Asterix Omnibus Vol. 11: Collecting "Asterix and the Actress," "Asterix and the Class Act," and "Asterix and the Falling Sky

by René Goscinny

Contains 3 newly-translated classic Asterix tales. Asterix is a fearless Gaul with a magic potion that grants him incredible strength to protect his village and ward off Roman Empire from invading. With his pal, Obelix, the defend their village from not only the blundering Roman legionairies, but also lend their services to the rest of the world. First, in “Asterix and the Actress,” Asterix and Obelix celebrate their birthday as Caesar makes his move against his political rival Pompey, the festivities and fisticuffs are sure to be entertaining! Then in “Asterix and the Class Act,” 14 short stories including the day Asterix and Obelix were born (in the middle of a village fish fight), How Obelix goes back to school, Fashion in Ancient Gaul, How Dogmatix helps the village cockerel win a duel, and how he is adopted as a Roman mascot, and the story of the creation of Asterix. Then, the Gauls have only one that the sky may fall on their head. It looks as if their time’s come at last for Asterix, Obelix and the other villagers. But some surprising new characters fall along with the sky. Our friends soon find themselves in the middle of a space race. a new Afterword by Alexander Simmons providing historical and cultural context for Asterix, both in 50 B.C. and in the time the classic comics were made.

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2024

About the author

René Goscinny (1926 - 1977) was a French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic book Asterix , which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris (considered the series' golden age).

Reviews

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up reading Asterix and I don't think I can write a negative review even if some of the magic of the past is missing.
Entertaining, funny, well done
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Leslie McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first learned of Asterix in my high school French class. I found the stories charming then, and I feel the same way about this one. Asterix and Obelix are such a great duo. The artwork is a wonderful complement to the story. Each story in this collection can stand alone. Silly and fun. One many comic fans will enjoy.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Asterix Omnibus #11” by René Goscinny is the latest collection in English to be rereleased (with a new translation?), collecting books 31 through 33 of the long-running series. Unfortunately the series is starting to show its age, with the characters and stories not being as clever as the earlier volumes.

For those unfamiliar with the Asterix series: The Romans have invaded and conquered all of Gaul with the exception of one village holding out. How do they do it? By a combination of intelligence, cunning, and (of course) a secret potion that gives them strength. Our main character, Asterix, is the one with most of the cunning and intelligence. His constant companion, Obelix, is the brute force (he fell into a cauldron of the magic potion as a child and has perpetual strength) who is always hungry for boar.

The first story, “Asterix and the Actress”, is far and away the best of the bunch. Our two heroes are celebrating their common birthday, with feasting, surprise guests (moms!), and gifts. Unfortunately, the gifts turn out to have been taken from the Roman general Pompey, whose presence in Gaul is supposed to be a secret from Ceasar. Pompey employs an actress in disguise to charm the Gauls and get the sword and helmet back before Ceasar is made aware of the plot. Can Asterix and Obelix foil her plans and rescue their fathers?

Story 32 is “Asterix and the Class Act”, which is actually a collection of 14 different short subjects that René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo have created for many different reasons, covering many different subjects. Some of them feature some of the side characters, some of them are clever asides to address specific issues, one even includes Goscinny and Uderzo in a cameo set in the present. Nice view of quick shorts, good for a smile or two (for the most part).

And finally we have “Asterix and the Falling Sky”, the weakest of the bunch. Here we have our village of Gauls interacting with two warring races of space aliens, both trying to get their hands on the secret potion. This may have been topical at one time, but feels forced and dated and quite silly.

So, overall a mid-level collection, fine to read if you’ve read the others, but no place to start.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Papercutz via NetGalley. Thank you!

[AitziST · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

This 11th volume of the Asterix Omnibus collects the following stories: Asterix and the Actress, Asterix and the Class Act, and Asterix and the Falling Sky.
Asterix and the Actress is, by far, the best of all three stories. Asterix and Obelix, who share the same birthday, by the way (I am not sure whether this was something already known or not), receive the visit of their mothers and a couple of shiny gifts from their fathers: a helmet and a sword. What they do not know is that these treasures were stolen and now there is a whole plot involving actresses and shenanigans that may be more dangerous than any roman attack.
Asterix and the Class Act is comprised by fourteen very short stories about Obelix going back to school, Dogmatix helping some friends, or an adorable day in the past when all our heroes were toddlers… and behaved almost exactly as their adult versions.
And finally, we have Asterix and the Falling Sky, by far the strangest and craziest of all Asterix stories to date. A science-fiction adventure that depicts the fatal day in which, after so many years of fear, the sky seems to start falling out.
It is strange to see it, to accept it maybe, but I feel this is the moment the stories of our heroes started to change, to lose part of their personality. In comparison to earlier works the quality is not there anymore. Only for fans, and definitely not the omnibus you want to share with someone who has never read an Asterix comic book before.

