Asterix

Asterix (in the original: Astérix) is the most successful French comic book series created in 1959 by author René Goscinny (1926-1977) and illustrator Albert Uderzo (1927-2020).

The main characters are the title character Asterix, his friend Obelix and other inhabitants of a small village in Gaul around 50 B.C. With the help of a magic potion made by their druid Getafix, which gives them superhuman strength, they resist the Roman conquerors. Their adventures take them all over the ancient world and beyond. Thanks to a combination of subtle, satirical humour with crude claptrap, Asterix appeals to a wide readership of all ages and social classes. The comic series is one of the few used in schools, especially in foreign language classes for French, Latin and Ancient Greek.

After the death of René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo also took on the role of author from volume 25 (The Great Rift) to volume 34 (Asterix & Obelix Celebrate Their Birthday). Since volume 35 (Asterix at the Picts), the series has been created by Didier Conrad as illustrator and Jean-Yves Ferri as lyricist. The stories originally appeared in installments in the comics magazine Pilote and in album form published by Dargaud. Today, the albums are published in the original French by Hachette Livre and in German translation by Egmont Ehapa Media. In total, the series has 38 albums so far. Except for the episode volumes 32 (Asterix chats from school) and 34, each of them tells a self-contained story. In addition, several short stories have appeared over the years. Several adventures have been filmed.

The names "Asterix" and "Obelix" are derived from the typographical characters asterisk ('*', Greek ἀστερίσκος, asterískos = 'little star') and obeliscus ('†', Greek ὀβελίσκος, obeliskos = 'little spit').

Content

According to the introduction, the stories are all set around the year 50 BC in Gaul, now France. The protagonists live in a small, fictitious coastal village in Aremorica (modern-day Brittany) in northwestern Gaul near Condate (Rennes). Asterix and the other villagers are given superhuman strength by a magic potion brewed by the druid Getafix, and under its effect are able to resist the Roman army threatening the village from the four fortified camps of Little Bonum, Babaorum, Aquarium and Laudanum. Thus, the village remains the only place in Gaul that could not be conquered and occupied by the Romans under the leadership of Julius Caesar during the Gallic War. Shortly before, in 52 BC, the painful defeat of the Gauls under their leader Vercingetorix by Caesar occurred at Alesia, which became a taboo subject among the Gauls.

Asterix, a warrior by profession, is distinguished by his special cuteness. With his small size and lanky figure, he is at least outwardly an antithesis to the heroes usually found in the comic world. The contrast to him is formed by his fattest friend, the tall and strong, but sensitive and plain Obelix, Asterix's companion in all his adventures. The two are usually accompanied by Obelix's little dog Dogmatix (first appearance in the 5th volume Tour de France), occasionally also by other villagers, such as Chief Majestix, Druid Getafix or bard Troubadix.

The stories take place, usually alternately, either in the immediate vicinity of the Gaulish village or on journeys to countries of the world known to them at the time, and in more recent volumes also of the world unknown to them. The adventures set in the village mostly revolve around the always unsuccessful attempts of the Roman army to finally subjugate the village with ever new incursions; but occasionally Romans also try to use the village for their political ambitions. The stories in the village are particularly triggered by the appearance of strangers who cause the Gauls to become restless. In the other stories, Asterix and Obelix are sent far away, often by order of Majestix or Getafix, where they are supposed to assist other threatened places, for example.

Figures

In addition to Asterix, Obelix and their dog Dog Dogmatix, the opening credits of each album introduce the chief of the village, Majestix, the druid Getafix and the bard Troubadix as the main characters. Over time, other villagers have established themselves as regular characters in the series, including Majestix's wife Goodmine, the blacksmith Automatix, the fishmonger Verleihnix and his wife Jellosubmarine, and the stone-aged Methusalix and his blood young wife. The Gauls' recurring enemies include Julius Caesar and a band of pirates whose ship is regularly sunk.