List of Asterix volumes
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This is a list of all Asterix volumes, including the 33 official albums and various tie-ins.
Contents |
[edit] Goscinny and Uderzo
- 1961 – Asterix the Gaul (Astérix le Gaulois), The first album where the main characters are introduced. The style of Uderzo's drawing changes a lot until it stabilizes towards the end into the style he would keep and develop for the rest of the series.
- The Romans discover that the secret of the Gauls' strength is the magic potion brewed by the druid Getafix, so they decide to capture the druid and get the recipe out of him. It is up to Asterix and his wits to save Getafix.
- 1962 – Asterix and the Golden Sickle (La Serpe d'or) Travel to Lutetia (Paris)
- Getafix's sickle breaks, so Asterix and Obelix volunteer to go to Lutetia to buy a new one. But there is a mysterious sickle shortage which our heroes must get to the bottom of.
- 1963 – Asterix and the Goths (Astérix et les Goths) Germany
- The druid Getafix is captured by a tribe of Goths, and Asterix and Obelix must rescue him.
- 1964 – Asterix the Gladiator (Astérix gladiateur) Rome
- Odius Asparagus, the prefect of Gaul, captures Cacofonix and sends him as a present to Caesar. Unimpressed by Cacofonix, Caesar orders him to be thrown to the Lions at the Circus Maximus. Asterix and Obelix hitchhike all the way to Rome where they must become gladiators to rescue him.
- 1965 – Asterix and the Banquet (Le Tour de Gaule d'Astérix) Various French cities
- Unsuccessful at conquering the village, the Romans decide to isolate it by building a stockade. In order to remove it, Asterix strikes a bet with the Romans that he and Obelix can travel throughout Gaul and back to the village with various Gaulish delicacies without the Romans being able to stop them. The route is a parallel to the modern Tour de France cycling event. It's in this adventure that Obelix gets his dog, Dogmatix.
- 1965 – Asterix and Cleopatra (Astérix et Cléopâtre) Egypt
- Caesar calls the Egyptians inferior to the Romans. Outraged, Cleopatra wagers with him that her people can build a grand monument in record time. Edifis, a bumbling, timid architect is asked to perform the miracle, and asks his old friend Getafix for help. Meanwhile, his rival and Caesar's agents attempt to sabotage the effort.
- 1966 – Asterix and the Big Fight (Le combat des chefs) no travels
- 1966 – Asterix in Britain (Astérix chez les Bretons) Britain
- One small village in Britain still holds out against the Roman invaders. But with no Magic Potion, they need help, so Asterix's cousin Anticlimax comes to Gaul seeking aid.
- 1966 – Asterix and the Normans (Astérix et les Normands) no travels
- The Normans are fearless to the point of not even understanding the concept, so they travel to Gaul where they kidnap chief Vitalstatistix's cowardly visiting nephew Justforkix to teach them fear.
- 1967 – Asterix the Legionary (Astérix légionnaire) Africa, first appearance of Panacea
- Asterix and Obelix join the Roman Legion (in a parody of the French Foreign Legion) in an attempt to find the conscripted fiancé of Panacea, a villager on whom Obelix has a big crush. With an eclectic group of foreigners, they are sent to North Africa to fight the traitor Scipio.
- 1968 – Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield (Le bouclier Arverne) Cities in southern France: Acqua Calidae (Vichy), Gergovia, Nemessos (Clermont-Ferrand)
- After too many banquets, chief Vitalstatistix is forced to visit a spa in the Arvernian countryside to nurse his sore liver. Meanwhile, Caesar orders his men to search the area for the shield of Vercingetorix, regarded as a patriotic symbol by the Gauls.
- 1968 – Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques) Greece
- In order to participate in the Olympic Games in Greece, the Gauls register themselves as Romans. When the officials declare the magic potion to be a form of illegal doping, Asterix turns to his native abilities to compete.
- 1969 – Asterix and the Cauldron (Astérix et le chaudron) no travels
- Whosemoralsarelastix, chief of a nearby village, asks Vitalstatistix to hide his village's money to prevent the Romans from taking it. When the money is stolen under his watch, Asterix is banished until he can repay the money and recover his honour.
- 1969 – Asterix in Spain (Astérix en Hispanie) Spain, first appearance of Unhygienix
- Pepe, a young and spoiled child, is taken from the Romans. He turns out to be Spanish, and held hostage in an attempt to get them to surrender. Asterix and Obelix escort the child back to Spain.
- 1970 – Asterix and the Roman Agent (La Zizanie) no travels
- 1970 – Asterix in Switzerland (Astérix chez les Helvètes) Switzerland
- A poisoned Roman tax inspector seeks sanctuary in the village. Asterix and Obelix are sent to Switzerland to recover a Silver Star, or Edelweiss, which is needed to cure him.
- 1971 – The Mansions of the Gods (Le Domaine des dieux)
- A satire of real estate speculation; Caesar tries to dilute solidarity and weaken local customs in Gaul by creating a vacation resort near the Village. The villagers sabotage the efforts, first by magically replanting the forest as soon as it's cut, and by creating a slaves' union; later by being obnoxious neighbors to the resident Romans.
