List of Asterix volumes

This is a list of all Asterix volumes, including the 36 official albums and various tie-ins.

All original French publishing dates and volume numbers are shown. Other translation publishing dates and volume numbering may differ.

Goscinny and Uderzo

Volume Number Year Published English Title French Title Main Setting Plot
1 1961 Asterix the Gaul Astérix le Gaulois Asterix's village (no travel) The Romans discover that the secret of the Gauls' strength is the magic potion brewed by the druid Getafix, so they decide to capture the druid and get the recipe out of him. It is up to Asterix and his wits to save Getafix.
2 1962 Asterix and the Golden Sickle La Serpe d'or Lutetia (Paris) Getafix's sickle breaks, so Asterix and Obelix volunteer to go to Lutetia to buy a new one. But there is a mysterious sickle shortage our heroes must get to the bottom of.
3 1963 Asterix and the Goths Astérix et les Goths Germany The druid Getafix is captured by a tribe of Goths, and Asterix and Obelix must rescue him.
4 1964 Asterix the Gladiator Astérix gladiateur Rome Odius Asparagus, the prefect of Gaul, captures Cacofonix and sends him as a present to Caesar. Unimpressed by Cacofonix, Caesar orders him to be thrown to the Lions at the Circus Maximus. Asterix and Obelix hitchhike all the way to Rome where they must become gladiators to rescue him.
5 1965 Asterix and the Banquet Le Tour de Gaule d'Astérix Various French cities Unsuccessful at conquering the village, the Romans decide to isolate it by building a stockade. To remove it, Asterix strikes a bet with the Romans that he and Obelix can travel throughout Gaul and back to the village with various Gaulish delicacies without the Romans being able to stop them. The route is a parallel to the modern Tour de France cycling event. It's in this adventure that Obelix gets his dog, Dogmatix.
6 1965 Asterix and Cleopatra Astérix et Cléopâtre Egypt Caesar calls the Egyptians inferior to the Romans. Outraged, Cleopatra wagers with him that her people can build a grand monument in record time. Edifis, a bumbling, timid architect is asked to perform the miracle, and asks his old friend Getafix for help. Meanwhile, his rival and Caesar's agents attempt to sabotage the effort.
7 1966 Asterix and the Big Fight Le combat des chefs Asterix's village (no travel) The Romans conspire with a Roman-friendly Gaulish village to declare a ritual winner-takes-all fight between the village chiefs. One of Obelix's menhirs causes Getafix to lose his memory, leaving the Gauls without magic potion. The fight parodies professional boxing.
8 1966 Asterix in Britain Astérix chez les Bretons Britain One small village in Britain still holds out against the Roman invaders. But with no Magic Potion, they need help, so Asterix's cousin Anticlimax comes to Gaul seeking aid.
9 1966 Asterix and the Normans Astérix et les Normands Asterix's village (no travel) The Normans are fearless to the point of not even understanding the concept, so they travel to Gaul where they kidnap chief Vitalstatistix's cowardly visiting nephew Justforkix to teach them fear.
10 1967 Asterix the Legionary Astérix légionnaire Africa Asterix and Obelix join the Roman Legion (in a parody of the French Foreign Legion) in an attempt to find the conscripted fiancé of Panacea, a villager on whom Obelix has a big crush. With an eclectic group of foreigners, they are sent to North Africa to fight the traitor Scipio.
11 1968 Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield Le bouclier Arverne Cities in southern France: Acqua Calidae (Vichy), Gergovia, Nemessos (Clermont-Ferrand) After too many banquets, chief Vitalstatistix is forced to visit a spa in the Arvernian countryside to nurse his sore liver. Meanwhile, Caesar orders his men to search the area for the shield of Vercingetorix, regarded as a patriotic symbol by the Gauls.
12 1968 Asterix at the Olympic Games Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques Greece To participate in the Olympic Games in Greece, the Gauls register themselves as Romans. When the officials declare the magic potion to be a form of illegal doping, Asterix turns to his native abilities to compete.
13 1969 Asterix and the Cauldron Astérix et le chaudron Condatum (Rennes) Whosemoralsarelastix, chief of a nearby village, asks Vitalstatistix to hide his village's money to prevent the Romans from taking it. When the money is stolen under his watch, Asterix is banished until he can repay the money and recover his honour.
14 1969 Asterix in Spain Astérix en Hispanie Spain Pepe, a young and spoiled child, is taken from the Romans. He turns out to be Spanish, and held hostage in an attempt to get them to surrender. Asterix and Obelix escort the child back to Spain.
15 1970 Asterix and the Roman Agent La Zizanie Asterix's village (no travel) A troublemaker is brought to Caesar in Rome; he was to be executed in the Colosseum, but is so conniving that he got the lions to eat each other instead. Caesar sends him to the Gaulish village in an attempt to destroy unity.
16 1970 Asterix in Switzerland Astérix chez les Helvètes Switzerland A poisoned Roman tax inspector seeks sanctuary in the village. Asterix and Obelix are sent to Switzerland to recover a Silver Star, or Edelweiss, which is needed to cure him.
