Literature

Asterix's winter voyage

5 reading minutes

written by Ivan Garcia · 08 February 2022 · 0 comment

The famous Gaul with the winged helmet is back! In this new album, set in a winter wonderland, Asterix pursues a Roman column in search of the griffin. Despite a few clumsinesses, the story is not lacking in originality, and is peppered with references to current events.

Ah, Asterix... He's not the perfect guide to Antiquity (anachronisms and historical inaccuracies are recurrent in his adventures), and he probably doesn't have the charm of the mangas which young people love (and rightly so). But for many, comics remain the ideal gateway to reading and, even more so, to literature. And, among all these comic book heroes, there's the little blond moustachioed man, equipped with his flask of magic potion, and his sidekick Obélix, the menhir-deliverer, who battle the Romans every chance they get.

While the two creators of the series, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, created the character and brought it to life for decades, for the past few years it's been the duo of Jean-Yves Ferri (scriptwriter) and Didier Conrad (illustrator) who have been at the helm of the Asterix ship. And it shows, with a number of innovations in script and aesthetics. The latest adventure, entitled Asterix and the Griffin, takes the reader into snowy lands on the trail of a legendary beast, the griffin.

A fantastic bug

It all begins in Rome (and isn't it said that all roads lead to Rome?), at the court of Caesar, who is auditioning his chief geographer, the famous «Terrinconus». Terrinconus tells Caesar of the existence of a griffin, a fabulous animal half eagle and half lion. The Roman leader, thinking of the popularity the animal would bring him if he showed it at the circus, instructs Terrinconus, aided by a Sarmatian slave, to go in search of the beast.

So far, it's Asterix all the way: the focus on the Roman side, Caesar's motivations, and then, traditionally, we expect to be transported to the Gaulish village. But in Asterix and the Griffin, it doesn't work like that. A rather brutal transition shows Getafix, Dogmatix, Obelix and Asterix on a sled in the middle of the snow: we learn that Getafix has received a message in one of his dreams from his shaman friend «Cékankondine» asking him to come and help him. The Romans are nearby, looking for the griffin, the sacred animal of the Sarmatians, and it doesn't look good for the magician, who will be kidnapped by the Romans. And, of course, Asterix and company have to save him.

Current winks

With each new album, Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad try to renew Asterix a little and, as we see in Asterix and the Griffin, to bring a few new features to the franchise. First of all, Gallic adventures in snow-covered lands are few and far between, so it's with great curiosity that we embark on this adventure. As for the scenario, the authors have chosen to take us into the «Barbaricum» (the part of the world beyond the Roman Empire), which until now had not really been dealt with by scriptwriters.

The funniest part of the album is the inclusion of current events and personalities. For example, on closer inspection, the geographer Terrinconnus is none other than a caricature of French author Michel Houellebecq, winner of the 2010 Prix Goncourt for his novel The Map and the Territory (Huffington Post).

Geographer Terrinconus (caricature by Michel Houellebecq) presents the Sarmatian prisoner to Caesar.

In Asterix and the Transitalia (2017), a mysterious masked charioteer named Coronavirus took part in the great chariot race against the Gauls and other competitors. Surprisingly, this album preceded the Covid-19 epidemic... In Asterix and the Griffin, A nod to this landmark moment in history can be found in the person of the Roman legionary «Fakenius». A character who, as his name suggests, creates «fake news» and spreads fear among the Roman legionaries.

Legionary Fakenius (in green) puts forward some far-fetched theories that don't reassure the Roman troops...

The new Asterix album is a welcome break with monotonous, unsurprising patterns. It shows that a renewal of the series is possible, even desirable, provided that the authors take more time to develop their scenario and their story: this one, although catchy, ends very quickly and seems to be treated superficially. But Asterix is back, and all the better for it. By Toutatis!

Write to the author: ivan.garcia@leregardlibre.com