The greatest mystery in Asterix's universe has finally been solved: Albert Uderzo is giving "How Obelix Fell Into the Magic Potion When He Was A Little Boy" a brand new cover that will go down in history!Ever since he fell into the magic potion when just a little boy there has been something mysterious about Obelix… What was it that happened exactly? How did Obelix manage to escape Getafix's eagle eye and taste that magic beverage? René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo were to reveal the truth in issue 291 of Pilote French magazine dated 20 May 1965. Illustrated with three drawings by Albert Uderzo, a text signed by René Goscinny lifted the veil on the childhood of our heroes and, for the very first time, introduced us to their parents. A genuine tale of the origins behind the Asterix universe, "How Obelix Fell Into The Magic Potion When He Was A Little Boy" was to reappear in album form in 1989 after Albert Uderzo, having reread the text with nostalgia, decided the text deserved a richer set of illustrations. And talk about illustrations! The sumptuous pastel watercolours in this album, unique in the Asterix universe, carry us to our great delight into the magical childhood of Asterix and Obelix. 
The tale, narrated by Asterix in person, offers up legions of scoops and unforgettable images. We learn, for example, that Obelix was a frail, timid child who was constantly taken to task by his classmates, and that he used to play with a little wooden dog on wheels! Who would have guessed? To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album's first publication, Albert Uderzo has designed a brand new cover: the sumptuous front cover immortalizes the moment before the fall whereas the back cover shows, for the very first time, Obelix as a boy carving his famous menhirs... A must-have in the Asterix album collection, the new "How Obelix..." has been available in Gaul bookshops since 14 January 2009 and will be available in English in the next few months. In with a New Year that should prove to be exceptional with Asterix! Everything about "How Obelix..." on our special page. "How Obelix..." French albums to be won in our Asterix Quiz!
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Thursday 5 February 2009
The truth finally sees the light of day!
Friday 30 January 2009
The Asterix quiz can sometimes be cruel… Looking at the number of mistakes made during our November session, most of the participants must have looked like Obelix trying desperately to remember the date of the Battle of Gergovia in "Asterix and the Class Act"… Fortunately, the challenge launched in our last Missive by Tapidesourix incited many experts ès Asterix to try their luck. Among them, five Indomitable Gauls won a copy of the "Asterix at the Olympic Games" album from the Grand Collection: Chantal VANDOOLAEGHE, Céline RICHARD, Françoise VERTESSEN, Yannick CHALVIGNAC and Daniel OLIVEAU.  In December, it was the "Asterix and the Great Divide" album from the Grand Collection that did the honours, rewarding Martine ALONSO, Sylvie ANGRAND, Ariane FOBELETS, Andy GROSSO and Olivier BAUER. And what about January, you ask? It's of course our favourite of the month, the brand new edition of "How Obelix Fell Into The Magic Potion When He Was A Little Boy", which will reward the most outstanding participants in our Asterix Quiz. Wait no longer! Try your luck at the Asterix Quiz! |
Friday 30 January 2009
The official asterix.com website
The New Year was celebrated in fitting fashion at the Asterix Villlage, with a banquet worthy of the Indomitable Gauls. Just one small problem: the cries of joy in Chief Vitalstatistix's hut turned into wails of pain.And why? Because of an acute attack of heartburn due to certain excesses at the banquet where roast boar followed upon roast boar! Condemned to yet another spa treatment at the Aquae Calidae (Vichy) centre, close to the Arverne region, the Gaulish chief left with a task for his "holiday": to send holiday cards to all the great heads of state in the Known World! Fortunately for him, his nephew Justforkix had everything prepared: Asterix e-cards to celebrate the New Year are available again on Asterix.com. Take advantage of them while they are available until the end of January to send your greetings to family and friends. And, a very Happy New Year to you all from the official Asterix Virtual Village! |
Tuesday 27 January 2009
A brilliant future for Asterix!
With a view to ensuring the international renown and continuity of the work he created with his friend René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo has entrusted the future of Asterix to the Hachette Livre group. He is currently working on a new album of short stories, to be published in October 2009!Albert Uderzo finally decided on 12 December 2008 to entrust Asterix's future to Hachette Livre, "a great publisher, financially stable, and capable of guaranteeing Asterix international renown and continuity." This move was also approved by Anne Goscinny, René Goscinny's daughter, who considers that this was "the best way to guarantee the work's continuity". Isabelle Magnac, Executive Director of Livres Illustrés at Hachette Livre as well as manager of Les Editions Albert René, confirms that Hachette is extremely proud to have been chosen by Albert Uderzo and Anne Goscinny. Her hopes for the upcoming years should thrill Asterix fans: to have at least one, if not more, new albums signed by Albert Uderzo!  Albert Uderzo tells how, at the death of his friend René Goscinny, a reader had written him to say that he didn't have the right to abandon Asterix or the millions of faithful readers. A message that he has not forgotten more than thirty years later, since it has also ensured that the characters he had created with René Goscinny would survive their creators.Fortunately, even though Albert Uderzo is prudent about the future, he has not decided to put away his crayons! On the contrary. He now intends to devote all his time to producing Asterix albums and is teeming with ideas and projects for his heroes. He is therefore working on a brand new album of short stories, to be published on 22 October as part of the celebrations commemorating the fifty years since Asterix was first created in the pages of the Pilote magazine on 29 October 1959. And that's not all. Albert Uderzo continues to surprise us - he also confided that he has an idea for a 44 pages new Asterix story! Looks like Obelix was not the only one to have fallen into the magic potion.... But this time, it's millions of readers who will reap the benefits! |
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Produce a live-action film based on the adventures of Asterix the Gaul: talk about a challenge! Whereas Claude Lelouch and Louis de Funès both dreamed of it, Claude Berri actually did it. And in style! With Gérard Depardieu as Obelix and Christian Clavier as Asterix, along with the most talented decorators and special effects specialists….Magic potion was clearly part of the project as well-deserved success followed: Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar and Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra together accounted for more than 46 million viewers worldwide! Julius Caesar still hasn't gotten over it....  The Village therefore went into mourning on Monday, 12 January when it learned of the death of the man known as "the last Nawab" of the French film world. On the RTL radio station, Albert Uderzo spoke for everyone: "It's sad. We understood one another right away, and I especially understood that this man was first and foremost a man of his word. We continued working together on a second film, always in perfect harmony, smoothly, and without a hitch. He was a man who really knew his business." Albert Uderzo also had a special thought for Thomas Langmann, Claude Berri's son and producer of the film Asterix at the Olympic Games. A particularly talented family to whom the Indomitable Gauls would like to extend their warmest respects. |
Saturday 29 November 2008
When Asterix takes some exercise!
We've known ever since Asterix and the Class Act that little Gauls are sometimes quite reluctant to go to school. And that only leads to them forgetting the date of the battle of Gergovia when the day of the exam comes around. Pffff…Thankfully, Asterix and his friends have proved for nearly fifty years now that learning can also be fun. Many of us, in fact, can take pride in our extensive knowledge of Latin quotes that we have accumulated through our attentive reading of Asterix albums. It's as simple as that: Asterix albums should replace school books, by Toutatis! The Gauls have moved into second gear with Asterix Brain Trainer, the new Asterix video game for the Nintendo DS. So get your DS stylus ready for a series of more than 20 exercises led by heroes from the Crazy Gauls' Village!  There's no rest for those who seek the wisdom of the druids: multi-player competitions promise to add spice to any light-hearted video game tournaments for Gauls of all ages. And woe betide those whose poor-performing adult brains may be judged to date from 50 BC ;-) |