Jean-Yves Ferri

Asterix and the Missing Scroll might remain the best of the Ferri/Conrad Asterix albums, on account of its more intelligent theme, but Asterix and the Griffin is a surprisingly solid adventure.

Post-Uderzo (and arguably post-Goscinny), the Asterix albums have struggled to feel authentic, but Griffin is just plain fun. It starts fast and never lets up: we have a great location, a reasonably compelling plot, and even a swordfight from Asterix himself. We have some creative pictorial jokes in show more the frames, some funny 'Amazon' jokes, and even the obligatory Latin and references to Caesar's commentaries.

I've not been the target audience for Asterix for nearly twenty years now, and follow the new albums largely for a dose of nostalgia, but this is the first of the Ferri/Conrad stories that I think might have made me fall in love with the series if I was still a child. show less

This time, the lads are off into the wilds of present-day Russia, because the Romans after after a griffin. (We actually see, later on, what the griffin really is -- it's not *quite* as off-the-wall as one might think, given some authentic discoveries). A little better than some of the later Asterix adventures, though that's not saying a good deal, since they lack the spark and flair of Goscinny and Uderzo at their peak. The role-reversal of strong women and weak men is played, a lot, a bit show more past the point of return. show less

A charming Asterix adventure, this new album is a worthy addition to the long-running French comic series. It addresses a question which is crucial for the authenticity of the series: why did Julius Caesar never mention in his histories his failure to defeat the Gauls of Asterix's village? Asterix and the Missing Scroll answers that he chose to cover it up in a whitewash of history – not so much history being written by the victors as a case of history being written by those who can show more write. The authors, writer Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad, spruce up this compelling theme with clear contemporary references to Julian Assange and the Wikileaks scandal that might go over the heads of young readers, but will be recognisable to older children (and nostalgic adults picking up the new Asterix out of curiosity – guilty as charged).

I wasn't quite sure where Ferri and Conrad wanted to take this theme – the plot loses its way in the shouting match at the end, with the message rather muddled – but the attempt to provide more than just a nuts-and-bolts story like their previous offering, the limited Asterix and the Picts, is very welcome. This is a bona fide, intelligent Asterix adventure that does the legacy of Goscinny and Uderzo proud (the two creators are even referenced in a nice little homage at the very end of the book). Whilst the odd joke does fall flat (there's a running joke about grass that I don't get, though it's probably staring me in the face), I was very impressed by Asterix and the Missing Scroll. Contrary to how I felt after reading Picts, I'm now looking forward to the next Ferri/Conrad addition to this eternal series. show less

I was worried about the future of the Village of Indomitable Gauls we know so well, after finding the first Ferri & Conrad outing good but the subsequent two volumes to be following a deteriorating trend. My persistence paid off, however, with this return to form. It's the story most like one Goscinny would have written we have been given since the great writer's death. It focuses on some of the most beloved tropes of the series; bickering amongst the villagers, puns, daft character names, show more standing up to the Romans, long-suffering legionaries... and we get insight into the teens in the village, too - an amusing innovation. Delightful! show less