I'll Wait For The English Translation

 

I can understand a little bit of the clip below but I love that it preserves the same kind of humor of the great graphic novels I loved as a kid. I was less of a Tintin guy but Asterix? I ate all that stuff up with a spoon. I especially loved the side and back comments that minor characters make in the background - they were usually soldiers and usually the comments are sarcastic or snarky. No one seems to have any unexpressed thoughts in their heads. They were distracted easily.

 

 

(click to enlarge)

 

Asterix the Legionnaire is especially good comedic storytelling. I get it. Why would you want to get your head bashed in by these particular Gauls in this ONE village day after day? It NEVER ends well for the Romans. And the Gaul Village itself is full of interesting characters and situations that only become richer with each story you read about them. You also get a good tour of the Roman World despite all the silliness that is going on. Real life characters such as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra routinely appear in the pages. It's all part of the richness that is this European brand of storytelling.

 

 

When you grow up in Europe as I did, Asterix and Tintin graphic novels are an inevitable part of the fabric of your youth, to the point that the realization they aren't over here was quite a surprise. Tintin perhaps more so than Asterix, as it's set in a more-or-less "real" world, and of course it's the one that got a Spielberg film. Asterix, which depends more on punny names and a basic working knowledge of the history surrounding Julius Caesar, has been filmed many times but none have made it to the U.S., so I have no idea if casting Gerard Depardieu as Obelix was a good idea in live-action. My inclination, however, is to say that Asterix was never meant for live-action, and I'm glad to see that the folks with the movie rights are taking it back to a style that resembles the comics now.

For those who don't know, the premise of Asterix is that in 55 BC, the Roman Empire has conquered all of France except for one tiny village that holds out due to the locals having a magic potion that gives them super strength. Wise-yet-small Asterix and big, dumb Obelix lead the charge, fist-fighting their way through fully armed Roman legions on a regular basis.