Portal:Asterix
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
|
Introduction
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix (French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois [asteʁiks lə ɡolwa]) is a series of French comics. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until the death of Goscinny in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri (script) and Didier Conrad (artwork) took over. As of 2017, 37 volumes have been released.
The series follows the adventures of a village of Gauls as they resist Roman occupation in 50 BC. They do so by means of a magic potion, brewed by their druid Panoramix (named Getafix in the English translations), which temporarily gives the recipient superhuman strength. The protagonists, the title character Asterix and his friend Obelix, have various adventures. The "ix" ending of both names (as well as all the other pseudo-Gaulish "ix" names in the series) alludes to the "rix" suffix (meaning "king") present in the names of many real Gaulish chieftains such as Vercingetorix, Orgetorix and Dumnorix. Many of the stories see them travel to foreign countries, though others are set in and around their village. For much of the history of the series (Volumes 4 through 29), settings in Gaul and abroad alternated, with even-numbered volumes set abroad and odd-numbered volumes set in Gaul, mostly in the village.
Selected general articles
- Asterix and Cleopatra is the sixth book in the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 215-257, in 1963. Read more...
- Asterix and Obelix All at Sea (French: La Galère d'Obélix, "Obelix's galley [ship]") is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as American actor Kirk Douglas. Read more...
- Asterix and the Class Act (French: Astérix et la rentrée gauloise, "Asterix and the Gaulish return; la rentrée is the French return to school after the summer break) is officially the thirty-second album of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations and some stories), published in 2003. Unlike the other Asterix books, it is a compilation of short stories, rather than one long story. Each story has an introductory page giving some of its original history. Read more...
- Asterix at the Olympic Games is the 12th comic book album in the Asterix series. Serialized in Pilote issues 434–455 in 1968 (to coincide with the Mexico City Olympics), it was translated into English in 1972 (to coincide with the Munich Olympics). The story satirizes performance-enhancing drug usage in sports. Read more...
- Asterix and the Falling Sky (French: Le ciel lui tombe sur la tête, "The Sky Falls On His Head") is the thirty-third volume of the Asterix comic book series, the ninth solely written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo and the only volume to introduce science fiction elements into the otherwise historical comedy series. The book was intended as a tribute to Walt Disney and a satire on the state of the French comics industry. It was released on October 14, 2005 to commercial success, but was panned by the critics. This was the final volume produced by Uderzo before his handing over of the series to a new creative team. Read more...
- Asterix and the Picts is the 35th book in the Asterix series, and is the first book to be written by someone other than René Goscinny or Albert Uderzo. It was written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad. The English-language version was translated by Anthea Bell.
It takes Asterix and Obelix across the Channel into Scotland, where they meet the Picts. This is the duo's second journey to the British Isles, after visiting the Britons in Asterix in Britain (1965). Read more... - Asterix in Corsica is the twentieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (artwork). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 687-708 in 1973. It is the best-selling title in the history of the series, owing to its sales in the French market, but is one of the lowest-selling titles in the English language. Read more...
- Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (French: Astérix & Obélix contre César, Asterix & Obelix vs. Caesar in some regions) is a 1999 feature film directed by Claude Zidi, the first of what went on to become a series of live-action films based on Goscinny and Uderzo's Astérix comics. The film combines plots of several Astérix stories, mostly Asterix the Gaul (Getafix's abduction), Asterix and the Soothsayer, Asterix and the Goths (the Druid conference), Asterix the Legionary (Obelix becoming smitten with Panacea) and Asterix the Gladiator (the characters fighting in the circus) but jokes and references from many other albums abound, including a humorous exchange between Caesar and Brutus taken from Asterix and Cleopatra, and the villain Lucius Detritus is based on Tullius Detritus, the main antagonist of Asterix and the Roman Agent (known as Tortuous Convolvulus in the English translation of the comic).
At the time of its release, the film was the most expensive production in French cinema of all time, making it the most expensive production in France for the twentieth century. It was surpassed by the sequel, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, in 2002. Read more... - Asterix and the Missing Scroll (French: Le Papyrus de César, "Caesar's Papyrus") is the 36th book in the Asterix series, and the second written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad. A central theme is censorship and the battle over information. The title alludes to Julius Caesar's classic book, Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic War). Read more...
- Asterix and the Big Fight is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is Le Combat des chefs ("The Battle of the Chieftains") and it was first published in serial form in Pilote magazines, issues 261-302, in 1964. It was translated into English in 1971. Read more...
- How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When he was a Little Boy (French: Comment Obélix est tombé dans la marmite du druide quand il était petit, "How Obelix Fell into the Druid's Cooking Pot When He Was Small") is an Asterix story written by René Goscinny and originally published in the French magazine Pilote issue 291 (1965), with only a few drawings. In 1989, it was fully illustrated by Albert Uderzo and published in an album as a text story with illustrations. Read more...
