Asterix
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''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a French
comic album 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 indicat ...
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...
about a
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
ish village which, thanks to a magic potion that enhances strength, resists the forces of
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
's
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
in a nonhistorical telling of the time after the
Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gauls, Gallic, Germanic peoples, Germanic, and Celtic Britons, Brittonic trib ...
. Many adventures take the titular hero
Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...
and his friend
Obelix Obelix ( ; ) is a cartoon character in the French comic book series ''Asterix''. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman as well as one of the primary defenders of the Gaulish village, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his ...
to Rome and beyond. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine ''
Pilote ''Pilote'' (), for a while subtitled ''the magazine of Asterix and Obelix'' (French: ''Le Journal D’Astérix et D’Obélix'' ) was a French comics magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major Franco-Belgian comics, French ...
'' on 29 October 1959. It was written by
René Goscinny René Goscinny (; ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Asterix, Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Born in France to a Jewish family from Poland, he spent his chil ...
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 wit ...
until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette; he died in 2020. In 2013, a new team consisting of
Jean-Yves Ferri Jean-Yves Ferri () (born 20 April 1959) is a French writer, designer, and colourist of comics. On 25 July 2011, he was chosen as the writer for the next installment of the Asterix series created by René Goscinny René Goscinny (; ; 14 Augu ...
(script) and
Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He deve ...
(artwork) took over. , 40 volumes have been released; the most recent was penned by new writer Fabcaro and released on 26 October 2023. By that year, the volumes in total had sold 393 million copies, making them the best-selling European comic book series, and the second best-selling comic book series in history after ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...
''.


Description

Asterix comics usually start with the following introduction: The series follows the adventures of a village of
Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...
as they resist
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
occupation in 50 BC. They do so using a magic potion, brewed by their
druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...
Getafix (Panoramix in the French version), which temporarily gives the recipient superhuman strength. The protagonists, the title character
Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...
and his friend
Obelix Obelix ( ; ) is a cartoon character in the French comic book series ''Asterix''. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman as well as one of the primary defenders of the Gaulish village, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his ...
, have various adventures. The "-ix" ending of both names (as well as all the other pseudo-Gaulish "-ix" names in the series) alludes to the "-rix" suffix (meaning "king", like "-rex" in Latin) present in the names of many real Gaulish chieftains such as
Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; ; – 46 BC) was a Gauls, Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman Republic, Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. After surrendering to C ...
,
Orgetorix Orgetorix was a wealthy aristocrat among the Helvetii, a Celtic-speaking people residing in what is now Switzerland during the consulship of Julius Caesar of the Roman Republic. Planned migration In 61 BC, he convinced the Helvetians to attempt t ...
, and
Dumnorix Dumnorix (spelled Dubnoreix on coins) was a chieftain of the Aedui, a Celtic tribe in Gaul in the 1st century B.C. He was the younger brother of Divitiacus, the Aedui druid and statesman. The Aedui were allies of Rome, but Dumnorix was a leader ...
. In some of the stories, they travel to foreign countries, whilst other tales are set in and around their village. For much of the history of the series (volumes 4 through 29), settings in Gaul and abroad alternate, with even-numbered volumes set abroad and odd-numbered volumes set in Gaul, mostly in the village. The ''Asterix'' series is one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world, with the series being translated into 111 languages and dialects . The success of the series has led to the adaptation of its books into 15 films: ten animated, and five live action (two of which, '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'' and ''
Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar ''Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' () is a 1999 comedy fantasy adventure film directed by Claude Zidi, the first installment in the ''Asterix'' film series based on Goscinny and Uderzo's Astérix comics. The film combines plots of several Ast ...
'', were major box office successes in France). There have also been a number of
games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
based on the characters, and a theme park near Paris,
Parc Astérix Parc Astérix () is a theme park in France based on the comic book series ''Asterix'' by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. In 2023, the park welcomed over 2.8 million visitors, making it the second most visited park in France behind Disneyland P ...
. The very first French satellite,
Astérix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a French comic album series about a Gaulish village which, thanks to a magic potion that enhances strength ...
, launched in 1965, was named after the character, whose name is close to Greek ἀστήρ and Latin ''astrum'', meaning a "star". As of 20 April 2022, 385million copies of ''Asterix'' books had been sold worldwide and translated in 111 languages making it the world's most widely translated comic book series, with co-creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo being France's best-selling authors abroad. In April 2022, Albert and René's general director, Céleste Surugue, hosted a 45-minute talk entitled 'The Next Incarnation of a Heritage Franchise: Asterix' and spoke about the success of the Asterix franchise, of which he noted "The idea was to find a subject with a strong connection with French culture and, while looking at the country's history, they ended up choosing its first defeat, namely the Gaul's Roman colonisation". He also went on to say how, since 1989, Parc Asterix has attracted an average of 2.3 million visitors per year. Other notable mentions were how the franchise includes 10 animated movies, which recorded over 53 million viewers worldwide. The inception of Studios Idéfix in 1974 and the opening of Studio 58 in 2016 were among the necessary steps to make Asterix a "100% Gaulish production", considered the best solution to keep the creative process under control from start to finish and to employ French manpower. He also noted how a new album is now published every two years, with print figures of 5 million and an estimated readership of 20 million.


