77 - Lambil

Lambil WILLY LAMBIL THE BLUE TUNICS The Deserters (Vol. 5), Dupuis 1974 Original artwork no. 14, first published in the Journal de Spirou no. 1836 on June 21, 1973. Signed. India ink on paper 31.7 × 43.2 cm (12.48 × 17.01 in.) When Lambil took over *Les Tuniques Bleues* after Salvérius’s death, Cauvin was already an experienced writer. Lambil also had considerable experience, but more in the semi-realistic style found in the *Sandy and Hoppy* series. With *Les Déserteurs*, Lambil illustrated his first album in the series on his own and permanently established the appearance of Blutch, Chesterfield, and their world. His beautiful, fluid, and expressive artwork—never entirely caricatured—highlights the contrast between the characters’ humor and the necessary realism of war’s violence. In this album, Cauvin pits Blutch’s pacifism against the concepts of courage, cowardice, and military duty: Captain Joyce temporarily takes command of Fort Bow and, in a foolishly authoritarian move, locks up the soldiers who defy him. They escape, and Blutch and Chesterfield give chase, accompanied by their superior officer… He is soon captured by the Comanches… With this volume, Lambil and Cauvin strike a lasting balance between soldierly humor, adventure, and a critical perspective on war. Didier Pasamonik