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58th out of 1,189 books
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Asterix the Gaul (Asterix #1)
When Roman Centurion Crismus Bonus finds out about Getafixs magic potion, he kidnaps the druid to force him to reveal the recipe. So Asterix joins his friend in captivity and together they two plan to whip up a surprise with truly hair-raising effects.
Paperback, 48 pages
Published
September 1st 2004
by Orion
(first published 1961)
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Asterix the Gaul is the first book of a series that took comics to a new height. Since I have read it after enjoying a few others in the series, it is difficult to make an unbiased review of it. However, with the benefit of hindsight it may be said that the characters have 'arrived', but to be properly fleshed out and filled up. Particularly Obelix, who is quite slim, if not so thin. We are sure though that consuming more than one boars at at time, he has made a promising start towards his perso...more
Christopher Bunn
added it
There's a bookshelf behind the piano at my parents' house full of almost every Asterix book (and Tintin book, for that matter). I grew up reading the Asterix books, over and over and over again. I started out in appreciate of the adventure and crazy characters. As my thinking progressed, I started appreciating the punnery as well. They're wonderful books, superbly drawn and written with wit and real affection for the art of story-telling.
I'm extremely selective about buying new books....more
I'm extremely selective about buying new books....more
The original, from 1959 in French, and 1961 in English introduce us to Asterix and Obelix and the village of indomitable Gauls. Asterix is small, cunning and fortified by a magic potion that makes him invincible, Obelix doesn't need any because he fell into the cauldron when he was a baby and has preternatural strength as a result. The poor Romans know what it is that they are facing and it pleases them not a lot. The result is pun ridden, visual mayhem as A+O cut swathes through the legionna...more
Well, *have* you read all the Asterix books? It's a fair question. We've read these, but these aren't all. There are, in fact, at least 8 not identified here. Quick quiz Asterix fans - can you name them without resorting to internet memory? 
I had the tremendous good fortune to find all but a few of the published volumes in one of our local libraries, and to be able to borrow the remainder of those I could not find from a friend who collects them. If you've yet to be introduced to th...more
I had the tremendous good fortune to find all but a few of the published volumes in one of our local libraries, and to be able to borrow the remainder of those I could not find from a friend who collects them. If you've yet to be introduced to th...more
- this is a page from "Asterix & the Laurel Wreath" and -- in the second row -- pulls off the amazing task of stopping and running your mental camera backward. Behold, the semiotic power of comics!); the humor unabating; and the social, political, and historical satire merciless and timeless.
Lady Knight
rated it
Shelves:
ancient,
central-europe,
childrens,
france,
graphic-novel,
historical-fiction,
humour,
mediterranean,
regional-library,
teen
I know it's fairly unusual for a person of my age (early twenties) to have grown up with Asterix, but my mom was a fan of the "good old ones" and at an early age I read Asterix and Tintin side by side with Laura Ingalls Wilder, Enid Blyton, Heidi, and Nancy Drew. Rereading this now I find that the magic is still there for me... if not grown a little because I actually catch on to the puns in the names, understand mroe of Roman and Gaulish history, and after taking French Immersion in s...more
Isdlions
added it
This is a funny story of the great(and funny, crazy)warrior Asterix, his friend Obelix,(and his dog Dogmatix)the druid getafix who brews magic potion. There is also an bard (with an annoyingly bad voice), Cacofonix. Cacofonix thinks he's a genious. It all takes place in Gaul,year B.C.50. In the story, a roman spy dressed up like an gaul comes to know the secret of their strength. The gauls think he is a real Gaul, and they invite him in! They also gives the Magic potion, too! But when they danc...more
Oh man. I grew up reading these. Facts gleaned from Asterix still probably constitutes the majority of my admittedly scant knowledge of European geography and history. Vitalstatistix! Cacophonix! Whoever did the translations was a genius.
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Uttam Pal
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone with the sense of humour
Recommended to Uttam by:
Sumitash Jana
It reminded me of one of my favourite television cartoon series from my childhood days,The Adventures of Gummi Bears... the Gummiberry Juice... three stirs left three stirs right and then bang the pot to get the bubbles out... The potion gives its drinker an ability to bounce for an unusual height for a limited amount of time... I used to fantasize it with myself in... on my bed I used to jump and jump and jump... Okay! it doesn't mean anyway or the other if I were in Hogwarts I would have liked...more
I had trouble reading the cramped handwritten text and didn't find the story to be too appealing for kids. It seemed like it depended on knowledge of the ancient Romans and Gauls to get a lot of the jokes. I think that I would probably enjoy it a bit more personally if I had time to get into it but I was hoping for something usable for a humour booklist for kids. The colours are pretty and bright and the lines are fun, but there seems to bit a little bit to many of them to keep the dense page...more
A heavily flawed introduction into my favorite childhood comic series. The plot outline is as follows, according to Wikipedia:
"Centurion Crismus Bonus, keen to discover the secret of the Gauls' superhuman strength, sends a spy into the village. The Roman's identity is revealed when he loses his false moustache, but he discovers the existence of the magic potion brewed by the Druid Getafix. With that potion, Crismus Bonus believes that he could overthrow Julius Caesar, and ...more
This first volume stands in for the whole series, which you can read in its original French, or in English as I mostly have, or in your choice of something like 100 languages -- including Latin or Ancient Greek, if you'd like to experience the stories as our heroes' contemporaries might have heard them told by some wandering artist/storyteller. (See 'Asterix' in Wikipedia for a list of available translations.)
