Deconstructing Lucky Luke with a critical eye on racism

After Asterix & Obelix, the adventures of Lucky Luke are the second-best-selling comic series in Germany, with 30 million copies sold. The lone cowboy is a household name among comic fans, and Lucky Luke albums line the shelves of libraries and children’s bedrooms. These high sales figures alone, and the resulting enormous reach, create a normative standard. Millions of children in Germany have grown up and continue to grow up with the cowboy who aims faster than his shadow.
Particularly in the latest issues, the French comic artist Julien Berjeaut, or JUL for short, places a stronger focus on a diverse portrayal of characters and deliberately avoids stereotypical character traits, especially regarding people of colour and indigenous groups. Dominik Herzner from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) will explore how this succeeds in breaking down racist stereotypes.