Lucky Luke - "Last Round for the Daltons": Surprisingly modern and yet classic

Imagine you're a child of the 80s or 90s. The days when you crawled into your room with a cup of cocoa and a new Lucky Luke comic to immerse yourself in the world of the Wild West are unforgettable. And now, years later, you're holding another volume of the legendary comic series in your hands.

"Last Round for the Daltons" is the title of the latest and 102nd adventure in the Lucky Luke series from Ehapa Verlag. As a long-time fan who only recently caught up on the last ten to 15 episodes, I was curious to see whether the magic of the old stories would still work in the newer editions. And I have to say: I was pleasantly surprised by most of them. The question now is: can the latest edition also inspire me or will it disappoint me?

Attention: This review contains spoilers.

Plot: Beer shortage in the Wild West

In the "Last Round for the Daltons", the duo of illustrator Achdé and scenarist Jul take me to an unusual setting: The Wild West is suffering from a beer shortage! In the Wild West town of Neumünchen, Lucky Luke meets the local inhabitants, who complain to him about their woes. The shortage of beer means that the atmosphere is no longer what it used to be and, from their point of view, the town is suffering. He is asked to travel to Milwaukee and act as a mediator in the beer strike. In doing so, he not only meets new, interesting characters, such as the powerful beer baron Frederick Martz, but also familiar figures such as the Daltons.

In the latest episode, Lucky Luke has to deal with a brewers' strike and the modern world of industrial America. In the process, I get to know the world of German immigrants, who have significantly shaped part of US culture. This "German" aspect in particular is humorously presented in several places in the magazine.

Topics and motifs

The big overarching theme of Lucky Luke's 102nd adventure is the beer strike. This is undoubtedly an allegory for the class struggle as described in Marxist theory. The workers, in this case the brewers, are pitted against the owners and Management. The authors use this conflict to raise fundamental questions about justice, exploitation and the struggle for better working conditions.

Based on this, some strikers are becoming radicalised due to their continued dissatisfaction and hopeless situation. The radicalisation of some strike leaders is a classic element of such conflicts. The authors show how easily extreme ideas can take root in such situations if the workers' legitimate demands are not taken seriously.

The second major topic of the story is that of German immigrants. It began at the end of the 17th century. The "Germany" of the time was suffering from the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War. Many farmers lived in poverty, partly due to a lack of land and poor harvests. So these people set off to seek their fortune in a new country that promised them freedom and prosperity: America.

However, the largest wave of immigration did not begin until 1816 and lasted until around the First World War. This began in 1816 due to famine and economic hardship in Germany. German immigration reached its peak in 1882 with around 250,000 immigrants in one year. In total, over 6 million Germans immigrated to the USA during this period.

This naturally ensured that Germans had a major influence on American culture. The comic itself focuses on traffic lights, beer, hamburgers and Heinz ketchup, among other things. Incidentally, German was also one of the most widely spoken languages in the USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Mühlenberg legend is discussed in the comic. It states that German almost became the official language of the USA.

This is not quite true: on 9 January 1794, German immigrants from Virginia submitted a petition to the House of Representatives. In it, they demanded that a collection of laws and ordinances be translated into German. This was intended to make it easier for Germans without a knowledge of English to understand the laws of their new homeland.

A committee of the House of Representatives initially supported this motion. However, the motion was ultimately rejected by 42 votes to 41. Frederick Mühlenberg, a bilingual German immigrant, refused to support the motion. He did not take part in the vote. His reasoning: "The sooner Germans become Americans, the better".

The characters: Lucky Luke in transition?

In my opinion, the portrayal of Lucky Luke is becoming more modern. He's no longer just the clear, dazzling and invulnerable hero, but has more facets. His vulnerability makes him more human. At the beginning of the comic, for example, he is struggling with back pain, which first leads him to Neumünchen. There are moments when even a Lucky Luke struggles with himself and his decisions.

In addition to the Daltons, the main supporting characters are the beer baron Frederick Martz, the union leader Günther Wolf and the Apache Double-Headed Eagle.

The Mescalero Apache is introduced as an old friend of Lucky Luke. However, I can't remember an earlier appearance of the character. He lives in Milwaukee with his German wife Gerda Zalgmüller. Double-Headed Eagle has worked in the city first in high-rise construction and then in a brewery. His character serves primarily to explain and portray the culture of German immigrants and their influence. At the same time, it brings Luke into contact with the strikers and shows him the city.

Amongst the strikers, the lonesome cowboy meets one of the strike leaders, Günther Wolf. In my eyes, the most interesting character in the entire story. And a character who undergoes a development. I have one small point of criticism here. This development happens too quickly for me. It actually only happens in one scene, but more on that later.

His counterpart in the strike is the beer baron Frederick Martz. This character is based on the German-American entrepreneur and president of the Pabst Brewing Company, Frederick Pabst, who died in 1904. Martz is characterised as a self-confident, stubborn capitalist in the comic.

The four Dalton brothers only really enter the conflict late in the story. As convicts, they are summoned by the governor of Wisconsin to work in the breweries at Martz's request. Accordingly, they act as strikebreakers. At the same time, the Daltons become symbolic figures of the revolution in this context. They use the unrest to pursue their own goals and intensify the chaos. Their presence emphasises the danger of violence and destructiveness that lurks in such conflicts.

Narrative style, humour and drawing style

"Last Round for the Daltons" is the fifth joint adventure by illustrator Achdé (Hervé Darmenton) and lyricist Jul (Julien Berjeaut). Achdé has been the illustrator of the series since the death of Lucky Luke creator Morris in 2001. He has been working with Jul on new editions since 2016.

Achdé's drawing style is detailed as usual and brings the characters and landscapes to life. As I really like the classic drawing style of Lucky Luke comics, I feel right at home with it. However, this issue offers much more thanks to the unusual setting of the industrial city of Milwaukee. One of the most impressive scenes in the comic takes place in the city's opera house. This scene is adorned with so many details. It is an early climax within the story and also provides a dramatic twist in the plot.

The pace of the narrative is also interesting, with the faster cuts, image fields and layers creating a more dynamic effect. These set designs support the lively plot, which is also presented and progresses purposefully. At no point does the story become boring. I read through the comic in one go the first time and didn't want to put it down. It really captivated me. Incidentally, the booklet has 48 pages.

The humour is also typical Lucky Luke: dry, with puns and many allusions, not only to the western genre, but this time especially to the influences of German immigrants. The two authors do not shy away from socially critical topics: In particular, the main theme of the issue, the class struggle and the strike theme respectively, is highly topical. Behind the humorous façade lies a small criticism of capitalist structures and the exploitation of workers.

However, there are also jokes, such as the one about a Sheriff Benz: He wears a three-pointed star, is quick to 180, and is otherwise quite reliable. Unfortunately, it just guzzles too much petrol. The tongue-in-cheek reference to Frederick Trump, who made his money as a German immigrant, should also be understood. In the comic, he runs a dodgy establishment where young women are exploited. His grandson Donald has certainly learnt a thing or two from his grandfather.