The Belgian author Morris is best known for his humorous cowboy character, Lucky Luke. Morris started his career in 1945 in Le Moustique, creating various covers and illustrations. By the end of the 1940s, Morris met his colleagues Jijé, Franquin and Will. These four artists would be called "The Gang of 4", because they all worked in Jijé's studio at that time. The first episode of Lucky Luke, 'Arizona 1880', was published in L'Almanach Spirou 1947, and was later continued in Spirou. In his early 'Lucky Luke' comics, Morris was greatly inspired by animated cartoons à la Disney.
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In 1949, Jijé took Morris and Franquin to the US, where Morris met Jack Davis and Harvey Kurtzman, whom he helped with their plans for Mad Magazine. He also met René Goscinny in the US. In 1955, Morris returned to Europe and collaborated with René Goscinny on 'Lucky Luke'. Goscinny wrote the scenarios of over 35 stories, which led to the great success of the series. After Goscinny's death in 1977, Morris worked with many writers, like Bob de Groot, Fauche, Léturgie, Vidal and others.
Lucky Luke quit smoking a long time ago, but he is still one of the most popular comic characters. This popularity led to a motion picture, several cartoons and a spin-off series, about the stupid dog Rantanplan. 'Lucky Luke' is one of the best-sellers in European comic history, and was honored at the festival of Angoulême in 1993 with a big exhibition.
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