Asterix

[The Culture Bunker]

At the time, being football obsessed, I thought it was some kind of pun on "Tottenham" till my dad pointed out what a tot o' rum was.

I loved the recurring cameo with those pirates they regularly met.  Every time they sailed overseas, their boat got attacked by them and they nearly always gave the pirates a battering and wrecked their ship.

There was an instance of the captain scuttling his own ship rather than face the beating and the ship being sunk anyways, only I think it turned out Asterix and Obelix hadn't noticed them or had no intention of fighting them.

[Keebleman]

Wrong forum, but I still love The Twelve Tasks of Asterix film.

I have the only published English version!  It appeared in an otherwise tatty knock-off called The Asterix Annual 1980.  Most of it consisted of short extracts from the books clumsily re-translated so they could function as stand-alone stories, but in the middle of it was the whole of Asterix vs Caesar, which I recognised as the Twelve Tasks of Asterix because I had seen a clip of the film (on World of Sport of all things).  It's OK, but on a level with the best of the post Goscinny books.  It didn't fully register with me at the time, but the artwork isn't up to the usual standard.  Apparently, the artist was Uderzo's brother.

[Chriddof]

That wasn't the only English version - it was also printed separately as it's own "album" (to use the BD terminology) over here, using a kind of illustrated story format. It's been out of print for decades, I think. This is it:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/298050.The_Twelve_Tasks_of_Asterix

[popcorn]

It didn't fully register with me at the time, but the artwork isn't up to the usual standard.  Apparently, the artist was Uderzo's brother.

The new Asterix books with the new artist and writer are the most amazing impersonation of another cartoonist I've ever seen. I grew up reading Sonic and Marvel comics where every character would look radically different depending on the artist.

[stonkers]

That wasn't the only English version - it was also printed separately as it's own "album" (to use the BD terminology) over here, using a kind of illustrated story format. It's been out of print for decades, I think. This is it:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/298050.The_Twelve_Tasks_of_Asterix

I've only just found out about this after a bit of googling after reading this thread, but I think what Keebleman is talking about is an actual comic adaptation of Twelve Tasks - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_Conquers_Rome. I've got the one you've linked to, as you've said it's a picture book with text rather than a comic.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

This blog post has some excellent examples:

https://auntymuriel.com/2012/12/23/asterix-in-translation-the-genius-of-anthea-bell-and-derek-hockridge/

Number IV is my favourite translated gag in any of the Asterix books I've read.

There was a different "choose your own adventure" type affair that involved you playing as the Chief's cityboy nephew Justforkix, searching for his Uncle, Asterix and Obelix.

I've got that one somewhere.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Loved these books as a kid so this thread is bringing back memories. Cheers for everyone who's cast a bit of light on that Asterix in Britain song, that tune never dislodged itself from my Swede so it's nice to finally have it tracked down. Recently dug out Obelix and Co from my old childhood book collection to appreciate the anti capitalist satire that I didn't pick up on as a kid.
My other main memory was going with my family to Parc Asterix, the French asterix themed theme park where all the rides were asterix themed, which was a bit of a waste as I was a pathetically wimpy kid who was scared shitless of rollercoasters so we didn't actually go on most of the stuff there. I think we ended up killing some time at one of the live shows, which was basically like the circus except punctuated by some tit in a big foam Cacofonix costume coming on for a few minutes and twatting about (it was all in French but delivered in the universal comedy language of falling over and talking in a silly voice).
I can't really remember much else about it except getting in a horrible screaming argument with my mum about something or other. Great times!

[The Culture Bunker]

I have still got most of my original Asterix comics here with me - I never had the very first one ('Asterix the Gaul') but borrowed it from the library. But it seems I'm missing 'Obelix and Co', which I know for sure I had as there's a pic of me from Christmas 1988 holding a copy - might have to see if I can pick another one up just for the sake of completion and to see if I 'get' the message about capitalism that doubtless passed me by when I was seven/eight.

[Keebleman]

I've only just found out about this after a bit of googling after reading this thread, but I think what Keebleman is talking about is an actual comic adaptation of Twelve Tasks - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_Conquers_Rome. I've got the one you've linked to, as you've said it's a picture book with text rather than a comic.

Ah right, I got the title wrong.  Asterix vs Caesar is the name of one of the films.

But the edition in that annual is a comic strip, not a text-based story.

[stonkers]

Ah right, I got the title wrong.  Asterix vs Caesar is the name of one of the films.

But the edition in that annual is a comic strip, not a text-based story.

Yeah it's confuring because there's two adaptions of Twelve Tasks. The one only published in the annual - Asterix Conquers Rome - is a comic, the more common one is actually titled "Twelve Tasks of Asterix" and is the picture book.

[madhair60]

Parc Asterix should have a gay bar called "Menhir"

_{I stole this joke off of my mate Tom.}

[Neville Chamberlain]

Number IV is my favourite translated gag in any of the Asterix books I've read.

