"A shrewd, cunning little warrior; all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him."

Asterix (French: Astérix) is a fictional character, created in 1959 as the hero of a series of French comic books by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Uderzo has continued the series since the death of Goscinny in 1977. The books have been translated into many languages (even Latin and ancient Greek) and are available in most countries. It is probably the most popular French comic in the world; probably, in most parts of Europe, a majority of the adult population has read an Asterix book at some point in their life. Asterix is less well known in the United States and Japan, which both have strong comic book traditions of their own. French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the type of character. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Albert Uderzo (born April 25, 1927 in France) is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Greek language (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of some 3,000 years. ...

The key to the success of the series is that it contains comic elements for all ages: young children like the fist-fights and other visual gags, while adults can appreciate the cleverness of the allusions and puns that sparkle throughout the texts. A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words or phrases for comic or serious effect. ...

Setting and characters

Asterix lives around 50 BC in a fictional village in northwest Armorica (a region of ancient Gaul mostly identical to modern Brittany). This village is celebrated amongst the Gauls as the only part of that country not yet conquered by Julius Caesar and his Roman legions. The inhabitants of the village gain superhuman strength by drinking a magic potion prepared by the druid Getafix (French: Panoramix—names of all characters, except usually Asterix and Obelix, vary from one translation to another). The village is surrounded by the ocean on one side, and four Roman garrisons on the other, intended to keep a watchful eye and ensure that the Gauls do not get up to mischief. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52 BC 51 BC 50 BC 49 BC 48 BC 47... Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers inland to an indeterminate point. ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical duchy and French province, as well as the cultural area of Brittany. ... This article is about Julius Caesar the Roman dictator. ... See also Legion software and Legion forummer. ... A potion (from Latin potio, meaning beverage, potion, poison) is a drinkable medicine or poison. ... In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... A Menhir delivery-man by trade; addicted to wild boar. ...

A recurring plot in many of the Asterix books concerns the attempts by the Romans to prevent the druid from making the potion, or trying to get the secret recipe for their own use. Such attempts are invariably foiled by the heroes of the Asterix books, the agile, clever and pint-sized Asterix and his clumsy, oversized, but good-hearted best friend, Obelix. The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin Roma) is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. ...

The humour encountered in the Asterix comics is typically French, often centring on puns, caricatures, and tongue-in-cheek stereotypes of contemporary European nations and French regions. Much of the humour in the initial Asterix books was French-specific, which delayed the translation of the book into other languages for fear of losing the joke and the spirit of the story. The newer albums share a more universal humour, both written and visual. Sarcasm is the making of remarks intended to mock the person referred to (who is normally the person addressed), a situation or thing. ... In modern usage, a stereotype is a simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share a certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... is divided into 26 régions, further subdivided into départements. ...

In spite of (or perhaps because of) this stereotyping and notwithstanding some streaks of French chauvinism, it has been very well received by European and Francophone cultures around the world. In modern usage, a stereotype is a simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share a certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities. ... Chauvinism is extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of a group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards a rival group. ...

Humour: stereotypes and allusions

Everywhere they visit, Asterix and Obelix encounter people and things borrowed and caricatured from 20th century real life. In the early album Asterix and the Goths, for instance, the Goths are represented as militaristic and regimented, reminiscent of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Germans. The helmets worn by these Goths even resemble the German Pickelhaube helmets worn up to World War I and one of their leaders bears an uncanny resemblance to Otto von Bismarck. The British are shown as polite, drinking warm beer or hot water (before the first tea has been brought to what would become England by Asterix) and boiling all their food, and serving it with mint sauce. Spain is the cheap country down south where people from the North vacation (and demand to eat the same food as they are used to at home). This article is about the Germanic tribes. ... Militarism is the ideology that military strength is the source of all security. ... Otto von Bismarck wearing a metal pickelhaube The pickelhaube (German Pickel = point; Haube = literally bonnet, a general word for headgear) is a spiked helmet worn in the 19th century by German military forces. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Alternative meanings: See Bismarck (disambiguation). ... This article is about the drink; for the village in Devon, England, see Beer, Devon. ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ... This article is about the beverage. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Official language None; English is de facto Capital London Capitals coordinates 51° 30 N, 0° 10 W Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831... topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Northern Europe is a name for the northern part of the European continent. ... This article is about vacation as time off. ...

