Asterix and Obelix featured image Reviews 

“Asterix and the Picts,” “Asterix and the Missing Scroll,” “Asterix and the Chariot Race,” “Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter,” “Asterix and the Griffin”

By | November 11th, 2021
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Sad news folks: these are the last five books of the series that have been published so far and the last article I will write about “Asterix and Obelix.” It has been an absolute joy sharing such a large part of my childhood with you guys and while there are millions of fans of the indomitable Gauls around the world, I hope these articles have helped create a few new ones.

Anyway, on to the reviews.

Art by Albert Uderzo
Written by Jean-Yves Ferri
Illustrated by Didier Conrad

This week we close out our look at the Asterix books with “Asterix and the Picts”, “Asterix and the Missing Scroll”, “Asterix and the Chariot Race”, “Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter”, and “Asterix and the Griffin”.

After the publication of “Asterix and the Great Crossing” Uderzo effectively retired and ceased to be the writer and artist of the Asterix books. While Uderzo had stated that he wanted the Asterix books to end with his death, certain legal troubles with his family and the terms of him selling the rights to the Asterix books to Hachette in 2011 allowed the books to continue on without the original creative team.

From this point on the books would be written by Jean-Yves Ferri and drawn by Didier Conrad. While any reader might be nervous that such a famous book was being written by someone other than the creative team both Ferri and Conrad had been mentored and hand picked by Uderzo to continue the books.

Let’s see if they live up to the legacy.

Asterix and the Picts

The first book of the Ferri and Conrad era is “Asterix and the Picts”, which sees the Gaulish duo stumble across the frozen body of a banished prince named Macaroon. After thawing the prince out, the village learns that he had been ambushed by the evil Maccabee clan because their chief desired Macaroon’s fiance. The chief of the Maccabees has also invited the Romans to their lands in order to consolidate his power and become king of the Picts. Wishing to help a fellow freedom fighter, the Gaulish duo finds themselves returning to the British isles. Specifically, they find themselves traveling to the distant land of Caledonia, otherwise known as Scotland.

“Asterix and the Picts” is very much a return to the classic Asterix adventures, although it feels like Ferri and Conrad are still trying to get used to the particular style and humor of the comic. All the characters are there, the comic does a great job of poking fun at both ancient and modern Scottish stereotypes and culture (the Loch Ness monster makes an appearance), and the puns and Latin quips flow freely. However, there are times where the book feels a bit forced and there is a subplot involving a Roman census taker that feels completely unnecessary.

Still, it’s a valiant first effort by a new creative team and does a great job of evoking memories of the classic comic. It can only get better from here.

Asterix and Missing Scroll

In “Asterix and the Missing Scroll” Julius Caesar has a problem. He is about to publish his book “Commentaries on the Gallic Wars”, and he has been advised by people around him to remove the chapter where he talks about all his defeats at the hands of the indomitable Gauls. While Caesar thinks this is a good idea, the scribes creating his book seem to think otherwise and leak the chapter to a journalist named Confoundtheirpolitix, who manages to escape Rome and make his way to the unconquered Gaulish village to seek their protection. What happens next is a battle between the Romans who seek to destroy the scroll and the Gauls and journalists of the ancient world who are determined that the truth be revealed to the public.

“Asterix and the Missing Scroll” shows Ferri and Conrad really coming into their own and creating a great book that deftly combines ancient and modern history. Caesar actually did write a memoir of his exploits in Gaul during his lifetime, which has become one of the most famous Latin texts ever written. While it is a good book, it is effectively propaganda designed to promote Caesar’s exploits and get the people of Rome to love him. It’s effectively an early version of a social media influencer campaign, which ties nicely to the book’s very modern themes of censorship and the leaking of documents that embarrass the rich and powerful. It’s a solid book with a cheeky ending and really shows the new creative team coming into their own.

