Lucky Luke Volume 27 Lucky Luke Versus Joss Jamon

At the end of the Civil War, many former soldiers turn to a life of crime to survive. Joss Jamon and his gang are among the worst of such men. After sacking the town of Los Palitos, they arrange for Lucky Luke to be arrested for their crimes. The lonesome cowboy, a rope already around his neck, is forced to make a deal with the angry citizens: Bring the real bandits back within six months or hang.

In 1860, getting from Missouri to California on the West Coast took a long, long time – not to mention a certain degree of courage. Annoyed at the delay in communication, the federal government offers a grant to whoever can solve the problem and set-up a fast, reliable mail system linking East and West. In response, entrepreneur W.H. Russell founds the Pony Express company: fearless men riding day and night, changing horses at way stations. But not everyone likes that idea...

After a fellow inmate, having received a blow to the head, forgets his own name and is freed as a brand new man, the Daltons start pretending to be amnesiac in order to escape the prison. So as to test their supposed amnesia – and hopefully allow them to retrieve their memories should it be real – they are put in familiar situations: bank hold-ups, train robberies ... under Lucky Luke’s supervision, of course.

Passing through the quiet little town of Rattlesnake, Luke exposes a Mexican gambler as a cheat and runs him out of town. Unfortunately, the hustler ends up in the hands of the Bluefeet Indians and manages to convince them to attack Rattlesnake. A siege begins, during which Luke will have to use all his guile and courage to keep the Bluefeet at bay until the Cavalry arrives.

In this early adventure of the famous cowboy, Lucky Luke is dealing with one of the plagues of the Old West: quacks. “Doctor” Doxey is a con man, a charlatan who brews up useless elixirs and sells them as miracle cures for every ailment known to man. But he doesn’t stop at that and occasionally causes illnesses himself, the better to cure them—a behaviour that does not sit well with Luke...

Everyone knows Joe, Jack, William and Averell Dalton, the four dumbest desperadoes in the Old West and the worst enemies of Lucky Luke’s holidays. But before them, Luke had also encountered their cousins: real-life legends of the West Bob, Grat, Bill and Emmett. When these four began making too much trouble, Luke was called to get rid of them. Fortunately for him, they weren’t much brighter than their successors... but they did provide plenty of entertainment!

Having accepted the sheriff’s job in Red City, Lucky Luke arrives to find a town entirely under the control of Pat Poker, a ruthless gambler, cheat and saloon owner, and his henchmen. His horse, clothes and revolver stolen, Luke decides to pass himself off as a harmless, bumbling tenderfoot, all the better to study his opponents and catch them unaware. Still, Pat won’t give up easily, and keeping him behind bars might require some additional work...

While taking part in a rodeo in Wisconsin, Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper meet Mario Bombardier, a Quebecois cowboy, and his mare the beautiful Province. It’s love at first sight for the two horses, and after the inevitable separation, Jolly Jumper can’t stop moping. Eventually Luke decides to head to Quebec in order to arrange a reunion – and discovers the merry atmosphere of the Nouvelle France: mounted police, bar fights, poutine, traditional French songs ... and an unscrupulous, wealthy banker...