39 - Bonhomme

Bonhomme MATTHIEU BONHOMME LUCKY LUKE (AS SEEN BY...) Lucky Luke’s Long March, Black and White 2026 Original illustration for a silkscreen print in the deluxe edition. Signed. India ink on paper 68 × 46.5 cm (26.77 × 18.31 in.) Everything here evokes the cold that our lone cowboy nonchalantly faces. The branches in the foreground bending under the weight of the snow. The dead tree trunks rendered as solid black areas on the right. The puff of steam escaping from Lucky Luke’s mouth. Likewise, the landscape in the background, whose deceptively hesitant inking evokes mist but also conveys a sense of desolation. All the graphic elements underscore the extreme harshness of the climate. We also note a dazzling interplay of contrasts between the silhouette of the hero on horseback and the immaculate white of his reflection in the water. Finally, it’s surprising that he’s glaring at us, revolver in hand, when logically he should be looking straight ahead. It’s the author’s way of introducing a sense of unease into these landscapes, which are certainly beautiful but, above all, hostile. “It’s yet another way for me to illustrate what happens between two albums. It’s a subject that really makes me think. My first book was already a missing link between two Morris stories. Here, since my third book ended in the snow, Lucky Luke has said goodbye to everyone, and he’s wandering through the woods at night, on the lookout for danger.” M.B.