The Daltons (Lucky Luke)
Encyclopedia
The Daltons are fictional outlaws who regularly appear in the Lucky Luke
comic book
series and are recurrent villains. They were created by Morris
and writer René Goscinny
. They are loosely inspired by the real-life Dalton Gang
.
— Bob, Grat, Bill and Emmett — appear in the Lucky Luke adventure "Hors-la-loi" written and drawn by Morris in 1951. Morris drew them absolutely identical in everything but height, which varied from Bob, the smallest and most dangerous, to the tallest Emmett. At the end of the story the Daltons were all killed in a raid the town of Coffeyville, Kansas
where two of the real-life Daltons, Bob and Grat, were also killed (In real life, Emmett
was wounded in the Coffeyville shootout and subsequently jailed, and Bill Dalton did not take part in the raid).
is often assigned to help Luke in tracking them down.
The Daltons also appear in a spin-off series "Rantanplan
" as well as many episodes of various Lucky Luke animated series. In another spin-off, "Lucky Kid", they appeared in a story titled "Oklahoma Jim" in which they meet Lucky Luke for the first time as kids.
, William was a triggerhappy arms maniac and Jack a master of disguise, but those character traits weren't kept in the subsequent albums. William is usually the smaller of the two, but continuity mistakes sometimes switched them around: in Dalton City
for instance, William is the taller of the two.
Although in "Le Cousins Dalton" after the gang has split up in order to locate Lucky Luke, he is the one who finds their target. After sending telegrams to his brothers on Finding Lucky Luke Averell confronts him in the local saloon and tells him to fight like a man, resulting in a fist fight that ends up undecided, Averell and Lucky Luke are evenly matched. In "Les Dalton dans le blizzard", the Daltons stage a boxing match between Joe and Averell, which Averell wins. This is surprising, as it's normally Joe who beats up Averell. It can be assumed that Averell is the stronger of the two, but normally the least aggressive.
In "La Corde au cou" Averell and the other brothers were married to native American tribes women in order to escape the death penalty. Averell's wife was the only one with physical beauty and he enjoyed living the life of a settled down married man. At the end of the story after the Daltons are back in jail Averell is seen receiving telegrams from his wife indicating that their relationship is still going strong.
Ma later returned to actual crime, allowing her sons to dress up as her in order to rob the banks more easily (the bank managers hesitant to admit that they had been robbed by an old woman).
She loves Averell the most. She treats her grown-up sons as if they were still children: washing the mouth of one of them with soap when he uses abusive language and even spanking Joe. In La Ballade des Dalton
, it's commented she used to remind Jack to put on his sweater whenever she took them to raids.
Ma Dalton was somewhat inspired by real-life Ma Barker
.
Never appearing himself, but often mentioned, is the Daltons' father. Joe is supposed to be very much like him. He was a safe-cracker but decided to try out dynamite and was killed.
One story features Marcel Dalton, a bank owner living in Switzerland, a disgrace to the Dalton family, because of his honesty. He is Ma Daltons only brother.
In the animated movie La Ballade des Dalton
(and the album of the same name), an Uncle Henry Dalton is mentioned. He is only seen on a "Wanted" poster and a statue of him is also shown near the end (he looks much like Joe). He is referred to as a great bandit, inspiration and idol to Joe, Jack, William and Averell. In the movie the boys are told that Henry has died by hanging ("a natural death" as Joe puts it). His will stipulates that the boys inherit his fortune if they will kill the judge and jury which sentenced him to death. Henry is said to look like the Daltons' father, who was mentioned to have stayed in prison for 40 years.
Another uncle, Jim, who was hanged, is mentioned once.
The Daltons appeared also in the first live action movie Lucky Luke and the follow-up TV series, in which they were portrayed by Ron Carey
, Dominic Barto, Bo Greigh and Fritz Sperberg. Note that "Averell" was constantly misspelled as "Averill".
The Daltons starred in a 2004 movie titled simply Les Dalton
, in which Joe (Éric Judor), William (Romain Berger), Jack (Saïd Serrari) and Averell (Ramzy Bédia
) find out about a magic sombrero which makes people invincible, and try to steal it in order to rob a bank. Lucky Luke was only an episodic character in the movie. Ma Dalton was in the movie as well, and she had three friends, all mothers of famous Western criminals (Jesse James, Butch Cassidy
, Billy the Kid
). The movie got poor reviews. Many fans complained that it lacked the humour and the spirit of the original books.
The TV animation series The New Adventures of Lucky Luke (started in 2001) includes the four Dalton brothers in most episodes.
The film Go West includes the Daltons, even though the comic that served as inspiration to the movie The caravan
does not.
Xilam Productions has announced an animated television series "Les Dalton", focusing on the characters of the Daltons. The series will contain 78 episodes of 8 minutes and will air in fall 2010 in France (source: "The Daltons let loose by Xilam").
Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke is a Belgian comics series created by Belgian cartoonist, Maurice De Bevere better known as Morris, the original artist, and was for one period written by René Goscinny...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series and are recurrent villains. They were created by Morris
Morris (comics)
Maurice De Bevere , better known as Morris, was a Belgian cartoonist and the creator of Lucky Luke. His pen name is an alternate spelling of his first name.-Biography:...
and writer René Goscinny
René Goscinny
René Goscinny was a French comics editor and writer, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris and Iznogoud with Jean Tabary.-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family...
. They are loosely inspired by the real-life Dalton Gang
Dalton Gang
The Dalton Gang, also known as The Dalton Brothers, was a family of both lawmen and outlaws in the American Old West during 1890-1892. They specialized in bank and train robberies. They were related to the Younger brothers, who rode with Jesse James, though they acted later and independently of...
.
The original gang's appearance
The "real" DaltonsDalton Gang
The Dalton Gang, also known as The Dalton Brothers, was a family of both lawmen and outlaws in the American Old West during 1890-1892. They specialized in bank and train robberies. They were related to the Younger brothers, who rode with Jesse James, though they acted later and independently of...
— Bob, Grat, Bill and Emmett — appear in the Lucky Luke adventure "Hors-la-loi" written and drawn by Morris in 1951. Morris drew them absolutely identical in everything but height, which varied from Bob, the smallest and most dangerous, to the tallest Emmett. At the end of the story the Daltons were all killed in a raid the town of Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
where two of the real-life Daltons, Bob and Grat, were also killed (In real life, Emmett
Emmett Dalton
Emmett Dalton was an American outlaw, train robber and member of the Dalton Gang in the American Old West. Part of the ill-fated Dalton raid on two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, he survived despite receiving 23 gunshot wounds...
was wounded in the Coffeyville shootout and subsequently jailed, and Bill Dalton did not take part in the raid).
The fictional cousins
Morris regretted killing the Dalton gang, which had proved popular with readers, and decided to invent a second quartet, introduced as cousins of the originals. By this point, the series had become more humorous and the violence featured was more slapstick and less lethal. These entirely fictional brothers are Joe, William, Jack, and Averell. They look just like their cousins and again each one of them is taller than the previous one, though they vary in personality: from Joe, the hot-tempered leader, to the dim-witted, childlike Averell whose thoughts are focused mainly on food. These Daltons have appeared in many of Lucky Luke's adventures, typically breaking out of jail at the beginning and being sent back by Luke at the end. The prison dog RantanplanRantanplan
Rantanplan is a fictional hound dog created by Belgian comics artist Morris and French writer René Goscinny. Originally a supporting character in the Lucky Luke series, Rantanplan later starred in an eponymous series. Rantanplan is a spoof of Rin Tin Tin, as idiotic as Rin Tin Tin is clever...
is often assigned to help Luke in tracking them down.
The Daltons also appear in a spin-off series "Rantanplan
Rantanplan
Rantanplan is a fictional hound dog created by Belgian comics artist Morris and French writer René Goscinny. Originally a supporting character in the Lucky Luke series, Rantanplan later starred in an eponymous series. Rantanplan is a spoof of Rin Tin Tin, as idiotic as Rin Tin Tin is clever...
" as well as many episodes of various Lucky Luke animated series. In another spin-off, "Lucky Kid", they appeared in a story titled "Oklahoma Jim" in which they meet Lucky Luke for the first time as kids.
Joe Dalton
The smallest, oldest, angriest and least stupid of the brothers, Joe is the leader of the gang and masterminds their prison breaks and various schemes. Perpetually furious and motivated chiefly by an obsessive hatred of Lucky Luke and Rantanplan, Joe frequently beats up his younger brother Averell for his dim-wittedness. Joe is quick to draw his gun but fortunately not much of a shooter.William and Jack Dalton
The middle brothers have somewhat colourless personalities and mostly act as a buffer between Joe and Averell, calming down the former and shutting up the latter. They often repeat the same sentence: "Calm down, Joe", "Joe, calm down". In their first appearanceLes Cousins Dalton
Les Cousins Dalton is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the twelfth album in the Lucky Luke Serie. The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1958....
, William was a triggerhappy arms maniac and Jack a master of disguise, but those character traits weren't kept in the subsequent albums. William is usually the smaller of the two, but continuity mistakes sometimes switched them around: in Dalton City
Dalton City (Lucky Luke)
Dalton City is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original French comic was published by Dargaud in 1969. English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud.-Plot:...
for instance, William is the taller of the two.