Publication history

Prior to creating the ''Asterix'' series, Goscinny and Uderzo had had success with their series '' Oumpah-pah'', which was published in ''
Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...
'' magazine. ''Astérix'' was originally serialised in ''
Pilote ''Pilote'' (), for a while subtitled ''the magazine of Asterix and Obelix'' (French: ''Le Journal D’Astérix et D’Obélix'' ) was a French comics magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major Franco-Belgian comics, French ...
'' magazine, debuting in the first issue on 29 October 1959. In 1961, the first book was put together, titled '' Asterix the Gaul''. From then on, books were released generally on a yearly basis. Their success was exponential; the first book sold 6,000 copies in its year of publication; a year later, the second sold 20,000. In 1963, the third sold 40,000; the fourth, released in 1964, sold 150,000. A year later, the fifth sold 300,000; 1966's ''Asterix and the Big Fight'' sold 400,000 upon initial publication. The ninth ''Asterix'' volume, when first released in 1967, sold 1.2 million copies in two days. Uderzo's first preliminary sketches portrayed Asterix as a huge and strong traditional Gaulish warrior. But Goscinny had a different picture in his mind, visualizing Asterix as a shrewd, compact warrior who would possess intelligence and wit more than raw strength. However, Uderzo felt that the downsized hero needed a strong but dim companion, to which Goscinny agreed. Hence, Obelix was born. Despite the growing popularity of ''Asterix'' with the readers, the financial backing for the publication ''Pilote'' ceased. ''Pilote'' was taken over by
Georges Dargaud Georges Dargaud (; 27 April 1911 – 18 July 1990) was a French publisher of comics, most famously ''Tintin'' magazine, ''Asterix'', and ''Lucky Luke'', through his Dargaud company. Biography Dargaud started out working as a broker for an advert ...
. When Goscinny died in 1977, Uderzo continued the series by popular demand of the readers, who implored him to continue. He continued to issue new volumes of the series, but on a less frequent basis. Many critics and fans of the series prefer the earlier collaborations with Goscinny. Uderzo created his own publishing company,
Éditions Albert René Éditions Albert René is a French publishing house created in 1979 by cartoonist Albert Uderzo, two years after the death of his collaborating scriptwriter René Goscinny. The company Lagardère Publishing (via Hachette Livre) owns 100% of the pu ...
, which published every album drawn and written by Uderzo alone since then. However,
Dargaud Société Dargaud (), doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud, publishing its first comics in 1943. ...
, the initial publisher of the series, kept the publishing rights on the 24 first albums made by both Uderzo and Goscinny. In 1990, the Uderzo and Goscinny families decided to sue Dargaud to take over the rights. In 1998, after a long trial, Dargaud lost the rights to publish and sell the albums. Uderzo decided to sell these rights to Hachette instead of Albert-René, but the publishing rights on new albums were still owned by Albert Uderzo (40%), Sylvie Uderzo (20%) and Anne Goscinny (40%). In December 2008, Uderzo sold his stake to Hachette, which took over the company. In a letter published in the French newspaper ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'' in 2009, Uderzo's daughter, Sylvie, attacked her father's decision to sell the family publishing firm and the rights to produce new ''Astérix'' adventures after his death. She said:
... the co-creator of ''Astérix'', France's comic strip hero, has betrayed the Gaulish warrior to the modern-day Romans – the men of industry and finance.
However, René Goscinny's daughter, Anne, also gave her agreement to the continuation of the series and sold her rights at the same time. She is reported to have said that "''Asterix'' has already had two lives: one during my father's lifetime and one after it. Why not a third?". A few months later, Uderzo appointed three illustrators, who had been his assistants for many years, to continue the series. In 2011, Uderzo announced that a new ''Asterix'' album was due out in 2013, with
Jean-Yves Ferri Jean-Yves Ferri () (born 20 April 1959) is a French writer, designer, and colourist of comics. On 25 July 2011, he was chosen as the writer for the next installment of the Asterix series created by René Goscinny René Goscinny (; ; 14 Augu ...
writing the story and Frédéric Mébarki drawing it. A year later, in 2012, the publisher Albert-René announced that Frédéric Mébarki had withdrawn from drawing the new album, due to the pressure he felt in following in the steps of Uderzo. Comic artist
Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He deve ...
was officially announced to take over drawing duties from Mébarki, with the due date of the new album in 2013 unchanged. In January 2015, after the
murders Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...
of seven cartoonists at the satirical Paris weekly ''
Charlie Hebdo ''Charlie Hebdo'' (; ) is a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. The publication has been described as anti-racist, sceptical, secular, libertarian, and within the tradition of left-wing radicalism ...
'', ''Astérix'' creator Albert Uderzo came out of retirement to draw two ''Astérix'' pictures honouring the memories of the victims.


