Asterix the Gaul

I bought this in a fit of middle/high school French class nostalgia, as these were a favorite in class for a comical way to read something in French that wasn't from a text book.

A fairly light and quick read, you get a good introduction to Asterix and his friends, mainly his best friend Obelix and the Druid, Getafix, who brews the magical potion that gives the Gauls their super-strength, which they use to keep the invading Romans at bay, thereby keeping their village the only remaining free village in Gaul. There is quite a bit of humor mixed into the story, especially with the characters names (such as Vitalstatistix, the village leader; Cacofonix, the village bard; and Centurion Crismus Bonus).

In Asterix the Gaul, after Asterix show more singlehandedly defeats four Roman guards, Crismus Bonus sends a spy into the Gaul village to find out their secret. The Romans then kidnap Getafix to force him to make the magic potion that gives the Gauls their super-strength. Asterix goes to the rescue and then allows himself to be captured so that he and Getafix can have some fun at the Romans' expense. After some calamity with a super-strength potion that has some adverse effects, Asterix and Getafix are released through the help of an unlikely ally.

Asterix the Gaul is a fun introduction to the Asterix characters and world. The art is fluid, colors are bright and the story is clever and humorous. Worth reading if you want a light, fun read. show less

I have read the physical version of this book many times and loved it every time. But it's a comic book, how can it be a good audiobook. I don't know who wrote the script for the audiobook, but whoever did was amazing. I would say that she is almost on the same level as the creators, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
(Perhaps now is where I should explain why it only gets four stars. This is an incredibly violent story, and the series gets a bit worse over time. Also we are talking about Gauls and Romans back in 50 BC, they are always swearing by their gods.)
But back to the audiobook. It sounds almost like a classic with the descriptions. It does change a few wordings to work better as audio, but as a whole it is the most wonderful audio show more version of a visiual art. show less

Okay, I'm not sure if I'm 'too grown up' for enjoying Asterix series but I didn't like the humours much. The plot was very linear and the storyline lacks complexity. All the villains are made too naive and downgraded in terms of their intelligence. The protagonists can subdue them very easily with their 'superior' intellect. At times things became too trivial. It basically occurred to me as an alternate world created from a hardcore French (or more accurately Gaulish) nationalist view where the Romans are bashed and belittled every now and then. Almost all the activities of the protagonists are meant to instil the 'belief' into reader's mind that 'Romans are mentally retarded and Gauls are the big brains'. This is a classic series and show more everyone talks about it. I am feeling kind of guilty rather that I failed to enjoy Asterix the Gaul but then again, this is only the first instalment of a 33 issue long Asterix series. I intend to read all the adventures of Asterix and Obelix so, I'm hopeful.

I liked the time frame (during the reign of Julius Caesar) where the characters belong to. The drawing is absolutely splendid, and perhaps too good for such a storyline. All the 3 stars for the illustrations! show less

This is the first book about Astérix and his fellow Gauls in Armorica (current day Brittany) which sets up the premise of the series and we get to know the main characters of the village (and they are characters in all aspects of that word!). In this in stallment, the Romans in the garrison closest to the village find out that their invincibility comes from a magic potion, and so kidnap Getafix, the druid, to find out the recipe. Naturally, the Gauls trick the Romans and make them look ridiculous (a story line that will be repeated throughout the series) and go home and have a banquet (with boars and wine, but no singing!). Such a great series that I have loved since I read it as a child and still love upon rereading.

Of course I've read all of these as a kids, in Dutch. I even read a couple in Latin whilst in high school (yes, the adventures of Asterix are available in Latin, just like several other comic books. You can even read Harry Potter in Latin...)

I must say, I had a bit of difficulty adjusting to the English names. After 25 years of Abraracourcix, Assurancetourix and Panoramix, it's a bit strange seeing them being named Vitalstatistix, Cacofonix and Getafix... (I know it's because the word plays don't work the same in English, but still. It's weird.)

Storywise, this is just really entertaining. A great introduction for a great set of characters.

I wonder how things would’ve turned out if I got into comics through European albums rather than super hero comics. This, along with Tintin and Lucky Luke, was one of the few franchises that washed up on our slovenly shores, but I think I was too old for such whimsy at the time.
In this case of these characters it was always weird because American schools don’t really teach anything about the Gauls. Terrific cartooning. I’m curious to see how much continuity there is between books.

4.5*
I loved the names in this first Asterix comic (or graphic novel if you prefer)! Asterix and his fellow villagers are the lone holdouts against the Roman conquest of the area now known as France. The local Roman legion is commanded by Crismus Bonus and his second in command is Marcus Ginantonicus; Asterix's village is headed by Vitalstatistix and their druid is Getafix... lol!

Albert Uderzo's illustrations were excellent. In particular, I loved the way Crismus Bonus looked with his long, long beard :)