- 1972 – Asterix and the Laurel Wreath (Les Lauriers de César) Rome
- Thoroughly chagrined by his obnoxious brother-in-law, Vitalstatistix gets drunk and boasts that he will create a dish seasoned with Caesar's laurel wreath. He orders Asterix and Obelix travel to Rome to retrieve it.
- 1972 – Asterix and the Soothsayer (Le Devin) no travels
- In the absence of Getafix, a fraudulent seer seeks shelter against rain in the Village, then ingratiates himself to everyone by predicting the futures they want to hear, asking no food or money, merely items to "read" the future in (mainly as food and money). Unbeknown to the Gauls, he is hired by the Romans to convince the Gauls to abandon the village by that disaster would befall the village were he to be chased off.
- 1973 – Asterix in Corsica (Astérix en Corse) Corsica
- As part of the celebrations of the anniversary of Vercingetorix's victory at the Battle of Gergovia, the Gauls and their friends raid one of the nearby Roman camps. A very stoic and composed prisoner is discovered, who reveals himself as Boneywasawarriorwayayix, a tribal leader from Corsica. Asterix and Obelix accompany him back to Corsica, to unite the quarrelling tribes against the Romans.
- 1974 – Asterix and Caesar's Gift (Le Cadeau de César) Rome
- At the end of their career, legionaries are granted estate in the Empire to settle down. A perpetually inebriated soldier is given the Village, by Caesar's hand, which he promptly sells to an innkeeper for wine. Pushed by his dominant wife, the innkeeper sells his property and attempts to claim the village as his own. Upon discovering that his ownership is void, he campaigns to be elected chief, causing rivalries to ensue throughout the village. To complicate matter, the soldier returns and asks the local legions' aid in reclaiming his village, since he didn't get enough wine for it.
- 1975 – Asterix and the Great Crossing (La Grande traversée) North America
- Brewing the magical potion requires fresh fish, and Unhygienix has none since he imports it from Lutetia (Paris) (in spite of living near the sea). Asterix and Obelix sail out to catch fish, but become lost and end up on the other side of the ocean, discovering a New World, where they eventually become a legend to the Native American populace. Soon afterwards, a Viking explorer discovers America, and captures the first natives he finds (i.e. them) and brings them home. A running joke in this comic is that none of the races are able to understand one another, the Vikings speaking with Scandinavian vowels that the Gauls are unable to duplicate, but that their dogs are able to communicate perfectly.
In 1976 a comic book adaptation of the original story animated film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix was published. The artwork is thought to be the work of Uderzo's brother Marcel. It has very rarely been printed and usually excluded from the canonical list of Asterix volumes:
- 1976 – Asterix Conquers Rome (Les 12 Travaux D'Asterix) various locations
- To prove to his critics that the Gauls are mere mortals, Julius Caeser challenges the village to perform twelve tasks that only gods could perform, similar to the twelve tasks of Hercules. If they succeed, he will admit defeat and let them become the rulers of Rome, but if they fail, they will become his slaves. The challenge is accepted and Asterix and Obelix are chosen to represent the village, eventually succeeding in all tasks.
- 1976 – Obelix and Co. (Obélix et Compagnie) no travels; a satire of economics
- Caesar sends one of his advisors to the Gaulish village, in an effort to make them rich, decadent and utterly dependent on Rome. He starts by buying menhirs at ever-increasing prices, thus persuading most of the village to make useless menhirs, and in turn employing other villagers to hunt for their food. The plan goes awry when Caesar's treasury turns out insufficient to fund the menhirs, and a commercial campaign to sell them in Rome fails because of competition from Egyptian menhirs and slave-made Roman menhirs.
- 1979 – Asterix in Belgium (Astérix chez les Belges) Belgium
- When Vitalstatistix hears that Caesar has said that the Belgians are the bravest of all the Gaulish peoples he heads to Belgium in a huff to show the world that his Armoricans are really the best.
[edit] Uderzo only
After the death of Goscinny, Uderzo continued the series by himself, writing his own stories on subjects such as feminism and aliens, with travels to India and Atlantis. These newer books are often criticised for lacking Goscinny's humor and writing style, and some fans consider the series ended with Asterix in Belgium. However, sales figures have shown no indication of diminished popularity.
- 1980 – Asterix and the Great Divide (Le Grand fossé) A fictional Gaulish village
- Asterix and Obelix visit a village divided in half by its rival chiefs. However, one chief's son and the other's daughter are in love, and together with Asterix and Obelix, they reunite the village. The dividing chasm itself resembles the Berlin Wall. There is also an obvious reference here to Romeo and Juliet.
- 1981 – Asterix and the Black Gold (L'Odyssée d'Astérix) The Middle East, Jerusalem.
- Getafix has run out of rock oil and sends Asterix and Obelix to Mesopotamia in search of it. They are accompanied by a Gaulish-Roman druid called Dubbelosix, who is really a double agent seeking to foul their mission. Includes a tribute to Goscinny, who was Jewish.
