Asterix the Gaul
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Asterix the Gaul is the first volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first published in 1961, and translated into English in 1969 by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge.
Synopsis (from the back of the Orion edition)
All Gaul is divided into three parts. No, four - for one small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the Roman invaders...
Centurion Crismus Bonus, keen to discover the secret of the Gauls' superhuman strength, sends a spy into the village. The Roman's identity is revealed when he loses his false moustache, but now he knows about the magic potion brewed by the Druid Getafix. With that potion, thinks Crismus Bonus, he could overthrow Caesar and become Emperor himself, so he kidnaps Getafix to get the recipe. When Asterix joins the druid in captivity, they demand a list of hard-to-find ingredients for the magic potion - only this turns out to be a very different brew, and its hair-raising effects...
Introducing
- Asterix - Gaulish warrior
- Obelix - Gaulish menhir delivery man
- Getafix - Gaulish druid
- Vitalstatistix - Chief of the Gaulish Village
- Cacofonix - Gaulish bard
- Fulliautomatix - Gaulish blacksmith
- Julius Caesar - Roman leader
Notes
This album establishes the convention that all Gaulish names end in -ix, and all Roman names end in -us.
In this album, Cacofonix the bard is seated at the table at the final feast. Later albums established a running gag where he is tied up and gagged to prevent him from singing.fr:Astérix le Gaulois (album) sv:Asterix och hans tappra galler