A s we stepped off the airplane following the trip from Lutetia, the cold dry air took our breath away, proof that we had safely arrived in Demark. Albert Uderzo shook hands with "Eddy the paparazzo" who had graciously come to pick us up at the airport, but who managed to screw up practically every picture taken for this report. Fortunately, he did speak French well enough that we could understand him (thanks to our years of schooling). As we drove in the early morning light through the suburbs and into the centre of Copenhagen, Albert finally roused himself out of the torpor induced by the breakfast served on the airplane. I think I heard him mutter "poor thing" as he looked despairingly at his plate of baked ham.

In the name of game emporiums, it was the least you could hope for! The Gauls intend to tackle the production of video games in a big way: "ASTERIX and OBELIX, XXL", to be produced by Atari.
Following in the footsteps of the world-renowned team of Lugdunum, a studio known under the code name "Etrange Libellule" has developed a truly amazing game. Specialists in the field have awarded it excellent scores, far better than any seen before. Asterix and Obelix have taken heart since they were beginning to wonder, just like actors in the ancient Greek theatre, if they had turned in a good performance.
They threw themselves into the endeavour at every level: researching the costumes, accessories (Obelix, in particular, wears a bracelet worthy of the gladiators) and seeking advice for various massacres. They did their utmost to match any of their exploits in the series of comic books. You have to admit that the authors of the game entrusted them with an exceptionally formidable mission: finding the inhabitants of the village that we know and love, who have been kidnapped and strewn throughout the Empire by Caesar's troops.
This game will delight both young (7 years and above) and old: the 3D characters have real charisma, giving a dazzling performance that will make other video game heroes green with envy. The brawls are worthy of any in the series; being able to change from Asterix to Obelix to Dogmatix is a real bonus for the "gamer", the name given by the Gauls to fans of this sport that should be practiced only with moderation. And finally, sliding across Obelix's stomach offers a real highlight, in the name of a DVDRom!

Last week found Albert Uderzo shaking in his boots. Yes, believe it or not, after nearly sixty years in the business, the idea of suddenly carving into a huge piece of stone really threw him for a loop. But he soon became enthralled with the project and turned into a real sculptor, a kind of menhir artist if you like.
After having rapidly set the stage with a sanguine (the man always works very quickly and hardly ever does a draft, no time a'wasting with him), he used a soft lead pencil to sketch out his ideas.
Produced for fans from the Gard region (namely "La Bulle" bookstore in Nîmes), this drawing will be used to produce sixty signed lithographs by the end of the year, to the great satisfaction of the most demanding collectors. Photographs taken during the operation bear witness to the wonderful craftsmanship of this technique, invented in 1798, long after the time of the Gauls. The process continues to be as unbelievable as it is revolutionary.

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge ...)

As for me, I asked to have the stone itself but they refused to give it to me. Too bad for them, I'll just send Obelix over one of these days and I'll bet that will take the air out of them!