Pipeline and Sundry: New Smurfs, Lucky Luke, and Matthieu Bonhomme

Publishing News

The next “Lucky Luke” book will be the eightieth in the series.

In it, Luke will be travelling to Paris, and it’ll be just around the same time as the Statue of Liberty was being built. This is interesting news for two reasons. First, there’s the obvious historical timing that ought to be fun. But, more importantly, it’ll mean a new character named Augie in comics: Auguste Bartholdi!

The book is due in November and will be titled something close to “A Cow Boy in Paris.”

Not coincidentally, I’m sure, Achde posted a preview panel to his Instagram account this week.  It’s in the form of a movie because it’s a BIG and busy panel. Looks great!

In other publishing news: Matthieu Bonhomme, artist on “Esteban” and “The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke“, has a new series starting in August with Fabien Nury, of “Stalin Must Die” fame.  It features Belgian royalty, so you know I’m in!

 

Other Media

Dupuis announced a new Smurfs television series is in development. It’ll be CGI animated, of course, and consist of 11 minute stories. There’s no release date announced yet.

I hope those shows eventually make their way over here. Hey, if the French “Garfield” series can make it to Cartoon Network, why not The Smurfs?

Open question: I have yet to see any proof that the promised Tac Au Tac series from the beginning of the year ever came out.  Anyone have a link?  Has anyone in France seen the show yet?

 

Miscellaneous

Check out this batch of photos from Getty Images with Albert Uderzo.  There’s one of him holding Obelix while standing outside of his house. They have him wearing a tuxedo while holding Dogmatix in another.  And then there’s the couples photos, with he and Rene Goscinny reading Asterix with their wives.