Asterix (French: Astérix le Gaulois) is a French comic book. It was created by René Goscinny (words) and Albert Uderzo (pictures). Goscinny died in 1977 and Uderzo continued to draw and write the series by himself until his death in 2020. The title character Asterix is a Gaul, a member of a Celtic tribe that lived in France, in the year of 50 B.C.E. Asterix lives in a small village in northwest Gaul (Ancient France) during the time of Julius Caesar in 50 BC. Unlike the rest of Gaul, this village has not been taken over by the Romans, because the people in the village drink a magic potion brewed by their druid Getafix. Asterix has many adventures with his friend, Obelix, a Menhir delivery man. The stories have been adapted into movies and video games; there is even an amusement park. There is also a couple of cartoons made after this popular comic, and both the comic and the cartoon can be made into so that the characters speak French.
Asterix
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
→ Main article: Characters from Asterix and List of deities in the Asterix comics.
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.