Parc Astérix is a theme amusement park in France, based on the comic book series Asterix (by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny). With two million visitors yearly, Parc Asterix is the second theme park near Paris after Disneyland and its 11 million visitors yearly. It is situated approximately 35 km (22 mi) north of Paris, 32 km (20 mi) from Disneyland Paris and 20 km (12 mi) from the historic Château de Chantilly, in the commune of Plailly, in the département of Oise. Opened in 1989, the park is operated by Compagnie des Alpes.
It is especially well known in France for its large variety of roller coasters (including a bobsled one), and has begun incorporating rides and themes from historic cultures such as the Gauls, the Romans, the ancient Greeks and recently the Egyptians, but always in the visual style of the stories. Read more...- Asterix the Gladiator is the fourth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 126–168, in 1962. Read more...
- Asterix Conquers Rome (French: Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix, literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix and "unofficially" the twenty-third Asterix volume to be published. The comic follows the movie very exactly. It has very rarely been printed and is not widely known even amongst Asterix fans. The English translation has only been printed as part of a one-off comic book annual, the Asterix Annual 1980. It is thus often excluded from "canonical" lists of Asterix volumes with the subsequently published Obelix and Co. typically being listed as the "official" twenty-third volume. Read more...
- Asterix and the Goths is the third volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first published in 1963 in French and translated into English in 1974. Read more...
- Asterix in Belgium (French: Astérix chez les Belges, lit. 'Asterix among the Belgians/Belgae') is the twenty-fourth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations).
It is noted as the last Asterix story from Goscinny, who died during its production. Read more... - Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods (French: Astérix – Le Domaine des Dieux), also titled Asterix and Obelix: Mansion of the Gods, is a 2014 French-Belgian 3D computer-animated adventure family comedy film written and directed by Alexandre Astier. It is based on the Asterix comic book The Mansions of the Gods, which was the seventeenth book in the comic book series Asterix by Goscinny and Uderzo. The film features the voices of Roger Carel, Guillaume Briat, Lionnel Astier, Serge Papagalli, and Florence Foresti. The film sticks to the book's plot very closely while also expanding on it. It was the first Asterix film animated in 3D.
The film was theatrically released on 26 November 2014 by SND Films in France across 696 movie theatres. It received generally favourable reviews and has grossed over $51 million on a €31 million budget. It received an IFMCA Award nomination for Best Original Score for an Animated Feature Film. Asterix: The Land of the Gods was released on DVD, VOD and Blu-ray on 9 June 2015, by M6 Vidéo. Read more... - Asterix in Britain (French: Astérix chez les Bretons, "Asterix in the land of the Britons") is the eighth in the Asterix comic book series. It was published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 307-334, in 1965, and in album form in 1966. It tells the story of Asterix and Obelix's journey to Roman-occupied Britain. Read more...
- The Mansions of the Gods is the seventeenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 591-612, in 1971, and translated into English in 1973. It was the first not to use Asterix's name in the title (Obelix and Co. later became the only other in English, though not in French). Read more...
- Asterix and the Big Fight (Astérix et le coup du menhir) is a 1989 French-German animated film directed by Philippe Grimond and produced by Yannick Piel. It is based on the Asterix comic book series. The film has a different plot from the book of the same name. It combines plot elements from Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer. Although there is plenty of fighting — as usual for an Asterix story — the actual fight that the story is named for is not part of the movie's plot. The novelization was titled "Operation Getafix" (the German translation of the film was Operation Hinkelstein, a hinkelstein being a menhir). Read more...
- Asterix and the Actress (French: Astérix et Latraviata, "Asterix and Latraviata") is the 31st volume of the Asterix comic book series, written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Read more...
- Asterix and the Golden Sickle (French: La serpe d'or, "The Golden Sickle") is the second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first serialized in Pilote magazine issues 42–74 in 1960. Read more...
- Asterix and the Roman Agent (French: La Zizanie, "Strife") is the fifteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It first appeared as a serial in Pilote magazine issues 531-552 in 1970 and was translated into English in 1972. Read more...
- Oumpah-pah le Peau-Rouge (Ompa-pa the Redskin) is a comics series created by comics artist Albert Uderzo and comics author René Goscinny, best known as the creators of Asterix the Gaul. The series first appeared in the weekly Tintin magazine in 1958 though it remained serialised for a relatively short time. The stories were published in book form by Lombard and Dargaud starting in 1961. In 1995, the series was reissued by Albert Uderzo's own publishing house, Les Éditions Albert-René. Read more...
- Asterix at the Olympic Games (French: Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques) is a 2008 French fantasy comedy film directed by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann, and written by Langmann, Alexandre Charlot, and Frank Magnier, based on characters from René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's Astérix comic series. It was filmed primarily in Spain over the course of the year 2006.
At the time of its release, it was the most expensive French and non English-speaking film of all time. The film has been poorly received by critics, but performed well at several European box offices, topping charts in Poland, Spain, and France. In May 2008, it received the "Gérard du cinéma" (French equivalent of the Razzie Awards) for "Worst French film made in 2007". Read more... - Asterix in Switzerland (French: Astérix chez les Helvètes, "Asterix in the land of the Helvetii") is the sixteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote magazine issues 557–578 in 1970 and translated into English in 1973. Read more...
