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Asterix and the Falling Sky

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Asterix and the Falling Sky is the thirty-third volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo (story and illustrations). It is the newest book, having come out on October 14, 2005 around the world.

The album is explained by Uderzo as a tribute to Walt Disney, who inspired him to become an artist. It is generally not well liked by fans, mostly due to the fact that Asterix comics tend to be more classical, and this comic has aliens from outer space and a different drawing style.

Uderzo has been adamant this will not be the last Asterix album, saying in a Financial Times interview, "No, no, no, it is not the last. Certain journalists believed this because the cover was the mirror image of the first Asterix album. That is indeed the case but it was not at all my intention to suggest it would be the last album."

Plot summary

Breaking with the more or less historical setting in previous albums, two rival outer space alien ships appear above the Gaulish village.

The evil aliens Nagma want to know the secret of the great weapon the Gauls have (Getafix's potion), that is "known throughout the universe", in order to conquer more planets. However a Tadsilweny called Toon comes to the village with the mission to destroy the weapon.

The aliens are styled on the happy-faced Walt Disney and DC Comics superheroes of the American comic book style on one side, and futuristic robot and insect-like Japanese manga style on the other.

Awards

2005 Eagle Award for Best European Comic

References

Uderzo has admitted that this book is poking fun of "certain things that come from America" and he admits he has a dislike for manga.

  • The United States is famous for alien encounters.
  • The Tadsilweny's favourite food is hot dog.
  • Toon says their leader is called "Hubs", an anagram of "Bush".
  • Toon wants to confiscate the village's magical potion because it is a dangerous weapon. This is supposed to be an analogy to when the Bush Administration convinced the world that the Iraqis had secret weapons in the Gulf War and in the 2003 Invasion.
  • Nagma is an anagram of manga.
  • "Tadsilweny" is an anagram of Walt Disney.
  • Akoaotaki, the great sage of Nagmas. Anagram of Takao Aoki, author and creator of the manga Beyblade
  • Toon (a pun on "toon") looks like a purple Mickey Mouse, with small ears. In a scene, he even gets black as a side effect of magic potion, like Mickey. Asterix comments by saying that black suits him well.
  • The design of the mothership of the Nagmas is based on the anime robot Grendizer. In the original French version, the smaller ships that it spits are called "Goelderas", a name which literally means "rat faces", but is written in a way reminiscent of the French name of Grendizer: Goldorak. It is to be known that the Grendizer cartoon series is/was extremely famous and popular in France. (In Spanish the small ships are called "Kara-Ratas", which translates to the same thing although is also misspelled on purpose.)
  • The golden armor of the Nagma leader could be a reference to the golden armors worn by the protagonists of the anime Saint Seiya, which was also famous in France.
  • The "super clones" used by the Tadsilweny are similar to Superman, carry a shining green ring and have the face of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Toon also says that they can become bat or spider super clones.
  • Directly translated from French the original title is in fact "The Sky Falls on their Head", which is the only thing the Gauls fear.
  • Centurion Polyanthus - Polyanthus are a cultivated variety of primrose, with several flowers on one stalk, bred in vivid colours.

Click the image to enlarge

In other languages

  • Finnish: Taivas putoaa niskaan
  • German: Gallien in Gefahr
  • Greek: Και ο ουρανός έπεσε στο κεφάλι τους
  • Italian: Quando il cielo gli cadde sulla testa
  • Portuguese (Portugal): O Céu Cai-lhe em Cima da Cabeça
  • Portuguese (Brazil): O Dia em que o Céu Caiu
  • Polish: Kiedy niebo spada na głowę
  • Swedish: Himlen faller ner över hans huvud
  • Norwegian: Det store himmelfallet
  • Dutch: Asterix en het geheime wapen
  • Danish: Da himlen faldt ned om ørerne!
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