Asterix: Asterix The Gaul  (English, Paperback, Goscinny Rene)

The first ever volume of the famed Asterix comic book series, it is certainly the nostalgic starting point for all Asterix fans.

Summary Of The Book

The story begins, as all of Asterix’s adventures do, by invoking the state of Gaul at the time – occupied by the Romans, though not entirely. The one small village of indomitable Gauls still holding out against the invaders is slowly zoomed into. In this first ever adventure, the Romans, led by Centurion Crismus Bonus attempt to figure out what gave the Gauls their superhuman strength. They find that the secret lies in a potion brewed by their fearsome (yet rather fatherly) druid, Getafix. This leads them to their first ever attempt to capture the venerable druid, which they manage to do without a snag, at least initially.

The druid is captured and tortured until the torturer is utterly exhausted and stunned by the resistance of Getafix to his methods. Instead, they capture Asterix, who had caught wind of the Romans’ scheme and snuck into their camp, and try to torture him instead, which works brilliantly – so brilliantly that the torturer hardly had to tie him down before the Gaulish warrior began to beg for mercy. This forces Getafix to comply with the Romans’ demand to brew his secret potion for them and goes on to give them an elaborate list of ingredients. But what exactly will the druid concoct? Will it be his famous magic potion or do Asterix and Getafix have other tricks up their sleeves?

Asterix The Gaul was named the twenty third most influential book of the twentieth century by the magazine Le Monde. It was first serialized in the French comic magazine Pilote before it was compiled into the well known first volume. Despite many inconsistencies in drawing and characterizations, this book is a fitting start to the beloved Asterix series.

About The Authors

Albert Uderzo is a French script writer and comic book artist. He is best known for his work on the Asterix series along with Rene Goscinny, which so far comprises of thirty four volumes. He is also known for Flamberge, Belloy, Tanguy et Laverdure, and Oumpah-pah.

Uderzo is the third most translated French comic book author according to UNESCO’s Index Translationum. He has been highly honored over the years, having received the Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1985, been inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2005 and been made a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. He is married to Ada Uderzo and has a daughter Sylvie Uderzo.

Rene Goscinny was a French comic book editor and writer. He is best known for his work on the Asterix series along with Albert Uderzo, though he has also worked on many other projects such as Iznogoud, Le Petit Nicolas, Lucky Luke and Oumpah-pah. UNESCO’s Index Translationum named Goscinny the twenty second most translated author in the world. He has received several awards – Adamson Award for best comic strip artist in 1974, and was inducted in the Will Eisner Hall of Fame as a Judges' choice in 2005. He married Gilberte Pollaro-Millo and had a daughter Anne Goscinny.