Some caricatures of the traits of certain French regions are also used: the people from Normandy cannot give a straight answer; the people from Marseille play boules and exaggerate matters, and Corsicans don't like to do any work, are easily angered and have long-standing vendettas that they settle violently. Mont Saint Michel is a historic pilgrimage site and a symbol of Normandy Normandy is a former country (a Duchy) situated in northern France occupying the lower Seine area (upper or Haute-Normandie) and the region to the west (lower or Basse-Normandie) as far as the Cotentin Peninsula. ... Marseilles redirects here. ... Boules /bul/ is a collective name for games played with metal balls. ... This article is about the Mediterranean island. ... Vendetta is a term for blood feud where relatives of someone who have been killed or otherwise wronged seek vengeance trying to kill or otherwise punish the ones responsible or their relatives. ...

Minor characters often resemble famous people or fictional characters, usually caricatures of existing French people of the same era, particularly from television and the spectacles. In Obelix and Co., for example, the young Roman bureaucrat is a caricature of a young Jacques Chirac. Those characters usually stick out visually, by not having the round, oversized noses otherwise typical of Uderzo's style. Jacques (René) Chirac (born 29 November 1932) is a French politician. ...

(Obelix and Co. also includes two Roman legionaries drawn to the likeness of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.) Arthur Stanley Jefferson (1890-1965) is better known as comedian Stan Laurel. ... Oliver Norvell Hardy (January 18, 1892 - August 7, 1957) was an American film actor. ...

Other side characters allude to people related to the place Asterix is visiting. Notable examples include Britain's most famous bards in the story Asterix in Britain, who are four in number and look remarkably like the Beatles; a pair of Belgian warriors in Asterix in Belgium who resemble Thomson and Thompson of Tintin-fame, and both Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are depicted in Asterix in Spain. More recently, this spoofing has occasionally extended to major characters as well: in Asterix and the Black Gold, a Roman spy is a young Sean Connery drawn in James Bond style, and in Asterix and Obelix All at Sea, the leader of the escaped slaves (named Spartakis, being Greek) is based on Kirk Douglas' Spartacus. The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... Tintin and Snowy (Tintin et Milou) are world travellers and inseparable friends in The Adventures of Tintin. ... Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha ( pronounced /) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. ... Categories: Stub ... Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger. ... For the ornithologist see James Bond (ornithologist). ... Kirk Douglas (birth name Issur Danielovitch Demsky) (born December 9, 1916) is an American actor. ... Spartacus was a Roman slave who led a large slave uprising in what is now Italy, then the Italian Peninsula, in 73 - 71 BC. His army of escaped gladiators and slaves defeated several Roman legions in what is known as the Third Servile War, one of the three slave rebellions...

The stories also feature allusions to major artistic works (such as Pieter Bruegel's Peasant Wedding and Victor Hugo's story of the Battle of Waterloo from Les Châtiments in Asterix in Belgium), historical personalities (Napoleon, Louis XIV of France), famous places (Le Moulin Rouge)…. [1]  (http://www.mage.fst.uha.fr/asterix/allusion/allusion.html) Bruegels The Painter and The Connoisseur drawn c. ... Victor Hugo Victor Hugo (February 26, 1802 - May 22, 1885) was a French author, the most important of the Romantic authors in the French language. ... Battle of Waterloo Conflict Napoleonic Wars Date June 18, 1815 Place Waterloo, Belgium Result Decisive Allied victory Map of the Waterloo campaign The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was Napoleon Bonapartes last battle. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... Moulin Rouge (French for red mill) is a traditional cabaret, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller who already owned the Paris Olympia. ...

However, in many other respects the series reflects life in the 1st century BC fairly accurately for the medium. For example, the multi-storied apartments in Rome—the insulae—which have Obelix remarking that one man's roof is another man's floor and consequently "These Romans are crazy": his favourite line. This line itself is also an intrinsic joke on Rome and the romans: its Italian equivalent being "Sono pazzi questi romani" abbreviates as "SPQR", which is the motto of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, though, the presence of chimneys in the Gaullic huts is not accurate, as they used gabled openings in the roof to let smoke escape; and menhirs are now believed to have been erected long before the Gauls. (2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century - other centuries) The 1st century BC starts on January 1, 100 BC and ends on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events The Roman... The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin Roma) is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. ... Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 70 million people, most of whom live in Italy. ... See also the SPQR series of murder mystery novels and the SPQR board game. ... A menhir at Carnac, Brittany A menhir is a large, single upright standing stone (monolith or megalith), of prehistoric European origin. ...

The text also makes relatively regular use of original Latin proverbs and Latin phrases, and allusions to Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico, a book about the conquest of Gaul, later used as an introductory text to Latin. Some jokes are made about Caesar's use of the third person to write about himself. Such allusions were likely to be well-received by the better-educated sections of the French and Belgian public in the 1960s, when the teaching of Latin was still widespread in high schools. A List of Latin proverbs is provided at Wikiquote:Latin proverbs. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... This article is about Julius Caesar the Roman dictator. ... About the Gallic War (De Bello Gallico), sometimes The Conquest of Gaul, is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ...

