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Asterix and Obelix: an Introduction

For those people who accidentally come across this website and who really have no idea who Asterix is, it is best to let them introduce himself. In the album Asterix and the Great Crossing Asterix and his friend Obelix introduce themselves to a tribe of native Americans. This is how it goes:

Asterix and Obelix

Asterix and Obelix are Gauls (modern day France) who live in a small village near the coast around 50 BCE. Vitalstatistix (Fr. Abraracourcix) is the leader of their tribe, the last tribe standing up to the Roman occupation. They are able to do so, because their druid, Getafix (Fr. Panoramix), knows the formula to a magic potion that gives superhuman strength. Asterix is the small and cunning one, while Obelix is the taller (don’t say he’s fat!) one. Because Obelix fell in a cauldron full of magic potion as a kid, he is under the permanent influence of the potion. Obelix has a little pet dog, Dogmatix (Fr. Idefix).

Creators

Panoramix - Getafix - the druid
Getafix – the druid

The characters are the brainchild of Rene Goscinny (writer) and Albert Uderzo (artist) who started the series in 1959 for the French comic magazine Pilote. Goscinny passed away in 1977. He had finished writing the 24th album, Asterix in Belgium, which was published after his passing in 1979. Uderzo continued working on new Asterix stories, and eight more albums were created between 1981 and 2005. After this the work was continued by different writers, Ferri and Fabcaro, and the artist Conrad.

Several Asterix movies have seen the light of day since 1967. Dogmatix got his own spin-off series as well.