17 1971 The Mansions of the Gods Le Domaine des dieux Asterix's village (no travel) Caesar tries to dilute solidarity and weaken local customs in Gaul by creating a vacation resort near the Village. The villagers sabotage the efforts, first by magically replanting the forest as soon as it's cut, and by creating a slaves' union; later by being obnoxious neighbors to the resident Romans.
18 1972 Asterix and the Laurel Wreath Les Lauriers de César Rome Thoroughly chagrined by his obnoxious brother-in-law, Vitalstatistix gets drunk and boasts that he will create a dish seasoned with Caesar's laurel wreath. He orders Asterix and Obelix travel to Rome to retrieve it.
19 1972 Asterix and the Soothsayer Le Devin Asterix's village (no travel) In the absence of Getafix, a fraudulent seer seeks shelter against rain in the Village, then ingratiates himself to everyone by predicting the futures they want to hear, asking no food or money, merely items to "read" the future in (mainly as food and money). Unbeknown to the Gauls, he is hired by the Romans to convince the Gauls to abandon the village by that disaster would befall the village were he to be chased off.
20 1973 Asterix in Corsica Astérix en Corse Corsica As part of the celebrations of the anniversary of Vercingetorix's victory at the Battle of Gergovia, the Gauls and their friends raid one of the nearby Roman camps. A very stoic and composed prisoner is discovered, who reveals himself as Boneywasawarriorwayayix, a tribal leader from Corsica. Asterix and Obelix accompany him back to Corsica, to unite the quarrelling tribes against the Romans.
21 1974 Asterix and Caesar's Gift Le Cadeau de César Asterix's Village At the end of their career, legionaries are granted estate in the Empire to settle down. A perpetually inebriated soldier is given the Village, by Caesar's hand, which he promptly sells to an innkeeper for wine. Pushed by his dominant wife, the innkeeper sells his property and attempts to claim the village as his own. Upon discovering that his ownership is void, he campaigns to be elected chief, causing rivalries to ensue throughout the village. To complicate matter, the soldier returns and asks the local legions' aid in reclaiming his village, since he didn't get enough wine for it.
22 1975 Asterix and the Great Crossing La Grande traversée North America Brewing the magical potion requires fresh fish, and Unhygienix has none since he imports it from Lutetia (Paris) (in spite of living near the sea). Asterix and Obelix sail out to catch fish, but become lost and end up on the other side of the ocean, discovering a New World, where they eventually become a legend to the Native American populace. Soon afterwards, a Viking explorer discovers America, and captures the first natives he finds (i.e. them) and brings them home. A running joke in this comic is that none of the races are able to understand one another, the Vikings speaking with Scandinavian vowels that the Gauls are unable to duplicate, but that their dogs are able to communicate perfectly.
23* 1976 Asterix Conquers Rome Les 12 Travaux D'Asterix various locations To prove to his critics that the Gauls are mere mortals, Julius Caesar challenges the village to perform twelve tasks that only gods could perform, similar to the twelve tasks of Hercules. If they succeed, he will admit defeat and let them become the rulers of Rome, but if they fail, they will become his slaves. The challenge is accepted and Asterix and Obelix are chosen to represent the village, eventually succeeding in all tasks. (This comic book, published in 1976, is an adaptation of the original story animated film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix. The artwork is thought to be the work of Uderzo's brother Marcel. It has very rarely been printed and usually excluded from the canonical list of Asterix volumes.)
23 1976 Obelix and Co. Obélix et Compagnie Asterix's village (no travel) Caesar sends one of his advisors to the Gaulish village, in an effort to make them rich, decadent and utterly dependent on Rome. He starts by buying menhirs at ever-increasing prices, thus persuading most of the village to make useless menhirs, and in turn employing other villagers to hunt for their food. The plan goes awry when Caesar's treasury turns out insufficient to fund the menhirs, and a commercial campaign to sell them in Rome fails because of competition from Egyptian menhirs and slave-made Roman menhirs.
24 1979 Asterix in Belgium Astérix chez les Belges Belgium When Vitalstatistix hears that Caesar has said that the Belgians are the bravest of all the Gaulish peoples he heads to Belgium in a huff to show the world that his Armoricans are really the best.
32 2003 Asterix and the Class Act Astérix et la rentrée gauloise Most stories take place in Asterix's village A collection of several short stories, including an experiment at different drawing and storytelling styles. Most stories are written by Goscinny.
34 2009 Asterix and Obelix's Birthday: The Golden Book Several short stories, including some written by Goscinny.

