Asterix

[Thigolf]

 

Asterix is a French comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. The first adventure started off in the French magazine "Pilote" back in 1959 and so far, there have been released 34 comic books (which sold 325 copies), over 10 movies and various videogames.

 

50 years BC, the Romans have conquered nearly all of Gaul, besides one small village. The villagers got a magic potion made by the druid Getafix, giving them  temporary superhuman strength. The hero of the village is Asterix, who is often send on adventures to help other people because of his smartness. His best friend, Obelix, aids him on almost all of his adventures and is often accompanied by his little dog, Dogmatix/Idéfix.

The adventures of the heroes reach from stories that just happen in there village to journeys in Gaul to neighbour nations like Germany, Spain or Britain to far away lands like India or North America.

 

The main character, Asterix, is a small, but really smart Gaul with a winged helmet (probably his most recognizable feature). He is the typical hero character, although he often loses his temper when Obelix has his "slow" moments.

Obelix (the guy with the red hair) is Asterix' best friend. He is rather dumb and fat and immediately loses his temper if someone tells him that he is. He got permanent superhuman strength because he fell in a cauldron filled with magic potion when he was a little boy. His favourite food is wild boar, he likes chiseling menhirs and loves beating up Romans.

Dogmatix/Idefix is Obelix' pet dog who followed the two friends during their journey through Gaul in "Asterix and the Banquet". After the journey, Obelix finally notices the dog and makes him his pet. He loves trees, howling whenever a tree falls. He is also getting very jealous when Obelix falls for a woman.

Other characters include the druid Getafix, the bard Cacofonix who gets beaten up whenever he tries to sing, the chief Vitalstatistix who often falls of his shield as a running gag and many more.

 

 

So, did some of you guys read the comic books, and if yes, what's your favourite? I read all of them, and I really love the series. I really hope I'm not the only one here.

[Your Vest Friend]

Not absolutely virulent on the series, especially now, but I did have a fondness for what I saw back when I was a child. The two comics I recall reading featured Asterix and Cleopatra and Asterix in Britain. 

 

I also remember the cartoons that were produced of certain comics. The ones I saw personally were Asterix and the Soothsayer, the Twelve Trials of Asterix, and Asterix Conquers America (aka the more movie-like one). 

 

Overall....it's weird to think what they got away with in those comics. The British one featured drunken antics (although it's not like that's not unusual in Britain), the American one featured drugs and topics of seduction popped up from time to time. You can tell this was a more political children's comic too, even if you didn't understand the references to local politics the author made. 

Edited January 1, 2013 by VEDJ-F

[ChikaBoing]

 I really hope I'm not the only one here.

 

Hm, there won't be too many I guess. At least in America it's very niche. It's more of a European thing (not so much UK maybe)

[Jix Hedgehog]

X

Edited August 14, 2015 by Jix Hedgehog

[pppp]

 I read all of them, and I really love the series. I really hope I'm not the only one here.

 

 

You're not. I absolutely love the comics. The humor is great, the characters have a ton of charm and i love the art style. I hate the last book though. Aliens? Really Uderzo?

[Jeffhog]

Holy crap, I haven't read these comics since grade school... XD They were so hilarious! I read 'em in their native French too (hooray for bilingualism).

 

"Ils sont fous, ces romains!"

[Thigolf]

You're not. I absolutely love the comics. The humor is great, the characters have a ton of charm and i love the art style. I hate the last book though. Aliens? Really Uderzo?

 

I remember being excited for this release, and when I finished reading it I was just like "...What the Ef did I just read?" Aliens, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Superman... I mean, wow. That really blew my mind. I didn't like it at all.

 

Also, I'm kind of worried about the new book that will be released next year   this year. A completely new writer and a new artist. I really hope they are able to get the humor right.

Edited January 2, 2013 by Thigolf

[Adamis]

I grew up with the comics and animated movies

There are four live-action movies but they're kinda crap, except for the third one.

 

 

 

 

 

There's going to be a CGI movie as well, called "The Land of the Gods" and it's being written by Alexandre Astier, an incredibly talented french writer/actor/producer.

 

[Thigolf]

Really? I thought the third one was the worst one, actually.

 

The new animated one looks really good, by the way. I can't deny that I would've preferred classic 2D anmation, but the 3D models they chose for this movie look really nice and quite faithful to the comics. I'm looking forward to it.

[Spin Attaxx]

I'm interested in that CGI flick. The characters look best when they're not realistic.

 

 

Kinda like Sonic, really...

[pppp]

I grew up with the comics and animated movies

There are four live-action movies but they're kinda crap, except for the third one.