List of titles

Numbers 1–24, 32 and 34 are by Goscinny and Uderzo. Numbers 25–31 and 33 are by Uderzo alone. Numbers 35–39 are by
Jean-Yves Ferri Jean-Yves Ferri () (born 20 April 1959) is a French writer, designer, and colourist of comics. On 25 July 2011, he was chosen as the writer for the next installment of the Asterix series created by René Goscinny René Goscinny (; ; 14 Augu ...
and
Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He deve ...
. Years stated are for their initial
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
release. # '' Asterix the Gaul'' (1961) # '' Asterix and the Golden Sickle'' (1962) # ''
Asterix and the Goths ''Asterix and the Goths'' (') is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the third story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' maga ...
'' (1963) # ''
Asterix the Gladiator ''Asterix the Gladiator'' (') is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the fourth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' ...
'' (1964) # '' Asterix and the Banquet'' (1965) # ''
Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...
'' (1965) # '' Asterix and the Big Fight'' (1966) # ''
Asterix in Britain ''Asterix in Britain'' (also known as ''"Asterix in the land of the Britons"'' - translated from ') is a French comic story, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the eighth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book serie ...
'' (1966) # '' Asterix and the Normans'' (1967) # ''
Asterix the Legionary ''Asterix the Legionary'' is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966. Synopsis Asterix and Obelix are s ...
'' (1967) # '' Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield'' (1967) # ''
Asterix at the Olympic Games ''Asterix at the Olympic Games'' is the 12th comic book album in the Asterix series. Serialized in Pilote issues 434–455 in 1968 (to coincide with the Mexico City Olympics), it was translated into English in 1972 (to coincide with the Muni ...
'' (1968) # '' Asterix and the Cauldron'' (1969) # ''
Asterix in Spain ''Asterix in Spain'' (, 'Asterix in Hispania') is the fourteenth volume of the ''Asterix'' comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 498–519, i ...
'' (1969) # ''
Asterix and the Roman Agent ''Asterix and the Roman Agent'' (, "Discord") is the fifteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It first appeared as a serial in ''Pilote ''Pilote'' (), for a while subtit ...
'' (1970) # ''
Asterix in Switzerland ''Asterix in Switzerland'' (, "Asterix in the land of the Helvetii") is the sixteenth volume of the ''Asterix'' comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in ''Pilote'' magazine ...
'' (1970) # ''
The Mansions of the Gods ''The Mansions of the Gods'' is the seventeenth graphic novel of the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo and released in 1971. Originally released as a serial for the magazine '' Pilote'', it ...
'' (1971) # ''
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath ''Asterix and the Laurel Wreath'' (, "Caesar's Laurels") is the eighteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in the magazine'' Pilote'', issues 62 ...
'' (1972) # ''
Asterix and the Soothsayer ''Asterix and the Soothsayer'' (, "The Diviner") is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972. In this s ...
'' (1972) # ''
Asterix in Corsica ''Asterix in Corsica'' () is the twentieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (artwork). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 687–708 in 1973. It is the best-selling title in the hist ...
'' (1973) # ''
Asterix and Caesar's Gift ''Asterix and Caesar's Gift'' is the twenty-first volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was the first Asterix adventure that was not published in serial form in ''Pilote'' maga ...
'' (1974) # ''
Asterix and the Great Crossing ''Asterix and the Great Crossing'' is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Plot summary Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transp ...
'' (1975) # '' Obelix and Co.'' (1976) # '' Asterix in Belgium'' (1979) # '' Asterix and the Great Divide'' (1980) # ''
Asterix and the Black Gold ''Asterix and the Black Gold'' (French: ''L'Odyssée d'Astérix'' literally "Asterix's Odyssey") is the twenty-sixth volume of Asterix comic book series, originally published in 1981. It is the second book to be both written and drawn by Albert ...
'' (1981) # '' Asterix and Son'' (1983) # ''
Asterix and the Magic Carpet ''Asterix and the Magic Carpet'' is the twenty-eighth volume of the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first published in 1987, and was translated into English in 1988. It is the four ...
'' (1987) # '' Asterix and the Secret Weapon'' (1991) # ''
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea ''Asterix and Obelix All at Sea'' (, "Obelix's galley hip) is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as to the American actor Kirk Douglas. Plot summary A ...
'' (1996) # ''
Asterix and the Actress ''Asterix and the Actress'' (, "Asterix and Latraviata") is the 31st volume of the Asterix comic book series, written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Plot summary Asterix and Obelix receive a surprise birthday visit from their mothers, who h ...
'' (2001) # ''
Asterix and the Class Act ''Asterix and the Class Act'' (, "Asterix and the Gaulish return; ''la rentrée'' is the French return to school after the summer break) is officially the thirty-second album of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albe ...
'' (2003) # '' Asterix and the Falling Sky'' (2005) # '' Asterix and Obelix's Birthday: The Golden Book'' (2009) # '' Asterix and the Picts'' (2013) # '' Asterix and the Missing Scroll'' (2015) # '' Asterix and the Chariot Race'' (2017) # '' Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter'' (2019) # '' Asterix and the Griffin'' (2021) # '' Asterix and the White Iris'' (2023) # (2025) *Non-canonical volumes: ** ''
Asterix Conquers Rome ''Asterix Conquers Rome'' (French: ''Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix'', literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film '' The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' and "unofficially" the twe ...
'', to be the 23rd volume, before ''Obelix and Co.'' (1976) – comic ** ''
How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When he was a Little Boy How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidman ...
'' (1989) – special issue album ** ''Uderzo Croqué par ses Amis'' (''Uderzo sketched by his friends'') (1996) – tribute album by various artists ** ''
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (') is a French animated feature film, written and directed by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, produced by Dargaud Films and Studios Idéfix, and distributed by Gaumont. It is the third animated film based o ...
'' (2016) – special issue album, illustrated text ''
Asterix Conquers Rome ''Asterix Conquers Rome'' (French: ''Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix'', literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film '' The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' and "unofficially" the twe ...
'' is a comics adaptation of the animated film ''
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (') is a French animated feature film, written and directed by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, produced by Dargaud Films and Studios Idéfix, and distributed by Gaumont. It is the third animated film based o ...
''. It was released in 1976 and was the 23rd volume to be published, but it has been rarely reprinted and is not considered to be
canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean 'according to the canon' the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, ''canonical exampl ...
to the series. The only English translations ever to be published were in the '' Asterix Annual 1980'' and never an English standalone volume. A picture-book version of the same story was published in English translation as ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' by Hodder & Stoughton in 1978. In 1996, a tribute album in honour of Albert Uderzo was released titled ''Uderzo Croqué par ses Amis'', a volume containing 21 short stories with Uderzo in Ancient Gaul. This volume was published by
Soleil Productions Soleil Productions is a French publisher of both original and imported comic books. History Soleil was founded in 1989 in Toulouse by Mourad Boudjellal. Soleil quickly became known as a publisher of cartoons and parodies such as Rahan, Blek l ...
and has not been translated into English. In 2007, Éditions Albert René released a tribute volume titled ''
Astérix et ses Amis ''Astérix et ses amis'' ( English: ''Asterix and his Friends'') is a tribute volume published in 2007 by Les Editions Albert René. The full original title is ''Astérix et ses Amis – Hommage à Albert Uderzo'' ("Asterix and his friends – hom ...
'', a 60-page volume of one-to-four-page short stories. It was a tribute to Albert Uderzo on his 80th birthday by 34 European cartoonists. The volume was translated into nine languages. , it has not been translated into English. In 2016, the French publisher Hachette, along with Anne Goscinny and Albert Uderzo decided to make the special issue album ''The XII Tasks of Asterix'' for the 40th anniversary of the film ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix''. There was no English edition.