Continued below

Asterix and the Chariot Race

“Asterix and the Chariot Race” sees Asterix and Obelix take a break from protecting their village and have them travel to Italy to defend Gaulish honor in a massive chariot race across the Italian peninsula. They decide to do this because Obelix thought it might be fun. What follows is a suspiciously modern chariot race that closely resembles a modern auto race, complete with corporate sponsors and racing teams from across the ancient world. However, problems quickly arise as the other various charioteers plot and scheme to sabotage each other, and at the forefront of the race is a Roman charioteer who is authorized by Caesar to do whatever it takes to ensure that a Roman wins the race. This charioteer’s name is…Coronavirus.

It’s worth mentioning that this comic was published in 2017.
“Asterix and the Chariot Race” is probably the best Asterix book of this new modern era. Not only does it have plenty of action and clever dialogue, it also shows that Ferri and Conrad really know their history. The charioteers come from every corner of the ancient world, from ancient Britain to the African kingdom of Kush. There are even some Germanic Cimbrians and Middle Eastern Sarmatians in the mix. All this comes together in a book that feels like a Wacky Races episode and has tons of energy and heart.

Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter

“Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter” sees the village of Gauls confront one of the saddest chapters in the history of their people. When the Gaulish chieftain Vercingetorix lost to Caesar at the Battle of Alesia, it was a shame that the Gaulish people would never live down. In fact, it was so shameful that the villages often have difficulty saying Vercingetorix’s name.

However, all is not lost. It turns out that Vercingetorix had a secret daughter named Adrenalin who is still alive and under the care of two of his former lieutenants. They plan to use her as a symbol to unite the tribes of Gaul again and overthrow Roman rule. Fortunately for them, Asterix’s village is more than happy to hide them from the Romans and keep the girl safe. Unfortunately, Adrenalin is a rebellious teenager who doesn’t like the role that society has dictated to her, and takes every opportunity to rebel against the villagers and escape.

“Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter” is a book about generational conflict and children refusing to be like their parents. What it lacks in history it makes up for in emotional conflict, and while there are the usual humor and quips and a romantic subplot that feels tacked on and forced, it manages to be surprisingly deep and touching.

This is also the last Asterix book that would be published while Uderzo was still alive. Sadly, the artist passed away in 2020 due to a heart condition. While he will be missed his work will live on in the hearts and minds of millions.

Asterix and the Griffin

“Asterix and the Griffin” is the first book where the original creative team was not present when it was released, although Uderzo supposedly saw some early sketches and the script before his death. It’s also the most recent Asterix book, coming out in October of 2021, so once you’ve picked this book up, you’re all caught up, although American readers are going to have to wait for this book to hit shelves. The book has Caesar sending an expeditionary force to distant Sarmatia–what is now modern Iran–to capture a griffin, the half lion half eagle creature of legend. Caesar wants the griffin so he can show it off in the arena to boost his popularity and to that end, the Romans have captured a Sarmatian princess named Kalashnikova to guide them to the beast. It just so happens that the Gauls are traveling to Sarmatia so Getafix can visit an old friend, a druid named Fanciacuppov, and give him a small barrel filled with magic potion. The Gauls and Romans naturally wind up clashing over ownership of the griffin and come into contact with the Sarmatians, who are a group of nomads where the men do the housework and the women do all the fighting.

While “Asterix and the Griffin” does have plenty of puns and draws attention to the Sarmatian people, an actual group of nomads that don’t get a lot of attention in ancient historical discourses, critical reviews have been mixed. A lot of people feel that while Ferri and Conrad have been doing a good enough job, books like “Asterix and the Griffin” feel a bit soft and lack the bite and irony that the Goscinny and Uderzo books had. Personally, I think the book is alright. It continues to explore parts of the ancient world that don’t get a lot of attention and it’s trying to be something different while maintaining the spirit of the original books.

So that’s it, that’s every major Asterix and Obelix book that’s ever been written. It’s been a heck of a journey and thank you for your time and interest.


//TAGS | 2021 Summer Comics Binge

Matthew Blair

Matthew Blair hails from Portland, Oregon by way of Attleboro, Massachusetts. He loves everything comic related, and will talk about it for hours if asked. He also writes a web comic about a family of super villains which can be found here: https://tapas.io/series/The-Secret-Lives-of-Villains

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