 

 

 

 

 

There's going to be a CGI movie as well, called "The Land of the Gods" and it's being written by Alexandre Astier, an incredibly talented french writer/actor/producer.

 

 

 

As far as i'm concerned, all live action movies are terrible. I have to say though, that CGI movie looks surprisingly good. Personally i found the 2D animated movies to be just watered down versions of the comics.

[Thigolf]

As far as i'm concerned, all live action movies are terrible. I have to say though, that CGI movie looks surprisingly good. Personally i found the 2D animated movies to be just watered down versions of the comics.

"The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" was really original though, and I loved every minute of it. Escpecially the task in the "Place that sends you mad": Just a brilliant Bureaucracy parody.

 

The CGI movie will be another comic-based movie though. It's based on, well, "The Mansions of Gods". The title of the movie is a literal translation of the french title of the book.

I really hope they won't add a female character this time. Nothing against females, but they always felt pretty forced, like "Oh, we REALLY need a love story!"

Edited January 5, 2013 by Thigolf

[TheGerkuman]

Wait, they're adapting Mansions of the Gods? That's a really good choice. It's all about the inter-personal stuff with that one.

Building a giant set of flats/apartments right next to the Gauls in the hope of subtly turning them into Roman citizens is one of Caesar's best plans ever.

[Thigolf]

Guess what came out today?

 

 

I gotta say, getting this was quite amazing. Grumpy business men walked into the magazine store, only to discover this new comic and smiling like a little child again. It warmed my heart, frankly.

 

I haven't read it yet, but I love the artstyle of the new artist. It looks like the early Asterix comics, which style I loved the most, personally. Can't wait to read it.

[Ducktor Naldush]

Guess what came out today?

 

 

I gotta say, getting this was quite amazing. Grumpy business men walked into the magazine store, only to discover this new comic and smiling like a little child again. It warmed my heart, frankly.

 

I haven't read it yet, but I love the artstyle of the new artist. It looks like the early Asterix comics, which style I loved the most, personally. Can't wait to read it.

IT CAME OUT?

GOOD GOD, I have to buy it asap!

[Gabz Girl]

Saw it in Waterstones today. Wanted to buy it so bad but I want to hear if it's any good first. It's bound to be better than the last one with the aliens but you never know! =P

 

Anyway, big fan of Asterix. My dad collected them in Dutch (I lived in Holland for a long time before moving to the UK) so I'm used to the French names which are kept in that translation. I have read some of the English ones though and they're really good too. What I love about the comics is not only the cartoony style (European comics FTW) and the time period its set in but also the humour! It's brilliant, and I love the references to modern culture.

 

I watched the first live action movie years ago, and it was alright. Funny, but just alright. The animated films are mostly great though, especially Asterix in Britain. I saw Asterix and the Vikings recently and while the animation is superb, it annoys me that they focused more on newcomer Hippix and not the main characters. 

 

If the latest album is any good, I'll definitely pick it up!

[pppp]

Saw it in Waterstones today. Wanted to buy it so bad but I want to hear if it's any good first. It's bound to be better than the last one with the aliens but you never know! =P

 

Anyway, big fan of Asterix. My dad collected them in Dutch (I lived in Holland for a long time before moving to the UK) so I'm used to the French names which are kept in that translation. I have read some of the English ones though and they're really good too. What I love about the comics is not only the cartoony style (European comics FTW) and the time period its set in but also the humour! It's brilliant, and I love the references to modern culture.

 

I watched the first live action movie years ago, and it was alright. Funny, but just alright. The animated films are mostly great though, especially Asterix in Britain. I saw Asterix and the Vikings recently and while the animation is superb, it annoys me that they focused more on newcomer Hippix and not the main characters. 

 

If the latest album is any good, I'll definitely pick it up!

 

I read it this week, and it was good, though not funny enough. You can tell it wasn't written by Uderzo. Still good enough though.

[iDEATH]

The new one's being published oer here in a Scot's edition. For those unaware of what that means, they take the text of a book and adapt it to read like a scottish accent.

"Oh no, don't go there you fool"

"Och naw, dinnae go in thure ya eejit"

 

...I hate scots editions of books....

 

That cgi film looks awesome Can't wait to see it in action.

[Thigolf]

Time to dig out this thread, because....

The new Adventure is out now!

I'm reading it right now, and so far, I'm enjoying it quite a bit more than the previous one. I might give my full thoughts about it when I'm done with it.

[Ducktor Naldush]

I'll buy it next week, I can't wait!

[Adamis]

I'll recieve that one tomorrow, can't wait