The Painter by Bob de Groot

Why read the book?

Governor Wasterfalls asks Lucky Luke to guard the famous artist Frederic Remington, a portly, hard-drinking, hot-tempered man set on capturing the West on canvas. Remington longs above all to paint the chief Hiawatha, which means venturing into Native American territory.

Lucky Luke has his hands full keeping his charge safe and sober enough to work. The album, the last released in Morris's lifetime, threads a real painter through the usual frontier scrapes and lets the clash between the rough West and the world of art carry the humour, with Jolly Jumper steady through it all.

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What I Loved

Casting the real Remington as a wild, appetite-driven guest is a clever stroke, and his bluster makes for a fine running joke. The journey into tribal land gives the story stakes beyond the comedy, and Luke's patience with his unruly ward is quietly funny. As Morris's final outing it carries a gentle, fond air.

Key Takeaway

A boisterous real-life painter pulls Lucky Luke into the West's wilder corners in search of one portrait.

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