Germany – Among European Asterix fans, few names are as instantly recognized as Marco Mütz. For more than 25 years he has been the driving force behind comedix.de, the most extensive German-language Asterix resource on the internet. His work—part research, part archiving, and part detective effort—has shaped how millions of German readers engage with the indomitable Gauls.

Marco’s relationship with Asterix began quietly, grew steadily through the early years of the web, and now stands as one of the most impressive fan-driven Asterix projects worldwide. Yet, with characteristic modesty, he prefers to let humor speak for him. Before exploring his life and work, he insists on presenting himself in the playful tone of the comics he loves.

Marco’s Asterix-Style Introduction

“In an Asterix album I would probably be described like this:
Marco Mütz was born in 1966 AD in a small village in southern Hesse that offered no resistance whatsoever. Already at a young age, Asterix belonged to his daily reading—completely unaware of the consequences this would eventually have. After 20 years he followed the Germanic migration of peoples northward to Cuxhaven and has now been living in and around Hamburg for 20 years. And life is not easy for a Hessian migrant, who—surrounded by the camps of Pinnebergum, Buxdehudum, Reinbekkum, and Ahrensburgum—has been running the largest German-language Asterix website, www.comedix.de, since 1998.
By now, I have also written two Asterix books published by major publishers: Das inoffizielle Asterix & Obelix Lexikon (The Unofficial Asterix & Obelix Lexicon (2017, Riva Verlag)) and Das Quiz für Asterix-Fans (The Quiz for Asterix Fans (2025, Edition Michael Fischer)).”

Early Encounters With Asterix

Marco cannot clearly remember the first time he read Asterix, and the reason is simple: the comics were so embedded in his childhood that there was never a single defining moment. He grew up devouring all sorts of German comic magazines—Fix & Foxi, Micky Maus, Yps, ZACK, and the Lustige Taschenbücher. Asterix stories appeared in several of them, so the Gauls drifted naturally into his daily reading long before he realized how significant they would become. His fandom emerged not from a dramatic discovery but from constant, effortless exposure.

Choosing Favorites

Asked to name a favorite album, Marco hesitates. The travel volumes hold a special place for him because of their playful engagement with different cultures. He admires Asterix in Switzerland and Asterix in Britain, but he is equally fond of less frequently spotlighted adventures such as The Cauldron, The Chieftain’s Shield, and especially The Roman Agent. His favorite character is Vitalstatistix, perhaps because, as the founder of comedix.de, Marco has become a kind of village chief himself—overseeing a lively gathering of fans and experts.

Why Asterix Still Works for Him

Marco believes the lasting appeal of Asterix lies in its rare combination of humor and intelligence. The jokes operate on multiple levels, mixing visual gags with rich layers of wordplay, historical allusions, and political satire. Children and adults can enjoy the same page for completely different reasons. He also praises the cast of characters, each one immediately recognizable yet exaggerated with just enough charm to remain endearing. Their interactions, from the quarrels in the village to the running gags involving Obelix, Cacofonix, or the wild boars, create a world that feels familiar and vibrant. And underlying everything, Marco sees the unmistakable brilliance of Uderzo, whose expressive drawings and meticulous backgrounds elevate even the smallest panel into something deeply crafted.

Collector, but No Longer Collecting

Although Marco owns all Asterix albums and a number of collected editions, he no longer considers himself an active collector. Over time he concluded that collecting requires considerable money, creates clutter, rarely increases in value, and ultimately passes to heirs who may not appreciate the items. The release of the new “Omnibus” series—with its many volumes—marked the point at which he consciously stepped away.

Reading in Other Languages

Marco enjoys some of the German dialect editions, especially those from his native Hesse and from the Hamburg region where he now lives. He occasionally consults the French originals, but usually only for research. Outside of that, he rarely reads Asterix in other languages.

Why Asterix Is So Popular in Germany

Marco offers one of the clearest explanations of Asterix’s exceptional popularity in the German-speaking world. According to him, several cultural factors align perfectly with the series. Germans have a particular affection for linguistic humor, and Gudrun Penndorf’s legendary translations elevated Asterix’s wordplay into something that feels tailor-made for German ears. German readers also connect naturally with the historical and educational layers of the series, appreciating its references to antiquity, politics, mythology, and archaeology.

The humor itself—cerebral, ironic, and sharply observed—fits well with German tastes. The themes of cultural identity, resistance, and small-community cohesion resonate deeply in a European context, especially in Germany’s postwar generations. And because Asterix appeared early and continuously in German newspapers, magazines, schools, libraries, and later on television, it became interwoven with everyday life for multiple generations. Marco points to the famous Passierschein A38 scene as an example of why the comics land so effectively in Germany: the satire of impossible bureaucracy is instantly recognizable to German readers. All of this, combined with Germany’s large theme park tradition, makes the development of a German Asterix theme park entirely logical in his view.

On the Mundart Editions

Marco is fond of the dialect editions because they mix regional humor with stories that everyone already knows. As someone who grew up in Hesse and later settled near Hamburg, he especially enjoys seeing how the same Asterix material takes on a completely different flavor in different dialects.

The Origins of Comedix.de

Marco discovered web development through the early 1990s BBS scene. In 1995 he began freelance work for a company launching a new online service and became one of the earliest field testers for AOL in Germany. This led him to create an AOL support page, partly to learn HTML and partly to help other users navigate the often confusing world of modem and ISDN connections. When he eventually joined AOL as a full-time employee, he had to remove the help page. Looking for a new project, he returned to a recurring question from his youth: which Asterix quote came from which album? Solving this turned into the first version of an Asterix reference site.

This Asterix project was new on the Internet; only a few website creators covered Asterix, and some were legally targeted by the lawyers of the French publisher and forced to take their pages down.
I describe the development in detail in a special section on Comedix.de.

In April 1998 he launched the Asterix-Lexikon, a database indexing characters, places, and citations from the 29 albums published at the time. Few Asterix sites existed back then, and some had even disappeared because of copyright complications. Marco, however, persevered. Over time, the Asterix-Lexikon evolved into what is now comedix.de, an expansive reference work used by fans, collectors, translators, and scholars.

Maintaining Comedix.de

Although Marco manages the site on his own, he is supported by a devoted community of readers and forum members who help uncover obscure details, check new references, and offer suggestions. He compares comedix.de to a house that is never fully completed: always expanding, always improving, always welcoming new discoveries.

Staying Up to Date

Keeping comedix.de current requires constant awareness. Marco stays informed through regular contact with the publisher, through newsletters, and especially through the Comedix forum, where enthusiastic fans often spot new developments long before they become public.

Other Comics?

Beyond Asterix—and Gaston, whom he also appreciates—Marco is not an active comic reader. His dedication is therefore highly focused, making his long-running work on comedix.de all the more remarkable.