Can't recommend highly enough.
Can't recommend highly enough.
d2 sa volume na to malalaman ung reason bakit hindi nagpapa-invade ang mga gaul (w/c asterix's clan) in lead of julius caesar...wats the secret of asterix unbeatable strength...
infairness naadik ako d2 ng sobra..
humor is rocking and asterix rules the BC era...
one of the best comix ive evah read...astig and kahit papano may katuturan at base on history kasi so at the same lots of lessons and infos to learn...
infairness naadik ako d2 ng sobra..
humor is rocking and asterix rules the BC era...
one of the best comix ive evah read...astig and kahit papano may katuturan at base on history kasi so at the same lots of lessons and infos to learn...
Matthew
added it
Since I was very young I have loved TinTin and Asterix so for my picture book I have decided to do Asterix the Gaul. My dad was the person who got me into these sorts of comics. I can not fault this comic what so ever because I love it and I find it very interesting the way the drawing of the characters has changed since the started. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Dans cette BD, Astérix doit secourir Panoramix qui s'est fait enlevé par des romains qui veulent la potion magique pour prendre la place de César. C'est le premier de la série et ce n'est pas mon préféré. Dans ce tome, tout est simple : l'histoire, les dessins, les personnages, etc. Dans le fond, ce n'est qu'une ébauche de ce qui suit dans les autres aventures d'Astérix.
Molly
rated it
Since I have always been a fan of the Asterix PEZ dispensors I knew I should probably read the graphic novel. I am so happy I did. I can see these working as a great read aloud for the fans of Bone. It is a smart comic about good guys, bad guys and kinda bad guys. I really got a good laugh and enjoyed seeing how the Gauls stayed out of trouble. Grades 3+
Valerie
added it
The high school library I haunted in Australia had these books in English, French, etc, intended (I gather) to help students of foreign languages. One fun pastime is to trace the punnish names through several languages.
My mother says Asterix just turned 50, so huzzah! And another half-century for yet more generations of readers, eh?
My mother says Asterix just turned 50, so huzzah! And another half-century for yet more generations of readers, eh?
First book in the series! I didn't realize it until I saw a thinner Obelix. Compared to the later additions, this comic was sort of... dull, but since it's an introductory to the characters I've forgiven it.
Ps. Seems like the author had his sights on making Asterix the lone titular character and Obelix a secondary one.
Ps. Seems like the author had his sights on making Asterix the lone titular character and Obelix a secondary one.
Asterix is in the beginning very good, especially when the scenarist was still alive. since he died the comics have become less interesting.
Also it is known that a lot of the habits of the gauls and the romans are authentical the way they were so it is good for your histry knowledge as well :)
Also it is known that a lot of the habits of the gauls and the romans are authentical the way they were so it is good for your histry knowledge as well :)
I have read i think all of them...and there is not one i liked less.....This series helped me though my exams to enter university....i would wake up in the morning read one intallment and then i would start studying....and i have re-read them like a thousand times....:)
Distant relatives in Germany sent me Asterix books when i was little. I think they were in english, but I'm not sure. I just came across Asterix in McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' and was reminded of them. I remember reading this issue in particular because of the oblong rock Asterix's companion is carrying.
It's uncanny when you discover decades later that a seemingly random strange gift by well-meaning strangers turns out to have introduced you to what turns out to be an icon rec...more
It's uncanny when you discover decades later that a seemingly random strange gift by well-meaning strangers turns out to have introduced you to what turns out to be an icon rec...more
Fun series with lots of wordplay. I first tried to read in French but my french wasn't quite up to par to really get all the humor. Looking forward to reading more of the series.
Tal cual lo recordaba, la historieta es fantástica, me retrotrajo a mi niñez cuando me las devoraba, dibujos, guiones, no importaba amaba a Obelix especialmente con kilos de mas y todo.
Nice to revisit one of the texts many a teacher used to help teach me French. I will rember to bring adictionary with me the next time to look up the more difficult vocabulary.
Asterix's very first book. Meet the hero, Obelix, Dogmatix, Getafix, Vitalstatistix and many other crazy Gauls (not forgetting the mad Romans). If you've never read it, why not?
Aventuras llenas de humor y frescura para el lector de cualquier edad. Un clásico por derecho propio que seguiré trascendiendo (atención a sus geniales guiños).
Since my only copy is in French, and my comprehension of the language is still sort of shakey even after two years study I can't really say. I do love it though.
The Asterix comic series is totally awesome and I've read just about... all of them. But I won't mark them all on goodreads because that'll take WAY too much time!!
The art and text density feel a little dated to me (or maybe just European?), but the wit is sharp and the stories amusing, so I can see why this is such a classic.
Read it at the ripe old age of 25 and enjoyed it, but thought Asterix and the attitude was a bit closed and parochial. Enjoyed the translation though
Of all my childhood comics, Asterix and Obelix tops the list! To date, I still own the hardback copy of a couple A&O comics. Wish I had more!
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René Goscinny was a French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris (considered the series' golden age).
Series:
* Asterix
More about René Goscinny...
Series:
* Asterix
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