Product Description
by Albert Uderzo (Author), René Goscinny (Author)
Contains 3 newly-translated classic Asterix tales. Asterix is a fearless Gaul with a magic potion that grants him incredible strength to protect his village and ward off Roman Empire from invading. With his pal, Obelix, the defend their village from not only the blundering Roman legionairies, but also lend their services to the rest of the world. First, Asterix and Obelix's fishing trip goes wrong when they make "The Great Crossing" and wind up on the shores of North America. Neither America, nor Asterix, will ever be the same after this comical invasion. Second, Obelix gets the spotlight as his delivery service for stone menhir slabs gets a Roman update, becoming "Obelix and Co." Will Obelix be too greedy? Probably! Then, third, watch your waffles, it's "Asterix in Belgium," writer and Asterix co-creator René Goscinny's final story before his untimely death. It's a tale of two tribes as the Gauls and the Belgians unite, and then unravel, all to keep out Caesar's forces. Plus: a new Afterword by Alexander Simmons providing historical and cultural context for Asterix, both in 50 B.C. and in the time the classic comics were made.
Author Biography
Albert Uderzo was born in France 1927 to Italian Immigrants. In 1959 Goscinny and Uderzo became editor and artistic director (respectively) of Pilote magazine. Their creation, Asterix became a runaway success. After Goscinny's death in 1977, 26 volumes of Asterix were complete, Uderzo continued to write and illustrate the Asterix books on his own, publishing 8 volumes. The cover credits still read "Goscinny and Uderzo." He retired in 2011 but still oversees Asterix and the current publications by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad.
Rene Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926. After growing up in Argentina, he came to America where he shared a studio with future Mad magazine co-founder Harvey Kurtzman and collaborators Will Elder and Jack Davis. In 1959, he founded the magazine Pilote which premiered what was to become the most successful comic series anywhere: Asterix. He died suddenly cardiac arrest in 1977 at the age of 51.
