Asterix’s new album unveils itself and caricatures Michel Houellebecq

Even a gigantic kaiju can do nothing against little Asterix. While the manga phenomenon Kaiju n ° 8 250,000 copies are printed for its launch, the new
Asterix and the Griffin will be released on October 21 with two million copies for France, and a total of five million for the whole world, in 17 languages. This 39th Asterix album is a trip to the East for the Gauls who set out to meet a people little known from Antiquity, the Sarmatians.

After the death of screenwriter René Goscinny in 1977, the series was continued by designer Albert Uderzo, who himself entrusted it in 2011 to screenwriter Jean-Yves Ferri and designer Didier Conrad.

An adventure mainly in the snow

The Sarmatians, a nomadic people, lived in a region that stretched from present-day Ukraine to the foothills of the Caucasus and the steppes of Central Asia. And in this Asterix album their totem is the griffin, half eagle, half lion. “Asterix’s travels already represent quite a few countries. There it is a cold country. It’s new, it sets the tone for this album which takes place mainly in the snow, ”Jean-Yves Ferri stressed on Monday during a press conference at the headquarters of Hachette Livre, the group which owns the editions. Albert René.

“Historically, we don’t know much about them. Herodotus and Livy had spoken of the Sarmatians. They were barbarians, but a little mythical people, he added. The designs borrow from a certain Russian, Kazakh or Mongolian tradition, and their names all end in -in – for example “Cékankondine”. “

Michel Houellebecq is Terinconus

The scenario revolves around the confrontation between a Roman army which sets out on an expedition to capture the famous griffin, on the orders of Julius Caesar, and these elusive Sarmatians, with whom the Gauls sympathize. Among the curiosities: a Roman geographer, Terinconus, who before leaving for this exploration, inquired about “the map and the territory”. He borrows his features from the writer Michel Houellebecq.

“The country does not really exist: it is rather an atmosphere of tale, with Gauls who lose their bearings”, according to Jean-Yves Ferri. The album also has an ecological tone. “The Romans represent a little the attitude we will say” Western “towards nature, the way of serving oneself. While the Sarmatians are presented as respectful of their nature, especially animals. And the Gauls are a bit between the two, ”detailed the screenwriter.

No Asterix reinterpreted as Lucky Luke for now

The formula still works very well in bookstores, with releases approaching Christmas every two years, which make it one of the favorite gifts of the French. The success has never wavered either in other countries, in particular in Germany, Spain or Italy. Asked about the possibility of seeing Asterix drawn or reinterpreted, like other mythical cartoon characters such as Lucky Luke or Corto Maltese, by a multitude of authors, the publisher replied that Asterix would continue as is. “These tributes are quite symptomatic of series that are running out of steam. I do not believe that this is the case with Asterix ”, estimated the general manager of Editions Albert René, Céleste Surugue.


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