Uderzo only

After the death of Goscinny, Uderzo continued the series by himself, writing his own stories on subjects such as feminism and aliens, with travels to India and Atlantis. These newer books are often criticised for lacking Goscinny's humor and writing style, and some fans consider the series ended with Asterix in Belgium. However, sales figures have shown no indication of diminished popularity.

Volume Number Year Published English Title French Title Setting Plot
25 1980 Asterix and the Great Divide Le Grand fossé A fictional Gaulish village Asterix and Obelix visit a village divided in half by its rival chiefs. However, one chief's son and the other's daughter are in love, and together with Asterix and Obelix, they reunite the village. The dividing chasm itself resembles the Berlin Wall. There is also a reference here to Romeo and Juliet.[original research?]
26 1981 Asterix and the Black Gold L'Odyssée d'Astérix The Middle East, Jerusalem Getafix has run out of rock oil and sends Asterix and Obelix to Mesopotamia in search of it. They are accompanied by a Gaulish-Roman druid called Dubbelosix, who is really a double agent seeking to foul their mission. Includes a tribute to Goscinny, who was Jewish.
27 1983 Asterix and Son Le Fils d'Astérix Asterix's village (no travel) A baby boy mysteriously turns up at Asterix's doorstep. No one in the village knows who he is, so Asterix is forced to be his adoptive father. Meanwhile, the Roman legions led by Brutus are after the baby, because in reality, he is Caesar's full-blooded son, Caesarion.
28 1987 Asterix and the Magic Carpet Astérix chez Rahazade India A fakir from far-away India travels to Asterix's village and asks Cacofonix to save his land from drought since his horrible voice can make it rain. Cacofonix, accompanied by Asterix and Obelix, must travel to India aboard a magic carpet to save the life of the princess Orinjade, who is to be sacrificed to stop the drought.
29 1991 Asterix and the Secret Weapon La Rose et le glaive Asterix's village (no travel) A feminist satire in which a female bard called Bravura replaces Cacofonix as school teacher and "liberates" the village women, causing the men to leave and live in the forest. Caesar secretly sends a battalion of female legionaries to conquer the village, having heard that the Gauls will not strike a woman. The men and woman have to settle their differences to overcome this threat.
30 1996 Asterix and Obelix All at Sea La Galère d'Obélix Atlantis Left alone in Getafix's hut, Obelix drinks a whole cauldron of magic potion. He first turns to stone, then into a small boy. Meanwhile, a group of men have escaped from Roman slavery on board a ship. Together, they travel to Atlantis to make Obelix a grown man again.
31 2001 Asterix and the Actress Astérix et Latraviata Asterix's village (no travel) A Roman actress pretends to be Panacea in order to steal back a fancy sword/scabbard and helmet belonging to Pompey, which Asterix and Obelix got for their birthday before Caesar learns Pompey is in Armorica.
33 2005 Asterix and the Falling Sky Le ciel lui tombe sur la tête Asterix's village (no travel) Two rival outer space alien ships appear above the Gaulish village. The aliens want to know the secret of the great weapon the Gauls have, which is "known throughout the universe". The aliens are styled on the happy-faced Walt Disney and Marvel Comics superheroes of the American comic book style on one side, and futuristic robot and insect-like Japanese manga style on the other. The album is explained by Uderzo as a tribute to Walt Disney, who inspired him to be an artist. Reception of the album was mixed, with many fans criticizing the sci-fi setting, and thinly veiled references to the Bush administration. Despite this criticism, the album was not disliked by everyone, and reportedly sold well.[1]

Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad

The series now is not written by Albert Uderzo, but rather by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad - the first time the story creating has been shared between two people since Goscinny's death in 1977.

Volume Number Year Published English Title French Title Setting Plot
35 2013 Asterix and the Picts Astérix chez les Pictes Scotland When Asterix and Obelix rescue a mysterious Pict named MacAroon, they must journey to Caledonia, now Scotland, to return him to his lady love, Camomilla, the adopted daughter of the old king. However, the treacherous chieftain MacCabeus - with the help of the Romans - plans to marry her and claim the throne.
36 2015 Asterix and the Missing Scroll Le Papyrus de César Asterix's village (no travel)

Format

The storyline in a volume is typically 44 pages long; the exceptions are Asterix and the Goths, which is 43 pages, Asterix Conquers Rome, which is 28 pages; and Asterix and the Class Act, which is a collection of short stories.[2]

In addition

In the mid-1980s a series of illustrated text stories appeared, with some original art, but mostly taken and modified from existing albums. These were 26 pages in a smaller format than the normal albums with large print. They are aimed at a younger audience and were not enthusiastically received; translation into other languages was spotty.

  1. 1984 – Les Pirates (The Pirates)
  2. 1985 – L'illustrissime Belcantus (The Illustrious Belacantus)
  3. 1985 – L'abominable horrifix (The Dreadful Horrifix)
  4. 1985 – Jericocorix (The Jericocorix)
  5. 1986 – La course de chars (The Great Chariot Race)
  6. 1986 – Le feu de pommes (The Apple Cider)
  7. 1986 – Marmaille et pagaille (Kids and Chaos)
  8. 1986 – L'eau du ciel (Water from Heaven)

In 1989 a final illustrated story appeared. The story was by Goscinny (in 1965) with new, original art by Uderzo. It was 32 pages and appeared in the larger format used for the regular albums. It was the only one that was published in English:

Also in 1989–90 the first eight illustrated stories were reprinted in some locales as four books, each containing two of the original stories.

In 2007, Editions Albert René published Astérix et ses Amis (Asterix and friends), a collection of short Asterix stories written and drawn by, and in the distinctive styles of, a number of cartoonists other than Uderzo. The book was dedicated to Uderzo on the occasion of his 80th birthday and carries a foreword by Sylvie, his daughter.

Movie adaptions

Asterix films not based closely on a single book have had film books released in a format similar to the original albums, but with scenes from the films and a written story. Fans don't consider them as truly part of the canon.

  1. 1976 – The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (Les douze travaux d'Astérix)
  2. 1985 – Asterix Versus Caesar (Astérix et la surprise de César)
  3. 1989 – Operation Getafix (Astérix et le coup du menhir) – from Asterix and the Big Fight
  4. 1994 – Asterix Conquers America (Astérix et les indiens)
  5. 2006 – Asterix and the Vikings (Astérix et les Vikings)

They have been released on home video and DVD by the following companies in the following countries:

References

  1. ↑ "Asterix NZ – Take a look Inside – Asterix 33 "Asterix and the Falling Sky"". Asterix.co.nz. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  2. ↑ Asterix.co.nz – “…the 44 pages of the normal Asterix comics.”

External links

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