Asterix the Gaul

Asterix the Gaul (Astérix le Gaulois)
Cover of the English edition
Date	1961
Main characters	Asterix and Obelix
Series	Asterix
Publisher	Dargaud
Creative team
Writer	René Goscinny
Artist	Albert Uderzo
Original publication
Published in	Pilote magazine
Issues	1–38
Date of publication	29 October 1959 – 14 July 1960
Language	French
Translation
Publisher	Brockhampton Press
Date	1969
Translator	Anthea Bell Derek Hockridge
Chronology
Followed by	Asterix and the Golden Sickle

Asterix the Gaul is a French graphic novel, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, and published in France originally in October 1959. The story focues on Asterix attempting to prevent a Roman garrison from securing the source of his village's invulerabity that has thwarted their efforts to conquer their village.

The graphic novel would form the foundations of the the first in the Asterix comic strip series that Goscinny and Uderzo would work on, with a 1999 poll of French readers by retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde listing Asterix the Gaul as the 23rd greatest book of the 20th century by its participants, according to Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century. Alongside being released in other langauges, such as English, an animated film adaptation of the novel was made in 1967, though was not well received.

Plot

In 50 B.C., all of Gaul is under the control of the Romans, except for a small village in Armorica (present-day Brittany), whose inhabitants constantly hold back their forces through superhuman strength. Determined to uncover their secret, Centurion Crismus Bonus, commander of the camp of Compendium, sends a spy into the village. His spy soon reveals that the village's druid, Getafix, periodically supplies the villagers with a magic potion that is the source of their strength. Amazed by this, Crismus Bonus orders Getafix to be captured, in order to gain control over the magic potion.

Asterix, a warrior from the village, learns of Getafix's kidnapping from a cart-seller and decides to infiltrate the Roman camp to rescue him. Once inside the camp that evening, Asterix overhears Crismus Bonus talking with his second-in-command, Marcus Ginandtonicus, about his plans to use the magic potion to initiate a rebellion against Rome that will overthrow Julius Caesar. When Asterix finds Getafix, he informs him of what he learnt and comes up with a plan to prevent this from happening.

The following morning Asterix lets himself be captured and pretends to give in to torture, whereupon Getafix pretends to give in and agree to make the potion. After securing the ingredients he needs, Getafix tricks Crismus Bonus that he needs strawberries, only for him and Asterix to consume them all once the Romans find some. Eventually, Getafix uses the ingredients he collected to brew a potion which he tricks Crismus Bonus and the Romans to drink, unaware it will cause their hair and beards to grow at an accelerated rate.

After tricking Crismus Bonus to let them gather ingredients for an "antidote" (despite the effects of the lotion wearing off after a day), Getafix supplies the camp with vegetable soup. However, he secretly collects the ingredients needed for the magic potion, which Asterix uses to help them escape from their captors. Before they make for their village, the pair discover Roman reinforcements have arrived, led by Caesar, who becomes suspicious about what has recently occurred in Compendium. Asterix soon exposes Crismus Bonus' intentions, prompting Caesar to exile him and his men to Outer Mongolia for their treachery, while allowing the Gauls to leave on the grounds of a truce. Asterix and Getafix eventually return to their village, which celebrates by holding a banquet for their success.

Characters

Introducing

• Asterix – Gaulish warrior
• Obelix – Gaulish menhir delivery man and warrior
• Getafix – Gaulish druid
• Vitalstatistix – Chief of the Gaulish Village
• Cacofonix – Gaulish bard
• Fulliautomatix – Gaulish blacksmith
• Julius Caesar – Roman leader (historical)

Development

Because this is the first album, many story points and characterisations are still in their formative stages. In fact, due to its original, serial nature, some develop and change even as the story progresses:

• The Roman second-in-command changes abruptly a few pages into the story.
• Getafix begins the story living in a cave in the forest and looking much like a stereotypical caveman. He also uses a walking stick.
• Obelix is seen carrying an axe in his first appearance. It is never seen again. He is satisfied with helping Asterix eat just one boar between them. Obelix is only a peripheral character in the first album, and does not truly become Asterix's sidekick until the next album. He is also seen carrying much larger amounts of rock than in later stories.
• Asterix and other villagers appear to be using the potion constantly, yet seeing the potion being made is viewed as an event.
• Fulliautomatix is seen working metal with his bare hands. He also bears no resemblance to his later appearances.
• Cacofonix the bard plays and calls a dance, and at the end is seated at the table at the feast. Later albums established a running gag where he is never allowed to sing (except in those such as Asterix and the Normans, The Mansions of the Gods and Asterix and the Magic Carpet), and is tied up and gagged at feasts to prevent this.
• When he is first introduced in the prologue, Caesar has a completely different look than he has in the rest of the series, including at the end of this album.

Publishing history

The story was first published as a serial in Pilote magazine, a Franco-Belgian comics magazine founded by Goscinny and a few other comic artists.

The first page appeared in the promotional issue #0, distributed on 1 June 1959, and the story was serially published in the magazine from issue #1 (29 October 1959) until issue #38 (14 July 1960). A small head of Asterix first appeared on the cover of #9 (24 December 1959), and a full Asterix cover was used on #21 (17 March 1960).

The next story, Asterix and the Golden Sickle, started in issue #42 (11 August 1960).

Asterix le Gaulois was published in July 1961 by Dargaud in the so-called "Pilote collection" with a print of 6000 copies. A Dutch translation followed in 1966, and other languages followed soon after.

The English translation by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge was first published in 1969 by Brockhampton Press.

The plate for page 35 was redrawn by Albert Uderzo's brother Marcel in 1970 because the original was lost. This is why there are some slight differences in the drawing style. All English versions from Hodder & Stoughton (Hodder Dargaud) use the original illustrations, which were made from a copy of an actual printed page, hence the blurriness. The 2004 release from Orion Books uses the redone illustrations from the French editions.

An audiobook of Asterix the Gaul adapted by Anthea Bell and narrated by Willie Rushton was released on EMI Records Listen for Pleasure label in 1990.

On 29 October 2009, Google prominently featured an integration of Asterix and Obelix in its mast head, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first publication.

The 2019 American Papercutz edition presents a few changes:

• Getafix is named Panoramix, the same name used in the original French edition.
• The Roman Camps of Totorum and Compendium are renamed to Butterdrum and Lilchum, respectively.
• The original decurion's name is changed from Julius Pompus to Julius Pompilius.
• It changes all references to the Circus Maximus to the Colosseum, even though in the timeline it wouldn't be built for another 120 years.

British comic adaptation

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.

Film adaptation

The book was adapted into a film, which was released in 1967. Goscinny and Uderzo were not consulted during the making of the film, and the first they heard of it was a few months before it was released, when they were shown an early version of it. It was generally not well received, and a planned adaptation of Asterix and the Golden Sickle, made by the same animation team, was scrapped.

See also

• Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century