death, Morris continued the series until his own passing in 2001. In accordance with his wishes, Lucky Luke continues to draw faster than his shadow under the pen of Achdé, joined by Jul as screenwriter in 2016.
With over eighty albums and 300 million copies sold, Lucky Luke remains one of the most popular heroes in the history of comics.
