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Asterix the Gaul (Asterix #1)

by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo (Illustrator)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 9,089 ratings · 147 reviews

When Roman Centurion Crismus Bonus finds out about Getafix’s 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 1959)

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Sep 05, 2011 Manas Maity rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

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

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Jun 15, 2013 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Asterix the Gaul is the first volume in the Asterix comic book series. It is set in occupied Gaul and focuses on a village that is holding out against the Romans. The story’s protagonist is Asterix, a Gaulish warrior who, thanks to the magic potion provided by his druid friend Getafix, fights single handedly against Roman centurions. His best friend is Obelix, a Gaulish warrior who has superhuman strengths as a result of falling into Getafix’s magic potion as a baby. In this adventure, Asterix h...more Asterix the Gaul is the first volume in the Asterix comic book series. It is set in occupied Gaul and focuses on a village that is holding out against the Romans. The story’s protagonist is Asterix, a Gaulish warrior who, thanks to the magic potion provided by his druid friend Getafix, fights single handedly against Roman centurions. His best friend is Obelix, a Gaulish warrior who has superhuman strengths as a result of falling into Getafix’s magic potion as a baby. In this adventure, Asterix has to sneak into the Roman camp and free Getafix, who is being held for ransom by Chrismus Bonus, head of the Roman garrison. Asterix manages to free his friend by drinking his magic potion and beating up all in the Roman garrison.

This Asterix book is similar to the others in that you know what you will get – clumsy Romans getting a good beating by Asterix and his Gaulish friends. It sets the scene for the following books by introducing us to the main characters – Asterix, Obelix and Getafix. Additionally, it introduces the audience to the magic potion, which is a main object throughout the series. It is laced with satire that can be understood at many different levels. Most the jokes are aimed at the Romans who – unlike in most writing about Roman history – are clumsy and stupid. The book also highlights some interesting, although questionable, historical facts – for example, spaghetti wasn’t eaten by Italians until Marco Polo brought it back from China. All in all, Asterix the Gaul is a fun read.

This is a book that can be enjoyed by both KS1 and KS2 pupils. The language is not too demanding and is backed up by pictures, which make the plot more understandable. I would recommend it to a reluctant KS2 reader. I feel boys, in particular, will be drawn in by the pictures, action and jokes. As they read, pupils can extend their comprehension skills by hypothesising about what will happen next in the book. For example, they can hypothesise Asterix’s plans, or what the ‘trick’ potion will do to the Romans. They can also complete character description activities – for instance, describing Obelix, Asterix and Getafix. The pictures in the book will help them do this.
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Apr 20, 2012 Tim Roast rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Asterisk novel, thus it introduces many of the themes that follow in the following 30-odd books: the premise of a Gaulish village resisting against the might of the Roman army; the Romans getting a good biffing from those villagers whenever they attempt to take it; Asterix's craftiness; the magic potion as produced by the druid, Getafix, that gives those who drink it great strength; Obelix who has permanently high levels of strength due to falling into the potion as a boy and h...more

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Apr 14, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy

Now that I have the complete Tintin collection I decided that I would get my hands on the other comic book series that I liked as a child, which surprise, surprise, was Asterix. I am sure many of you already know the premise behind Asterix, but since this is the first of the albums I thought that I might run through it anyway. The story is set in 50BC after Julius Ceaser has conquered Gaul, or almost. There is one little village on the coast of Gaul that just does not seem to be able to submit,...more Now that I have the complete Tintin collection I decided that I would get my hands on the other comic book series that I liked as a child, which surprise, surprise, was Asterix. I am sure many of you already know the premise behind Asterix, but since this is the first of the albums I thought that I might run through it anyway. The story is set in 50BC after Julius Ceaser has conquered Gaul, or almost. There is one little village on the coast of Gaul that just does not seem to be able to submit, so the Romans built four camps around the village and attempt to look for a way to bring them under the authority of Rome.
This is the first album and it does show a lot, especially after you have read a lot of the others. In a way it seems very deficient, however we must remember that this is the first and we are seeing an introduction to the characters and the setting. In a way this is something that could only come out of France. It is amusing, silly, and the use of puns is very clever. This is seen a lot more in the later comics, though here, the main antagonist, the centurion Crismus Bonus, gave me a good chuckle when I first encountered him.
Most of the comics, when dealing with the little village in Gaul, will only have one of the camps. The four camps are Aquarium, Totorum, Laundanum, and Compendium. The camp that has the focus of this book is Compendium. As you read more and more of the comics you will encounter the style that Goscinny (who wrote the dialogue, Underzo did the drawings) uses. Each of the nationalities have their own little prefix, the gauls having 'ix' at the end of all of their names (most likely being taken from the Gaul Ubercheiftain Vercingetorix) and all of the Roman's names end in 'us' (most likely taken from the name Julius, though other Romans of note also have a name ending in 'us' though you should note that not all of them follow that convention, though in the books they will generally have two names, such as Calligula Minus, the poor Roman that is picked to spy on the Gauls).
The plot of this comic involves the Romans trying to find out the secret of the gaul's ability to resist their might, so they disguise a Roman as a Gaul who sneaks into the village, finds the potion, and then returns back to the camp as strong as ever. Upon learning of the potion, they kidnap the druid Getafix (there are lots of puns like this, Vitalstatistix the chief, Fullyautomatix the blacksmith, and Cacofonix the bard). Asterix, who learns of this must then sneak into the camp to get the druid back.
It is rather amusing, especially how the mighty Romans are scared stiffless of the little gauls, and in many cases Asterix uses his ability to bluff to enable him to get around and reach his goals. Of course, upon learning of the potion, Crismus Bonus decides that to have this power would give him much more influence back in Rome, so decides to go his own way to depose Ceaser and set himself up as dictator. Okay, the history in these stories is really bad, particularly since at this point Ceaser would have been fighting the civil war. There simply did not seem to be a period of peace where Ceaser was ruling unchallenged, but this is a really minor aspect. These comics are not to teach history but to entertain.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 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. It comes...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Huw Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bd

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 legionnarie...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

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?