Averell Dalton
Averell is the tallest, youngest and stupidest of the Daltons. Obsessed chiefly with food, Averell is sometimes prone to eating various non-edible items, such as soap, which he finds delicious. His very limited understanding of any situation and tendency to goof make him the weakest link of the gang. Averell is actually rather good-natured and not particularly interested in criminal activities, but he has almost no will of his own and simply follows his brothers.Although in "Le Cousins Dalton" after the gang has split up in order to locate Lucky Luke, he is the one who finds their target. After sending telegrams to his brothers on Finding Lucky Luke Averell confronts him in the local saloon and tells him to fight like a man, resulting in a fist fight that ends up undecided, Averell and Lucky Luke are evenly matched. In "Les Dalton dans le blizzard", the Daltons stage a boxing match between Joe and Averell, which Averell wins. This is surprising, as it's normally Joe who beats up Averell. It can be assumed that Averell is the stronger of the two, but normally the least aggressive.
In "La Corde au cou" Averell and the other brothers were married to native American tribes women in order to escape the death penalty. Averell's wife was the only one with physical beauty and he enjoyed living the life of a settled down married man. At the end of the story after the Daltons are back in jail Averell is seen receiving telegrams from his wife indicating that their relationship is still going strong.
Other Daltons
Later stories also feature the mother of the Daltons. Unlike her sons, Ma Dalton was a popular character in her area and the locals agreed to keep her well stocked in food. Not wanting to appear to be an object of charity Ma would do her shopping with an old gun, the way her male relatives would rob a bank. Customers and staff would just raise their arms and serve her with a smile.Ma later returned to actual crime, allowing her sons to dress up as her in order to rob the banks more easily (the bank managers hesitant to admit that they had been robbed by an old woman).
She loves Averell the most. She treats her grown-up sons as if they were still children: washing the mouth of one of them with soap when he uses abusive language and even spanking Joe. In La Ballade des Dalton
La Ballade des Dalton
La Ballade des Dalton is a Lucky Luke adventure. A 1978 animated film from France written by Goscinny and Morris. Two different adaptations into book form were both published in French in 1978. The first, adapted by Guy Vidal, was in text form rather than comic strip, and was accompanied by images...
, it's commented she used to remind Jack to put on his sweater whenever she took them to raids.
Ma Dalton was somewhat inspired by real-life Ma Barker
Ma Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
.
Never appearing himself, but often mentioned, is the Daltons' father. Joe is supposed to be very much like him. He was a safe-cracker but decided to try out dynamite and was killed.
One story features Marcel Dalton, a bank owner living in Switzerland, a disgrace to the Dalton family, because of his honesty. He is Ma Daltons only brother.
In the animated movie La Ballade des Dalton
La Ballade des Dalton
La Ballade des Dalton is a Lucky Luke adventure. A 1978 animated film from France written by Goscinny and Morris. Two different adaptations into book form were both published in French in 1978. The first, adapted by Guy Vidal, was in text form rather than comic strip, and was accompanied by images...
(and the album of the same name), an Uncle Henry Dalton is mentioned. He is only seen on a "Wanted" poster and a statue of him is also shown near the end (he looks much like Joe). He is referred to as a great bandit, inspiration and idol to Joe, Jack, William and Averell. In the movie the boys are told that Henry has died by hanging ("a natural death" as Joe puts it). His will stipulates that the boys inherit his fortune if they will kill the judge and jury which sentenced him to death. Henry is said to look like the Daltons' father, who was mentioned to have stayed in prison for 40 years.
Another uncle, Jim, who was hanged, is mentioned once.
Appearance in albums
The Dalton brothers appeared in the following Lucky Luke albums:- Lucky Luke contre Joss JamonLucky Luke contre Joss JamonLucky Luke contre Joss Jamon is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the eleventh album in the Lucky Luke Series and the second on which Goscinny worked. The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1958.-External links:*...
(11) [bit part only; this plot is set after "Les Cousin Dalton"] - Les Cousins DaltonLes Cousins DaltonLes Cousins Dalton is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the twelfth album in the Lucky Luke Serie. The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1958....
(12) - L'Évasion des DaltonL'Évasion des DaltonL'Évasion des Dalton is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the fifteenth album in the Lucky Luke Series . The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1960.-External links:* *...
(15) - Sur la piste des DaltonSur la piste des DaltonSur la piste des Dalton is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and Morris. It is the seventeenth title in the Lucky Luke Series . The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1962.-External links:* *...
(17) - Billy the KidBilly the KidWilliam H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
(20) (cameo) - Les Dalton dans le blizzardLes Dalton dans le blizzardLes Dalton dans le blizzard is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the twenty-second book in the series and It was originally published in French in the year 1963 .-External links:* *...
(22) - Les Dalton courent toujoursLes Dalton courent toujoursLes Dalton courent toujours is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the twenty third book in the series and It was originally published in French in the year 1964 .-External links:* *...