Yes, a moment of incredible linguistic and visual ingenuity in a series not exactly short of linguistic and visual ingenuity.

Hard to pick out a favourite, but Asterix the Legionary has always stuck with me as the downright funniest of all adventures, but really there's little to choose between the Asterix adventures of their heyday. That said, it took me a while to really grasp what was happening in Asterix and the Roman Agent. I also remember Asterix in Corsica being a bit of a struggle, but that's probably because my knowledge of Corsica and the Corsican people was a bit lacking when I was an early teen ;-)

As far as post-Goscinny-era Asterix is concerned, I loved Asterix and the Great Divide, but I only made it as far as Asterix and the Magic Carpet before deciding this was no longer the Asterix I knew and loved. I've dipped into a couple of the more recent ones, but the phrase 'pale imitation' doesn't even begin to describe them. Shame, because the artwork's still stupendous.

[idunnosomename]

I just love the idea of Obelix polishing his menhirs regardless of it setting up the waiter joke

[madhair60]

There was a different "choose your own adventure" type affair that involved you playing as the Chief's cityboy nephew Justforkix, searching for his Uncle, Asterix and Obelix.

There were three of these, I have them. Good laugh.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Damn, I'm gonna go back and read all my Asterix books now.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

On the wiki page for Asterix the Gaul:

Valiant comics saved #59 (16 November 1963) carried a British version of Asterix with just the names changed which ran for a time, on the back page (so it was in colour). It was called "Little Fred and Big Ed" and they lived in a British village called Nevergiveup, the druid was named Hokus Pokus and the chief Roman was called Pompus.

LITTLE FRED AND BIG ED

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Also I seem to remember the Asterix the Gaul cartoon having completely different names for some characters (ie Getafix being called Panoramix, Cacophonix being called something pathetically shit like Stopthemusix) - I'm guessing that's cause it was dubbed from French rather than being based on the Bell/Hockridge translation? Wikipedia seems to back that up

[studpuppet]

Hard to pick out a favourite, but Asterix the Legionary has always stuck with me as the downright funniest of all adventures

This was mine as a 7-9 year old, but possibly because it reminded me of Mind Your Language, which at that age, I just found really funny (in my naivety). I loved the idea of different nations being identifiable because of their behaviour, and I especially liked the different typeface used for the Goths and Ptennisnet's hieroglyphs.

[The Culture Bunker]

I enjoy the running gags of Ptennisnet remaining convinced he's at some kind of holiday camp/experience rather than having been recruited into the Roman army, and the poor sods trying to train them being driven to nervous breakdowns.

Oh, and the British lad being the only one to enjoy the crap barracks food. The translator was a great character too.

[Kankurette]

I enjoy the running gags of Ptennisnet remaining convinced he's at some kind of holiday camp/experience rather than having been recruited into the Roman army, and the poor sods trying to train them being driven to nervous breakdowns.

Oh, and the British lad being the only one to enjoy the crap barracks food. The translator was a great character too.

That was one of my favourites for the exact same reason. I love how the Goths all speak in that Germanic font and Greeks speak in angular letters and so on. And the Brit gets his word order all screwed up in the German dub ("What he says?")

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I enjoy the running gags of Ptennisnet remaining convinced he's at some kind of holiday camp/experience rather than having been recruited into the Roman army, and the poor sods trying to train them being driven to nervous breakdowns.

Oh, and the British lad being the only one to enjoy the crap barracks food. The translator was a great character too.

I remember when a Roman officer with a red cape turns up, the translator approaches very nervously, saying Ptennisnet is wondering if he is one of the holiday camp attendants, who he refers to as 'redcloaks,' to which the officer responds with great annoyance.

[Boycey]

Been reading them to my eldest lately, he's been getting into them massively. It started off by managing to find a few in second-hand stores (including an aged WH Smith compilation of 4 Asterix books) and I do enjoy reading them to him. Reminded me of when I was young and my grandad reading them to me

They're one of those great 'kid' books where you change the appreciation as time goes on. At first it's all funny cartoons and 'thwacking' Romans. But then you start to get the translation jokes and all the word play, as well as the satire. Of course some there as some really insensitive racial portrayals but, as has been said, think it can be allowed to be an '...of it's time,' thing rather than and out and out cancellation. And there's generally not much mean-spiritedness in the books.

I also have fond memories of the Wilie Rushton narrated audiobooks. When I read them to my kids, I always try and do Obelix like Rushton did.

However, he always pronounced Totorum as Toe-Tour-Rum so I have only just got the joke about it now.

Also recently picked up Asterix Conquers America on DVD as it was cheap (basically a re-working of Asterix and the Great Crossing). It feels like it's mid 80s but it's actually mid 90s. Inspired casting of Howard Lew Lewis as Obelix, everything else a bit of letdown (including pronouncing Obelix wrong!)