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 these intrepid...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Lady Knight rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 school for...more

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Dec 02, 2010 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 dance...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Ken-ichi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, historical-fiction

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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Apr 03, 2010 Uttam Pal rated it 5 of 5 stars 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

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Feb 28, 2013 Usama Albastaki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

This is the first volume of Asterix series. It wasn't my introduction to the world of Asterix and Obelix but it could be a good introduction to someone who will start to read the series, despite that Obelix have minor role in this story. As with the other stories, Goscinny has shinned with beautiful story line and his magical touch of humor that makes you lough from the heart.

In general, Asterix and Obelix is representative of a people in a small village/country who keep the culture preserved fr...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Nina Ivanova rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, adventure, historical, background, comics

Пълно ревю/ Full review - Bla bla bla books

One of the first comic books I read, and still a total favourite!

The art: the drawings of Uderzo are adorable. So very cute and so very French

The humor: there is something cute and funny on every page of the comics. There are some constant gigs and you always know that in the end the bard will be left tied up with something in the mouth, and the blacksmith and the fishmonger will be hitting eachother - but it's still always lots of fun!

But one of the g...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Rishad Manecksha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book of the fantastic series. It is a very good and interesting read, packed with action, adventure and humour. It is great for those new to comic books and it's brilliant for those who already love this genre of book. All about Asterix, the small, intelligent Gaul and his friends of the small gaulish village. It is 50 B.C and nearly the entire country of Gaul is occupied, except for Asterix's small village who hold out the Roman invaders, join him in this series and see how th...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Karhum Ghassan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Asterix the Gaul is the first book of a series that took comics to another level. Since I have read it after enjoying others in the same series, it is difficult to make review of it. However,it may be said that the characters have 'arrived'.In particular Obelix, who is quite slender, if not so thin. I am sure that eating more than one boar at at time, he has made a promising start towards his personal fulfillment. The Romans are also immature and surrender rather 'immaturely'. Again, it may be s...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, fiction, humor

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 pages f...more

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Jan 07, 2008 Vanja Antonijevic rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 become Emperor himself....more

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Jun 18, 2013 Христо Блажев rated it 4 of 5 stars

Галите са отново тук, готови да тупат римски легионери: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/a...
Нека смехът започне отново! Култовата поредица за приключенията на Астерикс и Обеликс, която ни забавляваше през 90-те, ще бъде издавана отново. Рисунките на Албер Юдерзо и диалозите на неподражаемия Рьоне Госини са извор на огромно забавление, а пред нехайството и борбеността на галите римските легионери дори си забравят латинския.
"Артлайн Студиос"
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/a...

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Feb 12, 2013 Carl rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read all the Asterix books up to Asterix and The Great Crossing. I really love these books. I find their much better in the original French than any of the translations I've been able to find. Our children enjoyed the movies and I found that the translations for them were better than the ones for the books, but still loose some of the character of the original. I haven't read any of the ones after The Great Crossing because I can't find them in French.

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Feb 15, 2013 Meghna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Meghna by: my parents

Shelves: asterix

This was the very first Asterix that I had read. It was the only other comic that I had read other then 'Archies' i.e back then. Asterix basically introduced a whole different type of reading experience for me. Anyway, Asterix the Gaul gives us the very first introduction into the world of the "Indomitable Gauls." This being the first of the series I think it deserves a greater rating then what has been given to it. I rate it 4.7... But thats just my opinion.

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May 07, 2013 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1950s, action, childrens, classic, comic, fantasy, favourites, foreign, historical, humour, male-author

One of my favourite comic series of all time. This series really increased my love of history. Like the Tintin reread I'm doing I will also endeavour to read all the Asterix books once again.

Unlike Tintin the early Asterix comics are much more accessible. There is no blatant racism. It's just a fun little adventure. The first book is just an introduction to the main characters and their abilities.

I can't wait to get through the rest of the series.

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Aug 10, 2011 James Paternoster rated it 5 of 5 stars

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.

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Mar 01, 2011 Joey alabanza rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...

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Nov 02, 2011 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.

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Jul 24, 2011 Yves rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Feb 15, 2009 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, funny, goodboyreads, graphicnovels, historical-fiction

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+

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Oct 26, 2009 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?

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Jun 09, 2013 Max rated it 5 of 5 stars

Asterix the gaul by Rene Goscinny, is the first Asterix books of many.

this graphic novel reads Asterix and his village living their life the only village left not taken over by the romans, because they have a secret weapon. Getafix the druid makes a magic potion which allows the Gauls to be invincible for a certain amount of time. the romans do not how they always lose to a tiny little village so they send in a roman spy dressed as a gaul. he comes back a few days later explaining how they have...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

I stumbled across a collection of Asterix the Gaul books in a local library in the mid 1970's and thought I'd struck gold. Had never encountered Asterix prior to that, and felt left out. Very good stuff, crazy puns (either remarkable, or maybe just critical of the english language since the writers are french). Good fun.

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Dec 25, 2011 Johara rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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About René Goscinny

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

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Asterix and the Golden Sickle (Asterix, #2)

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Asterix the Gaul (Asterix #1)

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