Humour: puns

From left to right: Geriatrix, Unhygienix, Obelix (and Dogmatix), Asterix, Vitalstatistix, Getafix, Fulliautomatix, and Cacofonix (the porters are unnamed)

A key feature of the text of the Asterix books are the constant puns used as names of characters; The names of the two protagonists come from asterisk and obelisk, Asterix being the star of the books (Latin aster [star] and Celtic rix [king, cognate to Latin rex, Sanskrit raj, German reich, English rich, etc]), and Obelix being a menhir delivery-man. In fact, nearly all the Gaulish characters' names end in -ix, probably a reference to the real-life Gaulish chieftain such as Vercingetorix (though in life only the names of Gaulish kings—and not even all of them—ended in -ix, and if they did it was always -rix). English language examples include the chief (Vitalstatistix), the druid (Getafix), the fishmonger (Unhygienix), an old man (Geriatrix) with a young wife. Roman characters' names end with -us as in Noxious Vapus and Crismusbonus, while incidental characters often feature names like Hiphiphurrax and Mykingdomforanos. A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words or phrases for comic or serious effect. ... This article refers to the asterisk symbol. ... For the obelisk punctuation mark, see dagger (typography). ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... A menhir at Carnac, Brittany A menhir is a large, single upright standing stone (monolith or megalith), of prehistoric European origin. ... Vercingetorix (72 BC - 46 BC), chieftain of the Arverni, led the great Gallic revolt against the Romans in 53-52 BC. His name in Gaulish means over-king (ver-rix) of warriors (cingetos). ...

Many of these puns reflect the French original, in which, for example, the Egyptian in Astérix Légionnaire is named Courdeténis in French and Ptenisnet in English. But the translation of puns is difficult, and Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge do an excellent job in the English language edition, sometimes even improving on the originals. For example, the translation of Ordralfabétix (meaning "alphabetical order"), was greatly improved as Unhygienix, given that this character is a fishmonger infamous for his rotting product. The original Panoramix, which perhaps represents the druid who sees the whole picture, is more appropriate as Getafix, as "get a fix" conveys the fact he makes potent potions. Assurancetourix, the ear-offending bard of the village, becomes the apt Cacofonix. An even more clever translation is that of Idéfix. An idée fixe is a "fixed idea", i.e. an obsession, a dogma. The translation, Dogmatix, manages to conserve the "fixed idea" meaning and also include the syllable dog—perfect, given that the character is a dog who has very strong views on the environment (he howls whenever he sees an uprooted tree). A bard is a poet and singer, with the particular meaning differing for various countries and epochs. ... Dogmatix is a fictional character, a dog who belongs to Obelix in the Asterix comics. ...

List of volumes

Goscinny and Uderzo

1. 1961 - Asterix the Gaul (Astérix le Gaulois)
2. 1962 - Asterix and the Golden Sickle (La Serpe d'or)
3. 1963 - Asterix and the Goths (Astérix chez les Goths)
4. 1964 - Asterix the Gladiator (Astérix gladiateur)
5. 1965 - Asterix and the Banquet (Le Tour de Gaule)
6. 1965 - Asterix and Cleopatra (Astérix et Cléopâtre)
7. 1966 - Asterix and the Big Fight (Le Combat des chefs)
8. 1966 - Asterix in Britain (Astérix chez les Bretons)
9. 1966 - Asterix and the Normans (Astérix et les Normands)
10. 1967 - Asterix the Legionary (Astérix légionnaire)
11. 1968 - Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield (Le Bouclier arverne)
12. 1968 - Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques)
13. 1969 - Asterix and the Cauldron (Astérix et le chaudron)
14. 1969 - Asterix in Spain (Astérix en Hispanie)
15. 1970 - Asterix and the Roman Agent (La Zizanie)
16. 1970 - Asterix in Switzerland (Astérix chez les Helvètes)
17. 1971 - The Mansions of the Gods (Le Domaine des dieux)
18. 1972 - Asterix and the Laurel Wreath (Les Lauriers de César)
19. 1972 - Asterix and the Soothsayer (Le Devin)
20. 1973 - Asterix in Corsica (Astérix en Corse)
21. 1974 - Asterix and Caesar's Gift (Le Cadeau de César)
22. 1975 - Asterix and the Great Crossing (La Grande traversée)
23. 1976 - Obelix and Co. (Obélix et Compagnie)
24. 1979 - Asterix in Belgium (Astérix chez les Belges)

1961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first upside-down year - i. ... A shrewd, cunning little warrior; all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him. ... Events January-February January 11 - The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. ... -1... -1... Asterix in Britain is a French comic book, the eighth in the Asterix series. ... -1... Asterix and the Chieftains Shield (original title: Le bouclier arverne) is the eleventh Asterix comic book, written by René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. ... Asterix at the Olympic Games is an extremely effective satire on performance enhancing drug taking in sport. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Uderzo

