The Asterix series is one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world, with the series being translated into 111 languages and dialects as of 2009. 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.

In some of the stories, they travel to foreign countries, while other tales are set in and around their village. 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', like '-rex' in Latin) present in the names of many real Gaulish chieftains such as Vercingetorix, Orgetorix, and Dumnorix. The protagonists, the title character Asterix and his friend Obelix, have various adventures.

They do so using a magic potion, brewed by their druid Getafix (Panoramix in the French version), which temporarily gives the recipient superhuman strength.

The series follows the adventures of a village of Gauls as they resist Roman occupation in 50 BC. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium. One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. In the front row are the regular characters, with Asterix himself in the centre.Īsterix comics usually start with the following introduction: As of 2021, 39 volumes have been released, with the most recent released in October 2021. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri (script) and Didier Conrad (artwork) took over. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette he died in 2020. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until Goscinny's death in 1977. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. English: Anthea Bell, Derek Hockridge (1969–2013) Anthea Bell (2013–2016) Adriana Hunter (2017–present)Īsterix or The Adventures of Asterix ( French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois, 'Asterix the Gaul') is a bande dessinée comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars.Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the comics anthology(s) Pilote. Asterix and Obelix's Birthday: The Golden Book.

Asterios comic