(23) - Les Dalton se rachètentLes Dalton se rachètentLes Dalton se rachètent is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the twenty sixth book in the series and It was originally published in French in the year 1965 .-External links:* *...
(26) - Tortillas pour les DaltonTortillas pour les DaltonTortillas pour les Daltons is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris published by Dupuis in the year 1967 . It was translated into English as Tortillas for the Daltons . English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud and Cinebooks.-External...
(31) - Dalton CityDalton City (Lucky Luke)Dalton City is a Lucky Luke comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original French comic was published by Dargaud in 1969. English editions of this French series have been published by Dargaud.-Plot:...
(34) - Ma Dalton (38)
- L'Héritage de Ran-Tan-Plan (41)
- La Guérison des DaltonLa Guérison des DaltonLa Guérison des Dalton is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. It is the forty fourth book in the series and It was originally published in French in the year 1975 .-Plot:...
(44) - Le Magot des Dalton (47)
- La Ballade des Dalton et autres histoires (48)
- "Les Dalton prennent le train" dans "La corde du pendu et autres histoires" (50)
- Daisy TownDaisy TownDaisy Town is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny with Morris and illustrated by Morris. It was originally published in French in the year 1983. The comic is an adaptation of the 1971 movie Daisy Town.-External links:* *...
(51) - Fingers (52)
- La fiancée de Lucky Luke (54)
- Nitroglycérine (57)
- "Olé Daltonitos" and "Un cheval disparaît" in "L'alibi" (58)
- L'Amnésie des Dalton (60)
- Les Dalton à la noce (62)
- Belle StarrBelle StarrMyra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr , better known as Belle Starr, was a notorious American outlaw.-Early life:...
(64) - Marcel Dalton (67)
- Le prophèteLe prophèteLe prophète is an opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French-language libretto was by Eugène Scribe.-Performance history:...
(68) - La légende de l'ouest (71)
- La Corde au cou (72)
- Oklahoma Jim (KL 2)
The Daltons in films
Several animated Lucky Luke films feature the Daltons, including:- Daisy TownDaisy TownDaisy Town is a Lucky Luke adventure written by Goscinny with Morris and illustrated by Morris. It was originally published in French in the year 1983. The comic is an adaptation of the 1971 movie Daisy Town.-External links:* *...
(1971) - La Ballade des DaltonLa Ballade des DaltonLa Ballade des Dalton is a Lucky Luke adventure. A 1978 animated film from France written by Goscinny and Morris. Two different adaptations into book form were both published in French in 1978. The first, adapted by Guy Vidal, was in text form rather than comic strip, and was accompanied by images...
(1978) - Les Dalton en cavale (1983)
The Daltons appeared also in the first live action movie Lucky Luke and the follow-up TV series, in which they were portrayed by Ron Carey
Ron Carey (actor)
Ron Carey was an American film and television actor. The 5-foot 4-inch actor was best known for playing cocky Officer Carl Levitt on TV's Barney Miller, in which he was almost always surrounded by male actors who stood at least 4" taller...
, Dominic Barto, Bo Greigh and Fritz Sperberg. Note that "Averell" was constantly misspelled as "Averill".
The Daltons starred in a 2004 movie titled simply Les Dalton
Les Dalton
Les Dalton is a 2004 French Western comedy film directed by Philippe Haïm. It was inspired by the characters The Daltons in the comic Lucky Luke. It was filmed in France, Germany, and Spain. It was released 8 December 2004....
, in which Joe (Éric Judor), William (Romain Berger), Jack (Saïd Serrari) and Averell (Ramzy Bédia
Ramzy Bedia
Ramzy Bedia is a French actor of Algerian descent.After attending a business school, and working at a GAP Store. He started his career as a comedian in 1994 after meeting Eric Judor with whom he forms the duet Eric et Ramzy...
) find out about a magic sombrero which makes people invincible, and try to steal it in order to rob a bank. Lucky Luke was only an episodic character in the movie. Ma Dalton was in the movie as well, and she had three friends, all mothers of famous Western criminals (Jesse James, Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
, Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
). The movie got poor reviews. Many fans complained that it lacked the humour and the spirit of the original books.
The TV animation series The New Adventures of Lucky Luke (started in 2001) includes the four Dalton brothers in most episodes.
The film Go West includes the Daltons, even though the comic that served as inspiration to the movie The caravan
The Caravan
The Caravan is a magazine of politics and culture in India. It is published by Delhi Press. The Caravan was first launched in 1940, but was discontinued in 1988. It was re-launched in January 2010 as a narrative journalism magazine...
does not.
Xilam Productions has announced an animated television series "Les Dalton", focusing on the characters of the Daltons. The series will contain 78 episodes of 8 minutes and will air in fall 2010 in France (source: "The Daltons let loose by Xilam").