Asterix and Cleopatra

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Title: Asterix and Cleopatra
Series: Asterix #6
Authors: Goscinny & Uderzo
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 51
Words: 3K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia.org

The book begins with an argument between Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and Julius Caesar. As a triumphant invader, Caesar belittles the Egyptian people and suggests that Egypt, as a realm, is past its best. Infuriated, Cleopatra makes a wager with Caesar promising to build a new palace in Alexandria show more within three months. Cleopatra summons Edifis, who claims to be the best architect in Egypt. She promises Edifis that if he builds the palace on time he will be covered with gold; if he fails, he will be a meal for the sacred crocodiles.

Edifis responds to this assignment by enlisting the help of the Gauls, Asterix, Obelix, Getafix, and Dogmatix. Thanks to Getafix and his magic potion, the work goes forward on schedule, despite multiple attempts by Edifis's arch rival, Artifis, to sabotage the construction after Edifis says he doesn't want his help, claiming Artifis works people too hard. Artifis tells the workers to demand less whipping, which would slow construction. However Getafix gives the workers magic potion. Artifis bribes the stone-delivery man to throw his load away, before Obelix beats him up, causing him to reveal the truth, a henchman tries to lock the Gauls inside a pyramid, but Dogmatix helps them find their way out. He subsequently tries to frame the Gauls by sending a poisoned cake to Cleopatra, but Getafix makes an antidote enabling the Gauls to eat it, then cures the taster and claims eating too much rich food was giving him a bad stomach. Edifis is kidnapped and hidden in a sarcophagus in the house of Artifis, but Obelix frees him. Artifis and his henchman are forced to work on the palace, but without magic potion.

Just before the palace is due to be completed, Caesar intervenes by sending legions to try to arrest the Gauls, after he realises the three Gauls are in Egypt when a spy disguises himself as a worker, and sees the effects of the magic potion. The Gauls fight off the Roman soldiers, but the commanding officer proceeds to shell the building with his catapults. In desperation, Asterix and Dogmatix deliver the news to Cleopatra. A furious Cleopatra then hurries to the construction site to berate Caesar. Caesar's legions are ordered to fix the damage they caused (without any magic potion to help them) and the palace is successfully completed on time. Cleopatra wins her bet and covers Edifis with gold. Edifis and Artifis reconcile and agree to build pyramids together, and Cleopatra gives Getafix some papyrus manuscripts from the Library of Alexandria as a gift. The Gauls return, but Vitalstatistix criticises Obelix trying to give an Egyptian style point to menhirs.

My Thoughts:

Getafix the druid gets roped into helping an old friend in Egypt build a palace for Cleopatra, which is going to be a gift to Caesar. Asterix, Obelix and the magic potion get involved and hijinks ensue.

In each volume, every time Asterix and Obelix go on a boat they inevitably meet up with a specific pirate. In this volume he's mortgaged his first born for a new boat and when they see Obelix yoo-hoo'ing at them (he's bored and wants a fight), they sink their own ship so they don't have to fight the gauls. Eventually you see the pirate captain chained to an oar of a galley, as that's all he has credit for. It is very funny to watch their downward slide :-D

The running gag is everybody comments on Cleopatra's nose, “and a very pretty nose it is”. I wasn't sure what I was missing, as it wasn't funny or amusing. I'm wondering if the translators did a bad job OR, and I suspect this is more likely, the humor from creators just didn't carry through. It wasn't annoying, it just felt like a joke fallen flat. That kept getting repeated :-/

Dogmatix is now fully part of the team and actually plays an instrumental part in getting them out of a trap in the pyramid. Obelix definitely has a rapport with him and it's quite amusing to see the juxtaposition of big fat Obelix and little tiny Dogmatix.

★★★★☆ show less

Cleopatra orders her servant, Edifis, to create a palace in three months, so he calls upon his druid friend, Getafix, to help him build it in time. It's a Road Trip to Alexandria for Getafix, Asterix, Obelix, and their puppy, Dogmatix.

Puns abound, artwork is great, what's not to love?

I'm actually giving the 4 stars to the English edition - I bought this one because I was curious how the puns were handled in the original. My french isn't good enough to appreciate it. (But this edition has translations and explanations, which I hadn't expected.)

The Asterix stories are great fun!

When Julius makes a passing comment to Queen Cleopatra that the Egyptians are a spent force in the modern world a wager is made that she can have the most fabulous palace built..and so the tale (the sixth on the series) begins...

Asterix and Obelix escort Getafix to Egypt to assist an old friend (Edifis) who has won the contract to build tha palace, only he is pretty shit at such things and he has his main rival (Artifis) as well as Julius himself trying to sabotage the construction.

Needless to say all things, as they always do, work out but I find this book harder to read than most as I have also seen the movie, and its funny when you grow up with a perception of how someone acts or talks only to be hugely disappointed when faced with show more the reality.

It is interesting to note that this book is the only time (other than when he fell into the potion as a child etc etc etc) Obelix has sampled the magic potion.

This book became a movie in cartoon form in 1968 (yet the book itself hadn't been translated into English until 1969) and then a live action movie in 2002. For those movie buffs the cover of the book is a parody of the Elizabeth Taylor movie Cleopatra's promotional poster. show less

Another hilarious entry in the Asterix series. And again, Uderzo's artwork is amazing.

A typical Asterix and Obelix adventure in which they journey to Egypt with the wizard Getafix, to help an architect friend complete the Great Pyramid for Cleopatra. Fairly entertaining; I just don't care too much for the premise or the characters. Too much reliance on magic potion.

Another hilarious entry in the Asterix series. And again, Uderzo's artwork is amazing.