- Asterix and Son (French: Le Fils d'Astérix, "Asterix's Son") is the twenty-seventh volume of the Asterix comic book series, created by author René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. Read more...
- Asterix and the Cauldron is the thirteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 469-491, in 1968, and translated into English in 1976. Read more...
- Asterix and the Vikings (released in French as Astérix et les Vikings) is a 2006 French-Danish animated feature film, written by Stefan Fjeldmark in collaboration with Jean-Luc Gossens, and directed by Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Møller. The film is a loose adaptation of the story from the graphic novel Asterix and the Normans, which was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. The plot concerns Asterix and Obelix trying to train the nephew of their village's chief, only to find themselves rescuing him from a tribe of vikings who believe him to be a Champion of Fear.
The adaptation of the novel's story included new characters, and anachronist references about modern technology, while the film also makes use of over versions of pop songs, such as Get Down on It by Kool and the Gang, Survivor's Eye of the Tiger, and Super Freak by Rick James. The original french cast included the voices of Roger Carel, Jacques Frantz, Lorant Deutsch, Sara Forestier, Pierre Palmade, and Marc Alfos. The English dub of the film involved the voices of Paul Giamatti, Brad Garrett, Sean Astin, Evan Rachel Wood, Greg Proops, and John DiMaggio. Read more... - Asterix and the Normans is the ninth book in the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 340-361, in 1966. It depicts a meeting between Asterix's Gaulish village and a shipload of Normans (Vikings). Read more...
- Asterix and the Secret Weapon is the twenty-ninth volume of the Asterix comic book series and the fifth by Albert Uderzo alone. It parodies feminism, gender-equality/relationships, and military secrets. Read more...
- Asterix and the Soothsayer (French: Le Devin, "The Divine") is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972. Read more...
- Asterix the Gaul is the first volume of the Asterix comic strip series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). In Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, a 1999 poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde, Asterix the Gaul was listed as the 23rd greatest book of the 20th century. Read more...
- Asterix (/ˈæstərɪks/; French: Astérix) is a fictional character and the titular hero of the French comic book series Asterix.
The series portrays him as a diminutive but fearless Gaulish warrior living in the time of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Asterix was created in 1959 by writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. Since then, thirty-five books in the series have been released, with Uderzo taking over writing duties after the death of Goscinny in 1977. Asterix has also appeared in several animated and live-action film adaptations of the series, and serves as the mascot of the amusement park Parc Astérix. Before that, he was also the mascot of the magazine Pilote. Read more... - Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (French: Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre), also known as Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra, is a 2002 French/Italian fantasy comedy film written and directed by Alain Chabat and adapted from the comic book series Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on the book Asterix and Cleopatra, which had previously been adapted into a 1968 animated film, it also acts as a sequel to the 1999 movie Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar.
Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu reprise their roles as Asterix and Obelix, alongside newcomers Jamel Debbouze, Monica Bellucci, Claude Rich, Gérard Darmon, Édouard Baer, Dieudonné, and Chabat himself. Read more... - Asterix in Spain (French: Astérix en Hispanie, "Asterix in Hispania") is the fourteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote magazine, issues 498-519, in 1969, and translated into English in 1971. Read more...
- Asterix Versus Caesar (also known in France as Astérix et la surprise de César) is a 1985 animated film that was written by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo and Pierre Tchernia, and directed by Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi, and is the fourth film adaptation of the Asterix Comic book series. The story, an adaptation that combines the plots of Asterix the Legionary and Asterix the Gladiator, sees Asterix and his friend Obelix set off to rescue two lovers from their village that had been kidnapped by the Romans. The film's theme song, Astérix est là, was composed and performed by Plastic Bertrand.
A book of the film was released containing the story and stills from the film. It was later re-printed when Orion Publishing re-released the entire series. Read more... - Asterix and Obelix's Birthday: The Golden Book is the thirty-fourth episode of the Asterix comic book series, designed and written by Albert Uderzo. The book also includes Asterix stories which were created jointly with René Goscinny. The album, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the creation of the series, was released on 22 October 2009.
The album begins with a preface where Uderzo replies to the critics of his solo work, especially for the previous album, Asterix and the Falling Sky. He also says The Golden Book is not a whole story, but a succession of short stories celebrating the 50th anniversary of the hero. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that Georges Dargaud produced the first Asterix film, Asterix the Gaul, in 1967?
Need help?
Do you have a question about Asterix that you can't find the answer to?
Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
Selected images
Évariste Vital Luminais (1821 – 1896) paintings of Goths had been rather popular in France and are a possible role model for the Asterix series.
Subcategories
- Select [►] to view subcategories
Topics
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Wikibooks
Books
Commons
Media
Wikinews
News
Wikiquote
Quotations
Wikisource
Texts
Wikiversity
Learning resources
Wiktionary
Definitions
Wikidata
Database
- What are portals?
- List of portals
