Even if the ‘Sky is Falling’…

I will never part with my Asterix collection. Finally this year I have managed to put the whole collection together and it has turned out be quite an expensive proposition.

I have been reading since the time I could identify the English alphabet, and that’s probably the first time that I put my grubby hands on an Asterix album that my older siblings had left lying around. Then, what interested me was the feast at the end of every adventure and the numerous times that Obelix sunk his teeth into a wild boar.

As I grew older the running gag of Romans and pirates getting bashed up every time seemed incredibly funny. Now years later, no matter how many times I read an Asterix & Obelix adventure, I find something new to laugh about, not that I don’t laugh at the old jokes again.

The first thing that struck me about these albums is the vibrant colors. There is so much warmth in them that I wish I could retire into this idyllic village. Bordered by the sea and the forest full of wild boars and Romans waiting to be clobbered, it is perfect. Every drawing has been painstakingly created with attention to even the miniscule details. Uderzo, the artistic genius manages to make every frame funny and he’s at his best with the large scale drawings of detailed city or village scenes. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, Uderzo is actually color blind, so he’s had his assistants fill those trade mark warm colors that make Asterix comics so enjoyable.

The true heroes though in my opinion are Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, the English translators who have caught the nuances of Rene Goscinny’s original prose in French. Many of these puns reflect the French original. In some ways, the English translation is more apt, like the translation of Ordralfabétix (referring to ordre alphabétique, "alphabetical order"), is 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 named Getafix in the English version, as "get a fix" conveys the fact he makes potent potions. Assurancetourix (assurance tous risques or "comprehensive insurance"), the ear-offending bard of the village, becomes the apt Cacofonix. This is the best translation, which I think works better in English. 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).

In the albums, some historical facts are retold, and attributed to Asterix & Obelix. Here’re the most prominent ones that caught my eye,

In Asterix & Cleopatra, when visiting Egypt, Obelix scales the sphinx. He slips, breaking the nose in the process. Immediately all the souvenir-shops nearby chisel off the noses of their souvenir-sphinxes.

Asterix in Britain depicts the Britons drinking hot water with a drop of milk. Only when Asterix puts in tea-leaves, given by the druid, the habit becomes a national obsession.

Asterix ends up in a circus in front of a bull in Asterix in Spain (not a lion, there!). He manages to evade receiving applause from the audience. A guest of the Roman general drops her red cape in the arena. When Asterix wants play the gallant and return it, the bull reacts giving us the first bullfight. Also in the same album, Unhygenix the fishmonger agrees to take payment for his boat rental in menhirs, as he wants to develop land on Salisbury Plain—which explains the mystery of the Stonehenge.

Some of my favourite lines that evoke laughter everytime,

Obelix, “ These Romans are crazy” Also applicable to Goths, Spaniards, Corsicans, Swiss, Belgians, everybody except himself!
Julius Caesar, “Veni Vidi Vici” , “Et tu Brute!”
Roman Legionary (after he gets clobbered by gauls) “ Join the army they said,… it’s a man’s life they said”
Cacofonix (before he is clobbered by Fulliautomatix) “To mark this occasion I would like to sing an ode”