Synopsis and characters

The main setting for the series is an unnamed coastal village, rumoured to be inspired by Erquy in
Armorica In ancient times, Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; ; ) was a region of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, and much of historical Normandy. Name The name ''Armorica'' is a Latinized form of the Gauli ...
(present-day
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
), a province of
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
(modern France), in the year 50 BC. Julius Caesar has conquered nearly all of Gaul for the Roman Republic during the
Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gauls, Gallic, Germanic peoples, Germanic, and Celtic Britons, Brittonic trib ...
. The little Armorican village, however, has held out because the villagers can gain temporary superhuman strength by drinking a magic potion brewed by the local village druid, Getafix. His chief is Vitalstatistix. The main protagonist and hero of the village is
Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...
, who, because of his shrewdness, is usually entrusted with the most important affairs of the village. He is aided in his adventures by his rather corpulent and slower thinking friend,
Obelix Obelix ( ; ) is a cartoon character in the French comic book series ''Asterix''. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman as well as one of the primary defenders of the Gaulish village, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his ...
, who, because he fell into the druid's cauldron of the potion as a baby, has permanent superhuman strength (because of this, Getafix steadfastly refuses to allow Obelix to drink the potion, as doing so would have a dangerous and unpredictable result, as shown in ''
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea ''Asterix and Obelix All at Sea'' (, "Obelix's galley hip) is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as to the American actor Kirk Douglas. Plot summary A ...
''). Obelix is usually accompanied by
Dogmatix Dogmatix ( ; ) is a fictional white terrier dog who is a companion to Obelix in the ''Asterix'' comics. ''Dogmatix'' is a pun on the words '' dog'' and '' dogmatic''. In the original French, his name is a pun on the expression '' idée fixe'' ...
, his little dog. (Except for Asterix and Obelix, the names of the characters change with the language. For example, Obelix's dog's name is "Idéfix" in the original French edition.) Asterix and Obelix (and sometimes other members of the village) go on various adventures both within the village and in far away lands. Places visited in the series include parts of
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
(
Lutetia Lutetia, ( , ; ) also known as and ( ; ; ), was a Gallo-Roman culture, Gallo–Roman town and the predecessor of modern-day Paris. Traces of an earlier Neolithic settlement () have been found nearby, and a larger settlement was established ...
,
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
etc.), neighbouring nations (
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
etc.), and far away lands (
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
,
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
etc.). The series employs
science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
elements in the more recent books; for instance, the use of
extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...
in '' Asterix and the Falling Sky'' and the city of
Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...
in ''
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea ''Asterix and Obelix All at Sea'' (, "Obelix's galley hip) is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as to the American actor Kirk Douglas. Plot summary A ...
''. With rare exceptions, the ending of the albums usually shows a big banquet with the village's inhabitants gathering – the sole exception is the
bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...
Cacofonix restrained and gagged to prevent him from singing (but in '' Asterix and the Normans'' the blacksmith Fulliautomatix was tied up). Mostly the banquets are held under the starry nights in the village, where roast boar is devoured and all (but one) are set about in merrymaking. However, there are a few exceptions, such as in ''
Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...
''.


Humour

The humour encountered in the ''Asterix'' comics often centers around
pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
s,
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
s, and
tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...
s of contemporary European nations and French regions. Much of the multi-layered humour in the initial Asterix books was French-specific, which delayed the translation of the books into other languages for fear of losing the jokes and the spirit of the story. Some translations have actually added local humour: In the Italian translation, the Roman legionaries are made to speak in 20th-century Roman dialect, and Obelix's famous '' Ils sont fous, ces Romains !'' ("These Romans are crazy") is translated as ''Sono pazzi questi romani'', a long-established humorous expansion of the Roman abbreviation ''
SPQR SPQR or S.P.Q.R., an initialism for (; ), is an emblematic phrase referring to the government of the Roman Republic. It appears on documents made public by an inscription in stone or metal, in dedications of monuments and public works, and on ...
''. In another example:
Hiccups A hiccup (scientific name singultus, from Latin for "sob, hiccup"; also spelled hiccough) is an involuntary contraction ( myoclonic jerk) of the diaphragm that may repeat several times per minute. The hiccup is an involuntary action involvi ...
are written onomatopoeically in French as ''hips'', but in English as "hic", allowing Roman legionaries in more than one of the English translations to decline their hiccups absurdly in Latin (''hic, haec, hoc''). The newer albums share a more universal humour, both written and visual.


Character names

All the fictional characters in ''Asterix'' have names which are puns on their roles or personalities, and which follow certain patterns specific to nationality. Certain rules are followed (most of the time) such as Gauls (and their neighbours) having an "-ix" suffix for the men and ending in "-a" for the women; for example, Chief Vitalstatistix (so called due to his portly stature) and his wife Impedimenta (often at odds with the chief). The male Roman names end in "-us", echoing Latin nominative male singular form, as in
Gluteus Maximus The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip in humans. It is the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles and makes up a large part of the shape and appearance of each side of the hips. It is the single largest muscle in ...
, a muscle-bound athlete whose name is literally the butt of the joke. Gothic names (present-day Germany) end in "-ic", after Gothic chiefs such as Alaric and Theoderic; for example
Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...
the interpreter. Greek names end in "-os" or "-es"; for example,
Thermos A vacuum flask (also known as a Dewar flask, Dewar bottle or thermos) is an thermal insulation, insulating storage vessel that slows the speed at which its contents change in temperature. It greatly lengthens the time over which its contents r ...
the restaurateur. British names usually end in "-ax" or "-os" and are often puns on the
taxation A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal person, legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to Pigouvian tax, regulate and reduce nega ...
associated with the later
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
; examples include Mykingdomforanos, a British tribal chieftain, Valuaddedtax the druid, and Selectivemploymentax the mercenary. Names of Normans end with "-af", for example Nescaf or Cenotaf. Egyptian characters often end in ''-is'', such as the architects Edifis and Artifis, and the scribe Exlibris. Indic names, apart from the only Indic female characters Orinjade and Lemuhnade, exhibit considerable variation; examples include Watziznehm, Watzit, Owzat, and Howdoo. Other nationalities are treated to
pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn f ...
translations from their language, like Huevos y Bacon, a Spanish chieftain (whose name, meaning
eggs and bacon A full breakfast or fry-up is a substantial cooked breakfast meal often served in Britain and Ireland. Depending on the region, it may also be referred to as a full English, a full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh or Ulster fry. The fried br ...
, is often guidebook Spanish for tourists), or literary and other popular media references, like Dubbelosix (a sly reference to
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
's codename "007"). Most of these jokes, and hence the names of the characters, are specific to the translation; for example, the druid named Getafix in English translation – "get a fix", referring to the character's role in dispensing the magic potion – is ''Panoramix'' in the original French and ''Miraculix'' in German. Even so, occasionally the wordplay has been preserved: Obelix's dog, known in the original French as ''Idéfix'' (from '' idée fixe'', a "fixed idea" or obsession), is called ''Dogmatix'' in English, which not only renders the original meaning strikingly closely ("dogmatic") but in fact adds another layer of wordplay with the syllable "Dog-" at the beginning of the name. The name ''Asterix'', French ''Astérix'', comes from ', meaning "
asterisk The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
", which is the typographical symbol * indicating a footnote, from the Greek word ἀστήρ (''aster''), meaning a "star". His name is usually left unchanged in translations, aside from accents and the use of local
alphabet An alphabet is a standard set of letter (alphabet), letters written to represent particular sounds in a spoken language. Specifically, letters largely correspond to phonemes as the smallest sound segments that can distinguish one word from a ...
s. For example, in
Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...
,
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
, Slovene, Latvian, and Turkish it is ''Asteriks'' (in Turkish he was first named ''Bücür'' meaning "shorty", but the name was then standardised). Two exceptions include Icelandic, in which he is known as ''Ástríkur'' ("Rich of love"), and Sinhala, where he is known as (''Soora Pappa''), which can be interpreted as "
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
". The name ''Obelix'' (''Obélix'') may refer to "
obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
", a stone column from ancient Egypt (and hence his large size and strength and his task of carrying around
menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
s), but also to another typographical symbol, the obelisk or obelus (). For explanations of some of the other names, see List of ''Asterix'' characters.