- 1983 – Asterix and Son (Le Fils d'Astérix) no travels
- A baby boy mysteriously turns up at Asterix's doorstep. No one in the village knows who he is, so Asterix is forced to be his adoptive father. Meanwhile, the Roman legions led by Brutus are after the baby, because in reality, he is Caesar's full-blooded son, Caesarion.
- 1987 – Asterix and the Magic Carpet (Astérix chez Rahazade) India
- A fakir from far-away India travels to Asterix's village and asks Cacofonix to save his land from drought since his horrible voice can make it rain. Cacofonix, accompanied by Asterix and Obelix, must travel to India aboard a magic carpet to save the life of the princess Orinjade, who is to be sacrificed to stop the drought.
- 1991 – Asterix and the Secret Weapon (La Rose et le glaive) No travels
- A feminist satire in which a female bard called Bravura replaces Cacofonix as school teacher and "liberates" the village women, causing the men to leave and live in the forest. Caesar secretly sends a battalion of female legionaries to conquer the village, having heard that the Gauls will not strike a woman. The men and woman have to settle their differences in order to overcome this threat.
- 1996 – Asterix and Obelix All at Sea (La Galère d'Obélix) Atlantis
- Left alone in Getafix's hut, Obelix drinks a whole cauldron of magic potion. He first turns to stone, then into a small boy. Meanwhile, a group of men have escaped from Roman slavery on board a ship. Together, they travel to Atlantis to make Obelix a grown man again.
- 2001 – Asterix and the Actress (Astérix et Latraviata) no travels
- 2003 – Asterix and the Class Act (Astérix et la rentrée gauloise) Most stories take place in the village, though one story is set in Lutetia (modern day Paris)
- A collection of several short stories, including an experiment at different drawing and storytelling styles. Some stories are written by Goscinny.
- 2005 – Asterix and the Falling Sky (Le ciel lui tombe sur la tête) no travels
- Two rival outer space alien ships appear above the Gaulish village. The aliens want to know the secret of the great weapon the Gauls have, which is "known throughout the universe". The aliens are styled on the happy-faced Walt Disney and Marvel Comics superheroes of the American comic book style on one side, and futuristic robot and insect-like Japanese manga style on the other. The album is explained by Uderzo as a tribute to Walt Disney, who inspired him to be an artist. Reception of the album was mixed, with many fans criticizing the sci-fi setting, and thinly veiled references to the Bush regime. Despite this criticism, the album was not disliked by everyone, and reportedly sold well.[1]
[edit] Format
The storyline in a volume is typically 44 pages long; the exceptions are Asterix and the Goths, which is 43 pages, Asterix Conquers Rome which is 27 pages and Asterix and the Class Act which is a collection of short stories.[2]
[edit] In addition
In the mid 1980s a series of illustrated text stories appeared, with some original art, but mostly taken and modified from existing albums. These were 26 pages in a smaller format than the normal albums with large print. They are aimed at a younger audience and were not enthusiastically received; translation into other languages was spotty.
- 1984 - Les Pirates (The Pirates)
- 1985 - L'illustrissime Belcantus (The Illustrious Belacantus)
- 1985 - L'abominable horrifix (The Dreadful Horrifix)
- 1985 - Jericocorix (The Jericocorix)
- 1986 - La course de chars (The Great Chariot Race)
- 1986 - Le feu de pommes (The Apple Cider)
- 1986 - Marmaille et pagaille (Kids and Chaos)
- 1986 - L'eau du ciel (Water from Heaven)
In 1989 a final illustrated story appeared. The story was by Goscinny (in 1965) with new, original art by Uderzo. It was 32 pages and appeared in the larger format used for the regular albums. It was the only one that was published in English:
- 1989 - Comment Obelix est tombe dans la marmite du druide quand il etait petit (How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When he was a Little Boy)
Also in 1989-90 the first eight illustrated stories were reprinted in some locales as four books, each containing two of the original stories.
- 1999 - Le livre d' Asterix le Gaulois
In 2007, Editions Albert René published Astérix et ses Amis (Asterix and friends), a collection of short Asterix stories written and drawn by, and in the distinctive styles of, a number of cartoonists other than Uderzo. The book was dedicated to Uderzo on the occasion of his 80th birthday and carries a foreword by Sylvie, his daughter.
[edit] Movie adaptions
The Asterix films which were not based closely on a single book have had film books released in a format similar to the original albums, but with scenes from the films along with a written story. They are not considered canon.
- 1976 – The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (Les douze travaux d'Astérix)
- 1985 – Asterix Versus Caesar (Astérix et la surprise de César)
- 1989 – Operation Getafix (Astérix et le coup du menhir) - from Asterix and the Big Fight
- 1994 – Asterix Conquers America (Astérix et les indiens)
- 2006 – Asterix and the Vikings (Astérix et les Vikings)
They have been released on home video and DVD by the following companies in the following countries:
- Cinema Plus Video
- Palace Video
- Select Video
- Internacional Video Sistemas
[edit] References
- ^ Asterix NZ - Take a look Inside - Asterix 33 "Asterix and the Falling Sky"
- ^ www.asterix.co.nz - “…the 44 pages of the normal Asterix comics.”
[edit] External links
- Asterix NZ: Take a look Inside– Information on all the 33 Asterix books
