What's your favourite Astérix book?

[MCdread]

I just love the entire Astérix series. The fun never seems to vanish no matter how many times you read it. Every new reading calls my atention to some detail I hadn't noticed yet. Of course, even I have to admit that Uderzo is not the writer Goscinny was, but he's doing his best to continue the series since his partner died. So, what's your favourite book?
I voted for "There are so many so great that I can't decide."

P.S.: I do not know the titles in the english version. I hope you recognise what books I'm talking about.

 

[Panda]

Originally posted by MCdread
I voted for "There are so many so great that I can't decide."

Same here.

Plus there has been quite some time since I last read them all.

 

[Mikoyan]

Asterix among the Belgians is a clear favourite.

 

[mordhiem]

Too many to choose from, so I chose the 'all are great' option. Cleopatra, Big Fight, Goths, Helvetica and Chieftans Shield (where is that one btw?) are my faves.

 

[duke o' york]

Asterix the Legionary.

Did you have Asterix in Spain on your list? I can't remember now. You didn't seem to have The Great Divide, Asterix and Son, Switzerland, The Golden Sickle, The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, the one in which they go to India or any of the new ones written by the daughter of whichever of the creators died.

 

[Finvola]

I chose 'can't decide'

 

[heliogabalus]

I voted for "There are so many great ones, I can't decide", too.

If I had to choose one, I would go for "Asterix and the Odyssey" (I think you did not include that). That is the one where Asterix and Obelix have to go on a quest for "Stone Oil" (Petra oleum > Petroleum) because Miraculix needs it for the "Potion of Strength" (how is it called in the english version?). In the desert, they encounter numerous tribes. They always attack the two and then apologize "Oh, we thought you were the Elamites." "Oh, we thought you were the Medians." "Oh, we thought you were the Sumerians."

Is it possible that not all 31 issues have been translated into Portuguese, MCdread? That would be a pity...

duke, do you read Asterix in French? I would love to be able to do that, but my French is only elementary. Also, I think one has to be well acquainted with French contemporary politics and cultural happenings in order to get all the puns.

Personally, I don't like the last 2 or 3 issues that much. I think one of them is "Asterix and Maestria". Either there or in the one immediately afterwards, there are many stupid allusions and pseudo-puns in the german edition that will hardly last a year and are not funny even now.

 

[mordhiem]

Originally posted by heliogabalus

If I had to choose one, I would go for "Asterix and the Odyssey" (I think you did not include that). That is the one where Asterix and Obelix have to go on a quest for "Stone Oil" (Petra oleum > Petroleum) because Miraculix needs it for the "Potion of Strength" (how is it called in the english version?).

Forgot that one. Another classic

In English they simply call it 'the magic potion'.

In the desert, they encounter numerous tribes. They always attack the two and then apologize "Oh, we thought you were the Elamites." "Oh, we thought you were the Medians." "Oh, we thought you were the Sumerians."

Yeah, that part is absolutley hillarious!

 

[duke o' york]

Asterix the Gaul
Asterix in Spain
Asterix in Britain
Asterix and Cleopatra
Asterix and the Goths
Asterix the Gladiator
Asterix the Legionary
Asterix in Switzerland
Asterix and the Big Fight
Asterix and the Roman Agent
The Mansions of the Gods
Asterix at the Olympic Games
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath
Asterix and the Soothsayer
Asterix and the Golden Sickle
Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Cauldron
Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield
Asterix and Caesar's Gift
Asterix and the Normans
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (story book)
Obelix and Co.
Asterix and the Banquet
Asterix in Corsica
Asterix in Belgium
Asterix and the Great Divide
Asterix and the Black Gold
Asterix and Son
Asterix versus Caesar (story book)
Asterix and the Magic Carpet
Operation Getafix (the book is based on the film Asterix and the Big Fight. The script is based on two books: Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer).
Asterix and the Secret Weapon
How Obelix fell in to the Magic Potion (based on the Asterix comic strip of the 1960s)
Asterix conquers America (This title is a book of the film by the same name. The film is based on Asterix and the Great Crossing).
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea
Asterix Poster Book (12 posters)
Asterix Game Book: The Meeting of the Chieftains
Asterix Game Book: The Idol of the Gauls
Asterix Game Book: The Roman Conspiracy

I read them in French, yes, and definitely preferred them to the Tintin stories. Tintin wasn't even funny. I even read Asterix and the Belgians in German but didn't go for any of the others. The puns are different in each language and the translators did a great job!

 

[MrPresident]

My favourite is Asterix in Britain

 

[Hitro]

I voted "There are so many great that I can't decide", because that's how it is.
I think I have read all of them hundreds of times when I was a child and still read them occasionally these days. The newer ones (after Goscinny's early death ) are a little less good than the others though, and the really new ones (after "Magic Carpet") aren't really good.
The great thing about Asterix are the many levels of story and satire in it. You can enjoy it as a little child (I started reading them at 5 or 6) without knowing much about politics or history as well as as an adult.
If I had to choose one I'd probably pick either "Obelix and Co." or "Asterix and the Goths" but that'd not be an easy decision.

 

[Baleog]

Asterix and son.

I reread them recently after a gap of many years (though several seemed to be missing), and this one was the funniest, though unfortunatly at times a bit too soppy and romantic.

 

[De Lorimier]

There's so many of them and I'm a big fan...
My favorite would probably be "The 12 tasks of Astérix"
The book I use to read was great (only one image per page and tons of text) and the animation cartoon was , and still is, one of my favorite cartoon to watch.

 

[Thedrin]

Asterix the Legioanry.

Funniest of the lot that I've read in recent years. Asterix and Son and Asterix in Belgium are close behind.

While I haven't read it (just seen it in the shop) I notice that Asterix and the Actress isn't on that list.

Old hairy eyebrows!

 

[MCdread]

Originally posted by heliogabalus

Is it possible that not all 31 issues have been translated into Portuguese, MCdread? That would be a pity...

They are all translated to portuguese and I've read them all (and some in the original french version), but I couldn't fit them all in the pool.

A question about Asterix in Briton (thanks for the list of the titles in english duke. I was too lazy to look for them myself...) to the english versions readers: how did the translators handled the jokes about the fact that the "bretons speak diferently", ie, use the adjective before the noun, as opposed to what we use in the latin languages? And other peculiarities: the "I say..." thing turns to something unusual if translated literaly and used to start a sentence, which they do a lot in this book. Because I know many people rank this book as the best, because of all the national and language subtleties, and I allways wondered how would they make it work in english.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

the new ones sucks, the old ones are great.

all of them!

 

[Hamlet]

"There are so many so great that I can't decide."

 

[Simon Darkshade]

I concur with the majority; there are so many good ones.
Now there is even more for me to read now I am free.

 

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by heliogabalus
I voted for "There are so many great ones, I can't decide", too.

If I had to choose one, I would go for "Asterix and the Odyssey" (I think you did not include that). That is the one where Asterix and Obelix have to go on a quest for "Stone Oil" (Petra oleum > Petroleum) because Miraculix needs it for the "Potion of Strength" (how is it called in the english version?). In the desert, they encounter numerous tribes. They always attack the two and then apologize "Oh, we thought you were the Elamites." "Oh, we thought you were the Medians." "Oh, we thought you were the Sumerians."

That is also my favorite. In the translation I read, it was titled "Asterix and the Black Gold".

I've always loved Asterix books. They appeal to both children and adults. The puns are so clever.

 

[Hamlet]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
I concur with the majority;

Ye gads, Darkshade goes democratic!