1. 1980 - Asterix and the Great Divide (Le Grand fossé)
2. 1981 - Asterix and the Black Gold (L'Odyssée d'Astérix)
3. 1983 - Asterix and Son (Le Fils d'Astérix)
4. 1987 - Asterix and the Magic Carpet (Astérix chez Rahazade)
5. 1991 - Asterix and the Secret Weapon (La Rose et le glaive)
6. 1996 - Asterix and Obelix All at Sea (La Galère d'Obélix)
7. 2001 - Asterix and the Actress (Astérix et Latraviata)
8. 2003 - Asterix and the Class Act (Astérix et la rentrée gauloise)
9. Announced 2005 - not much is known about this album yet...

Asterix and the Great Divide is the twenty-fifth volume of the Asterix series. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Films

Many of Asterix's adventures have also been made into films:

1. 1967 - Asterix the Gaul (Astérix le Gaulois) (animation)
2. 1968 - Asterix and Cleopatra (Astérix et Cléopâtre) (animation)
3. 1976 - The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (Les douze travaux d'Astérix) (animation)
4. 1985 - Asterix Versus Caesar (Astérix et la surprise de César) (animation)
5. 1986 - Asterix in Britain (Astérix chez les Bretons) (animation)
6. 1989 - Asterix and the Big Fight (Astérix et le coup du menhir) (animation)
7. 1994 - Asterix Conquers America (German: Asterix in Amerika) (animation; produced in Germany)
8. 1999 - Asterix and Obelix Take On Caesar (Astérix et Obélix contre César) (live action film)
9. 2002 - Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre) (live action film)
10. Announced 2006 - Asterix and the Vikings (Astérix et les Vikings) (animation)

Asterix movies tend to be divided into three clear groups. The early films (group-1) were a lot sillier and, in some instances, slightly more absurd. They have not always been approved mainly due to the limited animating. Animation refers to the technique in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Limited animation is a process of making animated cartoons that does not follow a realistic approach. ...

Starting from 1985's (group-2) Asterix Versus Caeser the animation quality improved dramatically. The 80s Asterix-films are undoubtedly the more popular of the film adaptations. In the 90s Asterix films have received mixed reactions. Lacking some of their predecessors' charm Asterix Conquers America is not always considered a part of the second group.

In particular reactions have been mixed over the live action adaptations (group-3).

Video games

• Asterix (Master System, PlayStation, SNES)
• Asterix (Atari 2600)
• Asterix and the Magic Cauldron (Commodore 64)
• Asterix and the Great Rescue (Sega Genesis, Megadrive, Master System, Game Gear)
• Asterix and Obelix Take on Caesar (PlayStation and PC)
• Asterix Mega Madnes (PlayStation, PC)
• Asterix and Obelix (SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color)
• Asterix: Search For Dogmatix (Game Boy Color)
• Asterix and Obelix: Bash Them All (Game Boy Advance)
• Asterix the Gallic War (PC)
• Asterix and Obelix XXL (Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2 and GameCube)

Sega Master System The Sega Master System (SMS for short) (Japanese: マスターシステム), was an 8-bit cartridge-based gaming console manufactured by Sega. ... The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ... The European SNES design is identical to the Super Famicom. ... Atari 2600 (four-switch version). ... Close-up of C64 Commodore 64 (C64, CBM 64) was a popular home computer of the 1980s. ... Sega Genesis 2 The Sega Genesis is a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in North America in 1989. ... Sega MegaDrive 2 European version with joypad, game cart + box Sega Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Mega Doraibu) was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega. ... The Sega Game Gear was Segas first portable gaming system. ... The term personal computer or PC has three meanings: IBMs range of PCs that led to the use of the term - see IBM PC. Any computer based on IBMs original specifications also known as IBM PC compatible. ... The original Game Boys design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles. ... The Game Boy Color (also referred to as GBC) was Nintendos successor to the Game Boy. ... The Game Boy Advance is a best-selling handheld. ... The two versions of the PS2 with an Eye Toy camera The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ...

See also

• Parc Astérix
• Vicky the Viking

Gaul village in the park Parc Astérix is a theme park in France based on the stories of Asterix, created by the duo Uderzo and Goscinny. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Asterix

• The Official Asterix Web Site (http://www.asterix.com/)
• The Asterix around the World – The many languages (http://www.asterix-obelix.nl/)
• Asterix NZ - For New Zealand Asterix fans and beyond (http://www.asterix.co.nz/)
• The Asterix Annotations (http://openscroll.org/asterix/) – album-by-album explanations of all the historical references and obscure in-jokes