Did you know that Buck Danny is 75 years old?

Buck Danny, a U.S. Army fighter pilot, has been enjoying extraordinary and exciting adventures at the controls of his plane for 75 years. He made his debut in 1947 in the weekly magazine Spirou, which publishes French-speaking Belgian comics and excellent ones at that: Spirou & Fantasio, Lucky Luke, Boule & Bill, Gaston, The Smurfs and Les Tuniques Bleues.

 

Buck Danny is the product of the collaboration and imagination of two men: Jean-Michel Charlier, undoubtedly one of the greatest names in the history of French-speaking comics, one of the people responsible for giving prominence to the profession of comic strip writer, and draftsman Victor Hubinon, a follower of the great Jijé.  The two men were born in Liège in 1924 and met at the World Press agency, which supplies Spirou with stories, comics and articles. After "L’agonie du Bismarck" (1946), the two friends experienced success the following year (and until 1978) with Buck Danny, the pilot who never aged and whose adventures began with the surprise Japanese attack on the American base of Pearl Harbour in December 1941, and continue today with his participation in the Bosnian war. 

 

The main character, a tall, athletic blond with a steely temperament and heroic courage, never hesitates to risk his life to save his comrades and to accomplish his duty. He was soon joined by two friends in life and death, namely Sonny Tuckson, a small goofy Texan, an entertaining but excellent pilot, and Jerry Tumbler, who was cautious but not without a sense of humour. The trio has a recurring enemy, the famous Lady X, probably inspired by Hanna Reitsch, a Luftwaffe officer fighter during World War II who was awarded the Iron Cross with diamonds by the Führer.

 

Buck Danny continues his adventures today; the most recent album (58th) " Le pacte ! " was published in 2021, with Gil Formosa in charge of drawings and Frédéric Zumbiehl  writing the script.