Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter

You may not have noticed – I certainly hadn’t – that, despite the inconvenient death of both his creators, indomitable Asterix lives on.  The original writer of the stories, Rene Goscinny, died in 1977, and, for thirty years, while his name continued to appear on the new titles, it was the illustrator, Albert Uderzo, who was really their writer. Now, with the books in a third incarnation, Goscinny and Uderzo, trapped in marketing purgatory, continue to head up the cover of this new adventure in large capital letters, while the real author and illustrator, whose fourth Asterix book this is, hide in much smaller type beneath the title. Well, it’s appropriate enough, if a little misleading, because things in the Gaulish village haven’t changed much in more than half a century.  The familiar characters are there, the magic potion continues to prepare them for their endless skirmishes with the local Roman garrisons, the jokes are as groan worthy, and, to my unpractised eyes, the illustrations are indistinguishable from the originals. Despite their reliance on national stereotypes and a cast that includes few female characters, Asterix titles have always given a nod to changing times and attitudes, so it’s not surprising that this latest title puts a teenage girl centre stage. This is Adrenalin, the fictional daughter of the historical Vercingetorix, the leader of the Gauls defeated by Caesar. Asterix and Co. are given the job of keeping her safe from kidnappers in the pay of the Romans, while she is intent on doing her own thing. This is the cue for jokes around teenage behaviour and relationships with parents which draw in the fishmonger’s son, Blinix, and the Blacksmith’s son, Selfipix. Yes, the newly coined names, too, show contemporary influences. The Gaulish traitor hunting Adrenalin down on behalf of the Romans is Binjwatchflix. Here older readers may feel the loss of the more subtle wit of Derek Hockridge and Anthea Bell, the translators who originated the punning English names for the characters. But, for the most part, it’s a book that will satisfy the fans. CB