[Cathy R Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asterix and the Actress: When the Gaulish village gets hold of Pompey's special and highly distinctive sword and helmet, which prove he's where he shouldn't be, Pompey will go to any lengths to get it back. Can an actress divide good friends?
Asterix and the Class Act: Assorted short sketches and amusing interludes - not a story as such, but well worth a read.
Asterix and the Falling Sky: Asterix and the whole village find themselves in the middle of an interstellar hunt for the famous magic potion. Can such an adventure possibly end in a feast?

I've read each of these before, but not for several years, so it was interesting to read them again. I didn't realise until I started reading that this was a new translation - overall it didn't stand out as noticeably different except for the names of the druid and the Roman camps, but those took a bit of getting used to. As a whole, the book brings together three of the less known Asterix books and is well worth a read, though the last was less to my taste - a bit too much along more Superman/comic scifi lines that I'm less keen on. In the review copy I received, the picture quality in some sections was quite poor, but hopefully this isn't true of the sale version. All in all, a good new collection, not quite so much your typical Asterix books, but generally none the worse for that - and in some ways better!

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

[Sharondblk · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was growing up my father worked next door to the Carringbush (Richmond) library. On occasion we would be at his office, so we would go and hang out in the library, waiting for him to finish work. The library had a display of Asterix and Tin-Tin comics, next to a carpeted step and my brother and I would sit there and read them. I always found the Asterix comics pretty silly. Still when I had the chance to request this from NetGalley (I'm not sure why, since this seems to have released in 2019) I took the opportunity to wander down memory lane. And yes, this book is still pretty silly. I will say that this is presumably being sold as a paper copy, it's pretty challenging to read on a tablet.

[Sadie-Jane Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 062 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟

Many have heard of Asterix and Obelix. I have read a comic or two in my life but never was quite a fan.

Decided to give it a shot now I am older.

It's decent but not my cuppa tea.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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[Ares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Papercutz for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up with Asterix but never got the chance to read it in English, so I was stoked to see that they are back in an Omnibus series.

Asterix is amazing, and there is not much I can say about it. I will always recommend it, and it is so much fun to read. Something you get out of the shelf to laugh and enjoy. Asterix and Obelix is a must-read duo for every comic fan.

The formatting of the Omnibus is good, and the stories can be read separately. The third story was a bit more abstract and too much for my taste, but it didn't take away from the fun.

[Varsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asterix and Obelix were comics I loved reading when I was young. This book brought me back to my childhood days.

The first is the ' Asterix and the Actress. It was funny and entertaining. It is the best of the three stories.
I had read this before so the new translation felt a bit weird to me.

Asterix and the Class Act was the second book. It consists of 14 stort stories. While it was not as funny as the full length stories, it still had a charm to it.

The last is the Asterix and the Falling Sky, which I liked the least. It had aliens in it., which I felt was totally off topic, compared to the earlier stories. It felt weird.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I've been enjoying Asterix for decades, and I used German editions to help study German when I was a college student. There used to be so many languages available for Asterix comics!
These are mainly newer but one of the stories talks about Asterix through history and its influences. No, the newer ones aren't as funny and the language jokes aren't as clever, but these are still really fun little reads
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Emir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello childhood! Wonderful memories returned of Asterix and Obelix. Love the names and the play on words. And of course the Romans.

Interesting book with shorts as well in this omnibus. Highly recommended!

[Mityl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ebook, Netgalley! I appreciated the refresher on some of the graphic novels that I grew up reading. Still a good aid to improve one's mood when needed.

[Dani (ダニ ¦ 다니) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Got this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

I love Asterix and I will always love Asterix. I grew up with those comics and when I saw that I could get it through Netgalley to read I did not hesitate. It's funny how I used to read them in German but in English most of the characters have different names and sometimes it confuses me. But that happens with everything that I used to watch in German haha. Anyway, another couple of great stories that I got to read and I loved every minute of it. It felt really nostalgic to me and I hope I get to read more once there are more released.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific collection of Asterix tales and the second part that is a collection, within a collection. of ASterix tales.
The first is particularly well rendered. This, alone, is worth the purchase.

The second part is a very interesting collection of 1-2 page tales that provide a glimpse of other views Goscinney and Uderzo along with a bit of what brought about the tale.

The third in the set is a pretty standard outer space alien story. It's the artwork that sets this tale apart.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.