By Ferri & Conrad
Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 978444011678
Finally, a new Asterix book, and following Uderzo’s retirement, a new creative team. It’s been many years since Goscinny’s death and it was his superb sense of humour that shaped the anarchic world that centred on that little village in Gaul. Uderzo’s brilliant rendering of that world cemented Asterix as one of the most recognisable creations in comics, and he even took up the writing chores following the death of his friend to keep bringing us new adventures. Now it’s the turn of writer Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad, under the overseeing eye of Uderzo for this first volume, to bring us the continuing tales of this outflung arm of the Roman Empire, and what a good job of it they make.
Conrad has his own style but by and large he’s an excellent mimic of Uderzo’s, so visually you’re firmly planted into the continuing saga of Asterix and Obelix. Ferri’s writing is bang-on too, taking every opportunity to wring out those Goscinny-style puns and adventurous word play that defined those early adventures.
As the title suggests, this story is going to take us to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire where the natives are almost as feisty as their Gaulish cousins. It begins with Asterix and Obelix discovering a burly pict frozen in a block of ice upon the beach outside the village. Eventually they are able to free him but his ordeal prevents him from communicating his predicament or where he comes from properly. At first the villagers are happy to give him refuge but the men of the village begin to feel inferior to this silent muscular visitor as, one-by-one, the women fall for his looks and the romantic tale of tragedy that slowly emerges. Naturally it falls to Asterix and Obelix to return him home, but this means a long sea journey (involving the inevitable pirates), lots of brilliant character names (MacAroon, MacRobiotix, Pretentius) and a despicable local plot between a rival clan and the Romans. There’s even a rather ingenious use of Nessie (taken from Mind-Your-Own-Business rather than Loch Ness).
Without its two original creators this is everything an Asterix book could hope to be. It’s drawn and written with consideration and respect for what’s gone before and yet manages to be a fresh and vibrant new tale that finds a voice of its own. The future of Asterix is in good hands.
And if you liked that: Head on back and relive those original Asterix tales
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