Ethnic stereotypes

Many of the ''Asterix'' adventures take place in other countries away from their homeland in Gaul. In every album that takes place abroad, the characters meet (usually modern-day) stereotypes for each country, as seen by the French. * Italics (Italians) are the inhabitants of Italy. In the adventures of Asterix, the term "Romans" is used by non-Italics to refer to all inhabitants of Italy, who at that time had extended their dominion over a large part of the Mediterranean basin. But as can be seen in '' Asterix and the Chariot Race'', in the Italian Peninsula this term is used only to refer to the people from the capital, with many Italics preferring to identify themselves as
Umbrians The Umbri were an Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were settled in the 9th-4th centuries BC ...
,
Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...
, Venetians, etc. Various topics from this country are explored, as in this example,
Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...
(pasta, pizza, wine), art, famous people (
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
,
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
's
Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...
), and even the controversial issues of
political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...
. Romans in general appear more similar to the historical Romans than to modern-age Italians. * Goths (Germans) are disciplined and
militaristic Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
, but divided into many
factions Faction or factionalism may refer to: * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * The Faction, an American punk rock band * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planescape'' * Faction (literatu ...
that fight amongst each other (which is a reference to Germany before
Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
, and to the rivalry between
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
and
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
in the
Aftermath of World War II The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States (U.S.) and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementati ...
), and they wear the
Pickelhaube The (; , ; from , and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked leather or metal helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German soldiers of all ranks, as well as firefighters and police. Although it ...
helmet common during the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. In later appearances, the Goths tend to be more good-natured. * Helvetians (Swiss) are neutral, eat
fondue Fondue ( , , , ; ) is a Swiss dish of melted cheese and wine served in a communal pot ( or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread and sometimes vegetables or other foods into the c ...
, and are obsessed with cleaning, accurate time-keeping, and banks. * The Britons (English) are phlegmatic, and speak with early 20th-century aristocratic slang (similar to
Bertie Wooster Bertram Wilberforce Wooster is a fictional character in the comedic Jeeves stories created by British author P. G. Wodehouse. An amiable English gentleman and one of the "idle rich", Bertie appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose intellige ...
). They stop for
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
every day (making it with hot water and a drop of milk until Asterix brings them actual
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
leaves), drink lukewarm beer ( Bitter), eat foods with mint sauce that are considered tasteless by the non-Briton characters (
Rosbif This glossary of names for the British include nicknames and terms, including affectionate ones, neutral ones, and derogatory ones to describe British people, Irish People and more specifically English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish peo ...
), and live in streets containing rows of identical houses. In ''Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia'' the Britons all wore woollen pullovers and Tam o' shanters. * Hibernians (Irish) inhabit Hibernia, the Latin name of Ireland and they fight against the Romans alongside the Britons to defend the British Isles. * Iberians (Spanish) are filled with
pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...
and have rather choleric tempers. They produce
olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
, provide very slow aid for chariot problems on the Roman roads and (thanks to Asterix) adopt
bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
as a tradition. * When the Gauls visited North America in ''
Asterix and the Great Crossing ''Asterix and the Great Crossing'' is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Plot summary Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transp ...
'', Obelix punches one of the attacking Native Americans with a
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
blow. The warrior first hallucinates American-style emblematic eagles; the second time, he sees stars in the formation of the Stars and Stripes; the third time, he sees stars shaped like the United States Air Force roundel. Asterix's inspired idea for getting the attention of a nearby Viking ship (which could take them back to Gaul) is to hold up a torch; this refers to the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
(which was a gift from France). * Corsicans are proud, patriotic, and easily aroused but lazy, making decisions by using pre-filled
ballot box A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually a square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cas ...
es. They harbour vendettas against each other, and always take their
siesta A siesta (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "si ...
. * Greeks are chauvinists and consider Romans, Gauls, and all others to be
barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
. They eat stuffed grape leaves (
dolma Dolma ( Turkish for "stuffed") is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside either a leaf wrapping or a hollow or h ...
), drink resinated wine (
retsina Retsina () is a Greek white (or rosé or very rarely red) resinated wine, which has been made for at least 2,000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo ...
), and are hospitable to tourists. Most seem to be related by blood, and often suggest some cousin appropriate for a job. Greek characters are often depicted in side profile, making them resemble figures from classical Greek vase paintings. * Normans (
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
) drink endlessly, they always use
cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
in their cuisine, they don't know what fear is (which they're trying to discover), and in their home territory (
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
), the night lasts for 6 months.
Their depiction in the albums is a mix of stereotypes of
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n Vikings and the
Norman French Norman or Norman French (, , Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a '' langue d'oïl'' spoken in the historical and cultural region of Normandy. The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to describe the administrative languages of '' Angl ...
. Their names end in "-af". * Cimbres (Danes) are very similar to the Normans with the greatest difference being that the Gauls are unable to communicate with them. Their names end in "-sen", a common ending of surnames in Denmark and Norway akin to "-son". * Belgians speak with a funny accent, snub the Gauls, and always eat sliced roots deep-fried in bear fat. They also tell Belgian jokes. * Lusitanians (Portuguese) are short in stature and polite (Uderzo said all the Portuguese who he had met were like that). Their most recent appearance in the albums depicts them with an easy-going and procrastinating nature. * The Indians have elephant trainers, as well as gurus who can fast for weeks and levitate on
magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its user(s) to their destination. In literature On ...
s. They worship thirty-three million deities and consider cows as sacred. They also bathe in the
Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...
river. * Egyptians are short with prominent noses, endlessly engaged in building pyramids and palaces. Their favorite food is lentil soup and they sail
felucca A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat with a single sail used in the Mediterranean, including around Malta and Tunisia. However, in Egypt, Iraq and Sudan (particularly along the Nile and in the Sudanese protected areas of the Red Sea), ...
s along the banks of the
Nile River The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...
. * Persians (Iranians) produce
carpets A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
and staunchly refuse to mend foreign ones. They eat
caviar Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspi ...
, as well as roasted camel and the women wear burqas. *
Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
,
Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...
ians,
Akkadians The Akkadian Empire () was the first known empire, succeeding the long-lived city-states of Sumer. Centered on the city of Akkad ( or ) and its surrounding region, the empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule and exercised ...
,
Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...
, and
Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...
ns are perpetually at war with each other and attack strangers because they confuse them with their enemies, but they later apologize when they realize that the strangers are not their enemies. This is likely a criticism of the constant conflicts among the Middle Eastern peoples. * The Jews are all depicted as
Yemenite Jews Yemenite Jews, also known as Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ; ), are a Jewish diaspora group who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. After several waves of antisemitism, persecution, the vast majority ...
, with dark skin, black eyes, and beards, a tribute to
Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...
, the famous painter whose painting of
King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...
hangs at the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
(Israeli Parliament). *
Numidian Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...
s, contrary to the
Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
inhabitants of ancient Numidia (located in North Africa), are obviously Africans from
sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
. The names end in "-tha", similar to the historical king
Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia, the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Micipsa's two sons, Hiempsal and Adherbal ...
of Numidia. * The Picts (Scots) wear a typical dress with a
kilt A kilt ( ) is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men, it is first r ...
(skirt), have the habit of drinking "malt water" (
whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
) and throwing logs (
caber toss The caber toss () is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (), normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. The term "caber" derives from the Gaelic word ''cabar'', whi ...
ing) as a popular sport and their names all start with "Mac-". * Sarmatians (Ukrainians) inhabit the North
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
area, which represents present-day Ukraine. Their names end in "-ov", like many Ukrainian surnames. When the Gauls see foreigners speaking their foreign languages, these have different representations in the cartoon
speech bubble Speech balloons (also speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons) are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comics, and cartoons to allow words (and much less often, pictures) to be understood as representing a charac ...
s: *Iberian: Same as Spanish, with inversion of exclamation marks ('¡') and question marks ("¿") *Goth language: Gothic script (incomprehensible to the Gauls, except Getafix, who speaks Gothic) *Cimbres: "Ø" and "Å" instead of "O" and "A" (incomprehensible to the Gauls) *Amerindian: Pictograms and sign language (generally incomprehensible to the Gauls) *Egyptians and Kushites:
Hieroglyphs Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs ( ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined ideographic, logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with more than 1,000 distinct characters.I ...
with explanatory footnotes (incomprehensible to the Gauls) *Greek: Straight letters, carved as if in stone *Sarmatian: In their speech balloons, some letters (E, F, N, R ...) are written in a mirror-reversed form, which evokes the modern
Cyrillic alphabet The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Easte ...
.


