Asterix volume 40 provides a twist
October 26, 2023
The French comic book series Asterix is turning over a new leaf with the 40th volume released on October 26, and penned by a new writer.
The French novelist and comic author Fabcaro, who is known for his absurdist humor, will be the fourth author to continue the adventure of the indomitable Gaul, Asterix, who stood up to the Romans.
As the titular main protagonist of the comic book series, Asterix is the invincible warrior of the 'Little Gaulish Village,' often accompanied by his sidekick, Obelix.
Always at loggerheads
Like in previous iterations, in "Asterix and the White Iris" they quarrel and fight, hunt wild boar, buy rotten fish and beat up Romans; that's how we've known these Gauls who live in a small Breton village and who successfully assert themselves against the Roman occupying force.
The tribes are a thorn in the side of the emperor Julius Caesar, who keeps trying to subjugate the village. However, a magic potion that gives the inhabitants superhuman strengths usually causes the Roman soldiers to fall. So Caesar sometimes resorts to more deceitful methods and sends people to the village who, in whatever form, aim to divide the community.
What poison and bile spewing creeps or a shady seers failed to do in earlier volumes, now the healer, Visusversus, aims to achieve. The plan is to lull the recalcitrant Gauls with love, healthy food and positive energy and thus render them incapable of fighting.
Of course, Visusversus initially succeeds in manipulating the villagers, both men and women, with his spells, which even leads to the wife of the village chief Majestix leaving her husband and plunging him into deep depression. With verve and good humor, Asterix and Obelix set out to put things right.
Contact lost
Constantly walking a tightrope, Asterix comics are also supposed to move with the times, but with the protagonists remaining as they are. Doing so over six decades however requires a certain amount of tact.
In the last few volumes, however, readers have failed to connect with the characters they were once fond of. When Rene Goscinny died in 1977, his longtime partner, the cartoonist Albert Uderzo, took over his job as author, which he succeeded to a limited extent because Goscinny's sparkling wit gave way to rather clumsy jokes.
In 2013, a completely new team of authors took over, with Didier Conrad as illustrator and Jean-Yves Ferri as author. Conrad masterfully copied Uderzo's loving drawing style and Ferri wrote with humor. Their first volume — "Asterix and the Picts" — brought back many of the fans disappointed by the previous editions. Over five issues, the Gauls traveled to Scotland, Italy and farther east, in between having to deal with a secret document and an unruly teenager. As time went on, however, the characters again lost their intensity.
Reunion with the 'old' Gauls
After Goscinny, Uderzo and Ferri, the South Frenchman Fabrice Caro — alias Fabcaro — is now the fourth author giving voice to the characters. While Conrad's drawings are a safe bet, the question now is: Can the "new guy" match the tone of the classic stories or are the Asterix stories now drifting away for good?
No need to worry. First of all, the new authors do not send the protagonists on a journey to a faraway land, but keep them in their village, except for a trip to the capital. After all, it's about them and their community.
Secondly, the two authors give the characters more space again in this issue, for example, when Asterix and Obelix ponder the unusual behavior of the wild boar in the forest.
Current social topics are also incorporated into the story, without being too obtrusive. E-scooters, climate protests, urban flight, xenophobia and self-optimization are all addressed in passing — something the Asterix volumes have always been able to do, ever since the first story appeared in 1959.
Babble until the bubble bursts
The dialogues are snappy, witty and includes even a few clumsy "clunkers." In contrast, Fabcaro lets his Visusversus ramble tirelessly until the speech bubble bursts. But he also gets counterattacked again and again. For example, when he croons: "Have a wonderful day, Asterix! You're coming in like a gentle morning breeze!" and Asterix replies, "Storm warning for you!" You can't help but grin.
Even when Caesar, looking for an idea, murmurs thoughtfully, "To kidnap someone from the village is something everyone has regretted so far," Asterix connoisseurs know that such attempts have been made several times.There are also affectionate throwbacks to older Asterix stories in other scenes, which generates a warm feeling while reading.
"The White Iris" is a cautious anniversary volume: It wants to bring back its old fans and perhaps even win over new ones.
Whether the change of baton in the 40th Asterix volume can revive the magic of the old characters and stories remains to be seen.
This article was originally written in German.