Asterix and the Falling Sky
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''Asterix and the Falling Sky'' (, "The Sky Falls On His Head") is the thirty-third volume of the
Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
, the ninth solely written and illustrated by
Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...
and the only volume to introduce science fiction elements into the otherwise historical comedy series. The book was intended as a tribute to
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
and a satire on the state of the French comics industry. It was released on October 14, 2005 to commercial success, but was panned by the critics. This was the final volume produced by Uderzo before handing over the series to a new creative team.


Plot summary

An alien spaceship appears above the Gaulish village, causing nearly all of the people and animals to turn rigid. Only Asterix, Obelix, Getafix and Dogmatix are unaffected due to consumption of the magic potion. An alien named Toon emerges from the spherical spaceship. He is from the planet Tadsilweny and is accompanied by "superclone" security men. Toon turns off his ship's "anti-collision magnetic field", ending the paralysis of the village. He informs the Gauls he is on a mission to confiscate their "secret weapon" (
Getafix This is a list of characters in the ''Asterix'' comics. Main characters Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix are the first characters with short descriptions usually listed at the beginning of each of the ''Asterix'' books (after the map of Gaul). They ...
's potion) that is "known throughout the universe", in order to prevent it from being seized by evil aliens called Nagmas. Meanwhile, a Nagma has landed his spaceship in the nearby Roman camp of Compendium and seeks the "powerful deadly weapon". The Roman centurion Polyanthus gives him directions to the Gaulish village. Toon's army of superclones and the Nagma's "cyberat" robot warriors engage in battle. Asterix and Obelix enter the fray, and the Nagma attempts to abduct Getafix. The Nagma is eventually defeated, and Toon abandons his quest for the magic potion as its only discernible effect on the aliens is to cause them to temporarily increase to an enormous size. As he departs, Toon erases all memory of his visit from the village and the Roman camp.


Reception

Falling Sky was a commercial success, but a critical disappointment. Ian Rankin, writing for
the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, described this Asterix volume as appearing to '
jump the shark The idiom "jumping the shark" was coined in 1985 by Jon Hein in response to a 1977 episode from the fifth season of the American sitcom ''Happy Days'', in which Fonzie (Henry Winkler) jumps over a shark while on water-skis. The phrase is pejo ...
' and 'not a success' which possibly prompted the subsequent eight-year hiatus during which author Uderzo handed over writing duties to a new team. St Mag called it a 'disappointment' with 'more dissatisfactions in the book than anything else'. Roy Boyd from Sling's and Arrows called it a 'confused and pointless tale'. Splinter describes it as 'polarising', and 'the strangest Asterix story' that most deviates from the classic feel of the series, whilst acknowledging the influences that led Uderzo into introducing such foreign elements into the comic. There were some favourable reviews, including from Wales Online who acknowledged that 'purists will probably be horrified', but states that the story contains all the classic elements of an Asterix adventure. On
Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
, it has a score of 3.25 out of 5.


Notes

* The cover is a mirror image of that for the first Asterix adventure, ''
Asterix the Gaul ''Asterix the Gaul'' is the first volume of the Asterix comic strip series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). In ''Le Monde'' 100 Books of the Century, a 1999 poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris n ...
''. * The book is dedicated to Uderzo's older brother Bruno (1920–2004), who first recognized and encouraged his younger brother's talent for art. * At the end of the book, there is a message from Uderzo, paying tribute to "the great creations" of Walt Disney. * The story is seen as a satire of the 2003 United States-led
invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Ba'athist Iraq, Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one mont ...
on the pretext of possession of weapons of mass destruction. The extra-terrestrial elements have been described as a parody of
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
cultural imperialism Cultural imperialism (sometimes referred to as cultural colonialism) comprises the cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" often describes practices in which a social entity engages culture (including language, traditions, ...
. * Toon resembles
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
. The name of his planet, Tadsilweny, is an anagram of
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
, while Hubs is an anagram of Bush (viewed as a reference to then US President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
). Uderzo told
France-Soir ''France Soir'' ( en, France Evening) was a French newspaper that prospered in physical format during the 1950s and 1960s, reaching a circulation of 1.5 million in the 1950s. It declined rapidly under various owners and was relaunched as a popul ...
newspaper he was inspired by "what the Americans are going through today with Bush". * Toon's "superclones" resemble
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
dressed as
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, while the Nagma resembles an insect-like Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
character, very possibly inspired by
Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media generall ...
. Uderzo said he disliked manga comics and his aim was to poke fun at them, while paying tribute to Walt Disney. * Nagma is an anagram of manga while the Nagma sage's name Akoaotaki is an anagram of
Takao Aoki ''Beyblade'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by to promote sales of spinning tops called "Beyblades" developed by Takara Tomy. The series focuses on a group of kids who form teams, which battle ...
, the creator of the
Beyblade is a line of spinning-top toys originally developed by Takara, first released in Japan in July 1999, along with its debut series. Following Takara's merger with Tomy in 2006, Beyblades are now developed by Takara Tomy. Various toy companies ar ...
manga series. * Uderzo was adamant this would not be the final Asterix album, saying in a ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' interview, "No, no, no, it is not the last. Certain journalists believed this because the cover was the mirror image of the first Asterix album. That is indeed the case but it was not at all my intention to suggest it would be the last album." * Although criticized for its science fiction elements, the book was a commercial success, breaking comic book sales records in 2005 when 2.4 million copies of the French-language version were sold in two months.


Awards

*2006 Eagle Award for Best European Comic


References


External links


Official English Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asterix And The Falling Sky Falling Sky, Asterix and the Ancient astronauts in fiction 2005 graphic novels Alien invasions in comics Comics by Albert Uderzo