Translations

The various volumes have been translated into more than 120 languages and dialects. Besides the original French language, most albums are available in Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. Some books have also been translated into languages including Esperanto, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Scots, Indonesian, Hindi, Persian, Bengali, Afrikaans, Arabic, Frisian, Romansch, Thai, Vietnamese, Welsh, Sinhala, Ancient Greek, and Luxembourgish. In Europe, several volumes were translated into a variety of
regional language * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority La ...
s and
dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
s, such as Alsatian,
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...
, Chtimi (
Picard Picard may refer to: Places * Picard, Quebec, Canada * Picard, California, United States * Picard (crater), a lunar impact crater in Mare Crisium People and fictional characters * Picard (name), a list of people and fictional characters with th ...
), and Corsican in France; Bavarian, Swabian, and
Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...
in Germany; and
Savo Savo may refer to: Languages * Savo dialect, forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savo, Finland * Savo language, an endangered language spoken on Savo People * Savo (given name), a masculine given name from southern Europe (includes a list of ...
,
Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...
, Rauma, Finland, Rauma, and Helsinki slang dialects in Finland. In Portugal a special edition of the first volume, '' Asterix the Gaul'', was translated into local language Mirandese. In Greece, a number of volumes have appeared in the Cretan Greek, Cypriot Greek, and Pontic Greek dialects. In the Italian version, while the Gauls speak standard Italian, the legionaries speak in the Romanesco dialect, Romanesque dialect. In the former Yugoslavia, the "Forum" publishing house translated Corsican text in ''
Asterix in Corsica ''Asterix in Corsica'' () is the twentieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (artwork). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 687–708 in 1973. It is the best-selling title in the hist ...
'' into the Montenegrin dialect of Serbo-Croatian (today called Montenegrin language, Montenegrin). In the Netherlands, several volumes were translated into West Frisian language, West Frisian, a Germanic language spoken in the province of Friesland; into Limburgish language, Limburgish, a regional language spoken not only in Limburg (Netherlands), Dutch Limburg but also in Limburg (Belgium), Belgian Limburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; and into Tweants dialect, Tweants, a dialect in the region of Twente in the eastern province of Overijssel. Hungarian-language books were published in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia for the Magyars, Hungarian minority living in Serbia. Although not translated into a fully autonomous dialect, the books differ slightly from the language of the books issued in Hungary. In Sri Lanka, the cartoon series was adapted into Sinhala as ''Sura Pappa''. Most volumes have been translated into Latin and Attic Greek, Ancient Greek, with accompanying teachers' guides, as a way of teaching these ancient languages.


