In the case of the unnamed Gaul village which Asterix calls home, the collaborationists are often more trouble than the Romans, never mind history. Back in the day, independent-minded Gauls didn’t have recourse to a magic potion that made them indomitable.
For a long stretch of Asterix And The Big Fight, neither does Asterix. That departure from formula is one big reason this seventh entry in the classic comic series is so much fun.
Many classic serials have early peak moments, single entries that make their claim for greatness and set a bar for all future installments.
Consider that hallmark of American culture, the sitcom. There is always that one episode people point to, like Seinfeld’s “The Contest,” Community’s “Modern Warfare,” or for us older folk, M*A*S*H’s “Sometimes You Hear The Bullet.” Fans know them well. Some argue their primacy, but not their place in the pantheon.
The same goes for bandes dessinées, or Franco-Belgian comic books. With Asterix, the first great book to call out is fairly clear. It’s this one, six books into the series, which not only made its mark as a favorite back when it came out, but set the tone for all that followed.
After all these years, it must be said, Asterix And Cleopatra is still fun.
The puns are worse than usual, the story is a mess, and a lack of tension exposes the flabby narrative. But Albert Uderzo’s art keeps getting richer and more vibrant with every change in scenery, while René Goscinny’s joyful spirit goes a long way toward getting a reader to look past his slimmer-than-usual ideas.
Plus you get the arrival of a major character in Dogmatix, the compact but courageous canine who will keep Asterix and Obelix company from here on out. Dogmatix doesn’t actually do much in this book – but no one else does, either.
Moving into its second full decade, the Asterix series had settled into not one but two formulas: adventure spoofs and travelogues. Asterix In Switzerland employs the latter as it veers between mild fun and meh.
Goscinny and Uderzo deliver this tale of our favorite Gaulish rebels with a strange twist: instead of frustrating the efforts of their arch-enemy Julius Caesar, Asterix and his buddy Obelix must save Caesar’s auditor Vexatius Sinusistus from poisoning by a corrupt governor.
Seeing a classic comedy series hit all cylinders for the first time is a sublime feeling. You may know all the jokes and slapstick gags, but seeing all the ingredients blending in the right proportions tickles more than the funny bone. It does the heart good, too.
Asterix The Gladiator is where it all comes together for the “Asterix” French comic- book series. Art, dialogue, premise, resolution, side characters, sly parodies and goofy pratfalls: it all just flows from Goscinny & Uderzo like they have been doing this sort of thing for years.
And they had, too. Just not this well.
After keeping it French for the first two Asterix adventures, creators Goscinny and Uderzo took their heroes out of the country for the first of many times in this third installment of the series. This time the destination is Germany.
How did it work? Okay, I guess. You get another dose of the humor and visual splendor that still captivate young and old, including me. The story is a soft one, but it did set a successful template for the series it would return to again and again, of visiting a foreign land and having fun with its customs and culture.
Partnering up in Paris
A Star is Born