[Kankurette]

We had the Rushton version of Asterix the Gladiator on tape. They added some nice little bits that weren't in the book, such as the 'yes, no, black or white' game. His rendition of Cacofonix singing always cracked me up. Whoever adapted it did a good job of turning a comic into a novel. (Mum refused to read the books to us as she couldn't read comics aloud, but IIRC Dad did. He was the one who got me into them, can't remember how.)

The original books weren't mean spirited, but some of the Uderzo ones definitely were, especially when he was on a soapbox about something. The way black people were drawn makes me cringe, although I will say it was better than Tintin in that department.

Btw does anyone remember a shop called A Lot of Gaul in Brighton? It closed a while back, sadly, but it was a nice little quirky shop in the Lanes that did French stuff, music etc. They sold loads of Asterix and Tintin merch, I have a few Asterix figures from there.

[popcorn]

Also recently picked up Asterix Conquers America on DVD as it was cheap (basically a re-working of Asterix and the Great Crossing). It feels like it's mid 80s but it's actually mid 90s. Inspired casting of Howard Lew Lewis as Obelix, everything else a bit of letdown (including pronouncing Obelix wrong!)

And Craig Charles as Asterix, oddly.

[The Culture Bunker]

We had the Rushton version of Asterix the Gladiator on tape. They added some nice little bits that weren't in the book, such as the 'yes, no, black or white' game.

Wasn't that in the book too, as a game Asterix teaches the other gladiators as an alternative to fighting/killing each other? Unless you mean they added extra bits to the audio version.

Just looking at my bookshelf and I realised I also have that 'How Obelix Fell Into the Magic Potion When He was a Little Boy' effort, which isn't terrible by any means, but not that good either.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I remember in one book, the pair need to make some money.  Obelix tells Asterix they should sell the stories of their adventures.  Asterix replies he's not much of a businessman but he's quite sure that wouldn't make much money.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I loved getting Asterix books from the library when I was little. My parents got me the cartoon of Asterix the Gaul on video and it was shit. Nobody sounded right, Asterix was an annoying prick and he looked wrong, and they changed the names. But I must have watched it hundreds of times anyway.

[Kankurette]

Wasn't that in the book too, as a game Asterix teaches the other gladiators as an alternative to fighting/killing each other? Unless you mean they added extra bits to the audio version.

Just looking at my bookshelf and I realised I also have that 'How Obelix Fell Into the Magic Potion When He was a Little Boy' effort, which isn't terrible by any means, but not that good either.

There was something similar, but the audio book fleshed it out. I think the Cleopatra riddle was in the original.

[idunnosomename]

just realised, foolishly, that the numbering of the English/British Asterixes we all know off the back of our books is not that of the original run of albums.

Asterix the Gaul came out 1961 (after being serialised '59-'60), but wasn't translated into English until 1969. the second numbered English volume is Asterix in Spain, which originally came out 1969 (I guess they were just translating the newest one), and then of course Asterix in Britain, from '66. the whole order after that is continually fucked up and only syncs up towards the end of the original run. no wonder I was confused over when Dogmatix came in, especially since I now realise I've never read Le Tour de Gaule d'Astérix (Banquet) from '65.

the comedy in some of these (re-reading them after a good two decades) is superb. I mean some of the pacing and smash cuts of the frames is like the Simpsons. the pause and rewind at the beginning of Laurel Wreath ('72) for instance. and the running jokes, like the fondue punishment in Switzerland. the themes of slavery, drunkeness, and the whole pacifism thing in Gladiator, is also interesting to revisit.

I read Chieftain's Shield ('67) today. The main conceit in this is to pastiche Bougnats, rural migrants from the volcanic rock and coal seams of southern France to Paris in the 19th century. hence all the shops being WINE AND CHARCOAL.

Interesting too is that Olympic Games ('68) was printed the year after performance-enhancing drugs were outlawed at the modern Olympics, but way before the East German scandals of the '70s and '80s. the plot is kinda pointless in the end but I love the whole group holiday vibe in Athens. possibly one of the consistently funniest. but it takes a lot to make a comic make me laugh out loud, and how much these do is really notable.

Legionary is hilarious too, although I had to search the "old hairy hands" joke and guess what, I got a blue forum (this blue forum). it's just a french way of mocking a response like pig latin: poil aux (x). not much you can do with a hieroglyphic joke but play it verbatim.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I loved getting Asterix books from the library when I was little. My parents got me the cartoon of Asterix the Gaul on video and it was shit. Nobody sounded right, Asterix was an annoying prick and he looked wrong, and they changed the names. But I must have watched it hundreds of times anyway.

I'll say one thing for it: the bit of fiddle music during the barn-dance sequence - which ends with the spy getting his fake moustache pulled off - was extremely catchy.