English translation

Before Asterix became famous in the English-speaking world, translations of some strips were published in British comics including ''Valiant'', ''Ranger'', and ''Look & Learn'', under names ''Little Fred and Big Ed'' and ''Beric the Bold'', set in Roman-occupied Britain. These were included in an exhibition on Goscinny's life and career, and Asterix, in London's Jewish Museum in 2018. In 1970, William Morrow and Company published English translations in hardback of three Asterix albums for the American market. These were '' Asterix the Gaul'', ''
Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...
'' and ''
Asterix the Legionary ''Asterix the Legionary'' is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966. Synopsis Asterix and Obelix are s ...
''. Lawrence Hughes in a letter to ''The New York Times'' stated, "Sales were modest, with the third title selling half the number of the first. I was publisher at the time, and Bill Cosby tried to buy film and television rights. When that fell through, we gave up the series." The first 33 Asterix albums were translated into English by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge (including the three volumes reprinted by William Morrow), who were widely praised for maintaining the spirit and humour of the original French versions. Hockridge died in 2013, so Bell translated books 34 to 36 by herself, before retiring in 2016 for health reasons. She died in 2018. Adriana Hunter became translator. US publisher Papercutz (publisher), Papercutz in December 2019 announced it would begin publishing "all-new more American translations" of the Asterix books, starting on 19 May 2020. The launch was postponed to 15 July 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new translator is Joe Johnson, a professor of French and Spanish at Clayton State University.


Adaptations

The series has been adapted into various media. There are 18 films, 15 board games, 40 video games, and 1 theme park.


Films

* ''Deux Romains en Gaule'', 1967 black and white television film, mixed media, live-action with Asterix and Obelix animated. Released on DVD in 2002. * ''Asterix the Gaul (film), Asterix the Gaul'', 1967, animated, based on the album '' Asterix the Gaul''. * ''Asterix and the Golden Sickle'', 1967, animated, based upon the album '' Asterix and the Golden Sickle'', incomplete and never released. * ''Asterix and Cleopatra (film), Asterix and Cleopatra'', 1968, animated, based on the album ''
Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...
''. * ''The Dogmatix movie'', 1973, animated, a unique story based on Dogmatix and his animal friends, Albert Uderzo created a comic version (consisting of eight comics, as the film is a combination of 8 different stories) of the never-released movie in 2003. * ''
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (') is a French animated feature film, written and directed by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, produced by Dargaud Films and Studios Idéfix, and distributed by Gaumont. It is the third animated film based o ...
'', 1976, animated, a unique story not based on an existing comic. * ''Asterix Versus Caesar'', 1985, animated, based on both ''
Asterix the Legionary ''Asterix the Legionary'' is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966. Synopsis Asterix and Obelix are s ...
'' and ''
Asterix the Gladiator ''Asterix the Gladiator'' (') is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the fourth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' ...
''. * ''Asterix in Britain (film), Asterix in Britain'', 1986, animated, based upon the album ''
Asterix in Britain ''Asterix in Britain'' (also known as ''"Asterix in the land of the Britons"'' - translated from ') is a French comic story, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the eighth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book serie ...
''. * ''Asterix and the Big Fight (film), Asterix and the Big Fight'', 1989, animated, based on both '' Asterix and the Big Fight'' and ''
Asterix and the Soothsayer ''Asterix and the Soothsayer'' (, "The Diviner") is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972. In this s ...
''. * ''Asterix Conquers America'', 1994, animated, loosely based upon the album ''
Asterix and the Great Crossing ''Asterix and the Great Crossing'' is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Plot summary Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transp ...
''. * ''
Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar ''Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' () is a 1999 comedy fantasy adventure film directed by Claude Zidi, the first installment in the ''Asterix'' film series based on Goscinny and Uderzo's Astérix comics. The film combines plots of several Ast ...
'', 1999, live-action, based primarily upon '' Asterix the Gaul'', ''
Asterix and the Soothsayer ''Asterix and the Soothsayer'' (, "The Diviner") is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972. In this s ...
'', ''
Asterix and the Goths ''Asterix and the Goths'' (') is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the third story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' maga ...
'', ''
Asterix the Legionary ''Asterix the Legionary'' is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966. Synopsis Asterix and Obelix are s ...
'', and ''
Asterix the Gladiator ''Asterix the Gladiator'' (') is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the fourth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' ...
''. * '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'', 2002, live-action, based upon the album ''
Asterix and Cleopatra ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...
''. * ''Asterix and the Vikings'', 2006, animated, loosely based upon the album '' Asterix and the Normans'' along with some side references to ''
Asterix and the Great Crossing ''Asterix and the Great Crossing'' is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Plot summary Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transp ...
.'' * ''Asterix at the Olympic Games (film), Asterix at the Olympic Games'', 2008, live-action, loosely based upon the album ''
Asterix at the Olympic Games ''Asterix at the Olympic Games'' is the 12th comic book album in the Asterix series. Serialized in Pilote issues 434–455 in 1968 (to coincide with the Mexico City Olympics), it was translated into English in 1972 (to coincide with the Muni ...
''. * ''Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia'', 2012, live-action, loosely based upon the album ''
Asterix in Britain ''Asterix in Britain'' (also known as ''"Asterix in the land of the Britons"'' - translated from ') is a French comic story, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the eighth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book serie ...
'' and '' Asterix and the Normans''. * ''Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods'', 2014, animated, based upon the album ''
The Mansions of the Gods ''The Mansions of the Gods'' is the seventeenth graphic novel of the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo and released in 1971. Originally released as a serial for the magazine '' Pilote'', it ...
'' and is the first animated ''Asterix'' movie in stereoscopic 3D. * ''Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion'', 2018, animated, original story. * ''Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom'', 2023, live-action, original story, consisting of Asterix and Obelix traveling to China to rescue the empress from Julius Caesar and his ally, Prince Deng Tsin Quin.


