Text (mostly): Goscinny
Drawings: Uderzo

The setting:

The year is 50 B.C.Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium...

Dramatis Personae:

Asterix, the hero of these adventures. A shrewd, cunning little warrior; all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him. Asterix gets his superhuman strength from the magic potion brewed by the druid Getafix...

Obelix, Asterix's inseparable friend. A menhir delivery-man by trade; addicted to wild boar. Obelix is always ready to drop everything and go off on a new adventure with Asterix - so long as there's wild boar to eat, and plenty of fighting.

Getafix (Norwegian: Miraculix), the venerable village druid. Gathers mistletoe and brews magic potions. His specialty is the potion which gives the drinker superhuman strength. But Getafix also has other recipes up his sleeve...

Finally, Vitalstitistix (Norwegian: Majestix), the chief of the tribe. Majestic, brave and hot-tempered, the old warrior is respected by his men and feared by his enemies. Vitalstatistix himself has only one fear; he is afraid the sky may fall on his head tomorrow. But as he always says, 'Tomorrow never comes.'

I first met Asterix when I was about 10 years old. My father traveled a lot, and my mother bought a Asterix album each for my brother and me to read while we waited on the airport once when his plane was very late. Since then I've been hooked. Asterix is said to be the one comic a cultured person can read without being branded as a barbarian by other cultured persons. So it appeals to children as well educated adults (and the range between :-).

Asterix is remarkable for the good drawings and the steady good quality of the stories, as well as the wit, and humor in them. As you understand this is another comic you have to read.

I have here a (translated) article about Asterix from Tegn, a (very good) Norwegian magazine about comics (address on the top page).

Ron Dippold has written an extensive set of annotations of the Asterix stories.

A new Asterix album is comming out!

Bertrand Schmitt has made a web page for the new asterix album, which is now out in France (10/10/96), and will be out in Norway at least in a week (15/10/96). Bertrand has read the album and likes it :-) In connection to the publishing of this album the official Asterix site has been opened.

Erik Tjong has, as can be expected, a extensive Asterix Page.

Kjetil Kjernsmo has reviewed Asterix - Spåmannen (in Norwegian) for a domestic sceptic (sceptic as in sceptic to supernatural phenomena) magazine called "Skepsis".

Credits

Thanks to Davin Milun for helping me out with published english texts rather than my translations from Norwegian.

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