Television series

''Dogmatix and the Indomitables'', an animated series of eleven-minute episodes, was produced by Studio 58 and Futurikon, and premiered on the Okoo streaming service on 2 July 2021 before beginning its linear broadcast on France 4 on 28 August 2021. The animation is produced by o2o Studio. The show is distributed globally by Mediawan, LS Distribution. ''Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight'', a CG-animated miniseries based on Asterix and the Big Fight, the 1966 album, and directed by Alain Chabat, debuted on Netflix in 2025.


Games

Many gamebooks, board games and video games are based upon the ''Asterix'' series. In particular, many video games were released by various computer game publishers.


Theme park

Parc Astérix Parc Astérix () is a theme park in France based on the comic book series ''Asterix'' by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. In 2023, the park welcomed over 2.8 million visitors, making it the second most visited park in France behind Disneyland P ...
, a theme park 22 miles north of Paris, based upon the series, was opened in 1989. It is one of the most visited sites in France, with around 2.3 million visitors per year.


In popular culture

*The first French satellite, which was launched in 1965, was named ''Astérix (satellite), Astérix-1'' in honour of Asterix. Asteroids 29401 Asterix and 29402 Obelix were also named in honour of the characters. Coincidentally, the word Asterix/Asterisk originates from the Greek for ''Little Star''. *During the (failed) campaign for Paris to host the 1992 Summer Olympics in 1986, Asterix appeared in many posters over the Eiffel Tower. *The French company Kraft Foods, Belin introduced a series of ''Asterix'' crisps shaped in the forms of scutum (shield), Roman shields, gourds, wild boar, and bones. * In the UK in 1995, ''Asterix'' coins were presented free in every Ferrero SpA, Ferrero Nutella jars. * In 1991, Asterix and Obelix appeared on the cover of ''Time (magazine), Time'' for a special edition about France, art directed by Mirko Ilić. In a 2009 issue of the same magazine, Asterix is described as being seen by some as a symbol for France's independence and defiance of globalisation. Despite this, Asterix has made several promotional appearances for fast food chain McDonald's, including one advertisement which featured members of the village enjoying the traditional story-ending feast at a McDonald's restaurant. * Version 4.0 of the operating system OpenBSD features a parody of an Asterix story. * ''Action Comics'' Issue #579, published by DC Comics in 1986, written by Jean-Marc Lofficier, Lofficier and Illustrated by Keith Giffen, featured a homage to ''Asterix'' where Superman and Jimmy Olsen are drawn back in time to a small village of indomitable Gauls. * In 2005, the Mirror World ''Asterix'' exhibition was held in Brussels. The Belgian post office also released a set of stamps to coincide with the exhibition. A book was released to coincide with the exhibition, containing sections in French, Dutch and English. * On 29 October 2009, the Google homepage of a great number of countries displayed a Google logo, logo (called Google Doodle) commemorating the 50th anniversary of ''Asterix''. * Although they have since changed, the #2 and #3 heralds in the Society for Creative Anachronism's Kingdom of Ansteorra were the Asterisk and Obelisk Heralds. * Asterix and Obelix were the official mascots of the 2017 IIHF World Championships, jointly hosted by France and Germany. * In 2019, France issued a commemorative €2 coin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Asterix. * The Royal Canadian Navy has a supply vessel named MV Asterix. A second Resolve-Class ship, to have been named MV Obelix, was cancelled. * Asterix, Obelix and Vitalstatistix appear in Larry Gonick's ''The Cartoon History of the Universe'' volume 2, especially in the depiction of the Gallic invasion of Italy (390 – 387 BCE). In the final panel of that sequence, as they trudge off into the sunset, Obelix says "Come on, Asterix! Let's get our own comic book."


See also

* List of ''Asterix'' characters *Bande dessinée *English translations of Asterix, English translations of ''Asterix'' *List of Asterix games, List of ''Asterix'' games *List of Asterix volumes, List of ''Asterix'' volumes *Kajko i Kokosz *Potion *Roman Gaul, after Julius Caesar's conquest of 58–51 BC that consisted of five provinces *''Commentarii de Bello Gallico''


References


Sources


''Astérix'' publications in ''Pilote''
BDoubliées

Bedetheque


Further reading

* – This is Chapter #16, in Part III: Translations, Transformations, Migrations *Tosina Fernández, Luis J. "Creatividad paremiológica en las traducciones al castellano de Astérix". ''Proverbium'' vol. 38, 2021, pp. 361–376
''Proverbiium'' PDF
*Tosina Fernández, Luis J. "Paremiological Creativity and Visual Representation of Proverbs: An Analysis of the Use of Proverbs in the Adventures of Asterix the Gaul". Proceedings of the Fourteenth Interdisciplinary Colloquium on Proverbs, 2 to 8 November 2020, at Tavira, Portugal, edited by Rui J.B. Soares and Outi Lauhakangas, Tavira: Tipografia Tavirense, 2021, pp. 256–277.


External links


Official site
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia, from the original on 6 April 2012.
''Asterix'' around the World – The many languagesAlea Jacta Est (''Asterix'' for grown-ups)
Each ''Asterix'' book is examined in detail

– Cultural allusions
The ''Asterix'' Annotations
– album-by-album explanations of all the historical references and obscure in-jokes {{Authority control Asterix, Bandes dessinées French comic strips Pilote titles Dargaud titles Alternate history comics Lagardère SCA franchises Satirical comics Comic franchises Fantasy comics Historical comics Humor comics Pirate comics 1959 comics debuts Works set in Roman Gaul Comics set in ancient Rome Comics set in France Comics set in Brittany Comics set in the 1st century BC French comics adapted into films Comics adapted into animated films Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into video games 1959 establishments in France Works about rebels Works about rebellions Fiction about rebellions Gallia Lugdunensis Comics by Albert Uderzo Armorica Slapstick comedy