Published in 1967, Asterix the Legionary (French: Astérix légionnaire) is the tenth adventure of our favourite indomitable Gauls. On the surface it is a story about joining the Roman army, but beneath the helmets and marching sandals lies one of the series’ most human tales. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo combine romance, military satire, and a generous helping of bureaucratic absurdity to create an album that still feels fresh nearly sixty years later.
Obelix Falls in Love (And Falls Hard)
For once, the emotional spotlight shifts away from Asterix and lands squarely on the enormous shoulders of Obelix.
When the beautiful Falbala (Panacea) returns to the village, Obelix is instantly smitten. Unfortunately for him, she is already in love with a handsome young Gaul named Tragicomix. When Tragicomix is forcibly recruited into the Roman army, Asterix and Obelix decide to enlist themselves in order to rescue him.
What follows is one of the most revealing portraits of Obelix in the entire series. Beneath the menhir-carrying strength lies a surprisingly delicate heart. Obelix may be able to flatten entire cohorts of Romans, but a single disappointed glance from Falbala leaves him utterly devastated. Yet the story also reveals his generosity: despite his jealousy, he ultimately helps rescue Tragicomix so that Falbala can be happy. It is an unexpectedly noble moment that adds depth to a character who had previously been played mostly for laughs.
The Roman Army, Asterix Style
The Gauls’ decision to enlist provides Goscinny and Uderzo with the perfect opportunity to poke fun at military life.
At the time the album appeared, military service was still mandatory in France, and many readers instantly recognised the situations depicted. Endless marching under a blazing sun, terrible food, petty officers barking orders, and a general sense of organised confusion all make their appearance. The Roman army is less a fearsome war machine than a sprawling administrative maze where recruits are pushed from one officer to another with bewildering efficiency.
The legion itself is wonderfully international. Among the recruits are Egyptians, Greeks, Goths and Britons, turning the Roman camp into a miniature version of the ancient world. The famous recruitment slogan “Engage-vous! Rengagez-vous!”—well known from the French Foreign Legion—receives a delightful ancient twist. We see the quote return in the next album: Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield.
A Story Born in a Changing World
The album appeared at a moment when attitudes toward the military were shifting. By the late 1960s, the heroic image of the soldier was beginning to fade, replaced by scepticism and satire. Films, books and cartoons increasingly treated military institutions with humour rather than reverence, and Asterix the Legionary fits neatly into that cultural moment.
At the same time, the introduction of Falbala adds something new to the Asterix universe: a genuine romantic plot. Comics for young readers in France were still subject to strict publishing rules dating from 1949, so placing a love story at the centre of the album was slightly daring. Goscinny, of course, handles it with the lightest of touches.
Gags, References, and Visual Treats
As always, Albert Uderzo fills the pages with visual jokes and historical references.
Sharp-eyed readers may spot a parody of Théodore Géricault’s famous painting The Raft of the Medusa, while the Roman general Scipio Africanus appears wearing his historically noted panther skin. Caesar’s fortified camps even resemble the holiday villages of Club Méditerranée, complete with confused recruits who seem to expect a cheerful holiday organiser instead of the Roman emperor.
One of the album’s most memorable jokes involves Egyptian hieroglyphs that are solemnly “translated” by a legion interpreter—much to the amusement of the readers.
Tap, tap, tap
On page 16 in panel 6 a song appears that probably could use some explanation.
The French Song: Les lavandières du Portugal
In the original French version Asterix sings: « Les lavandières de Lusitanie, et tap, et tap, et tap… »
This is a parody of the popular French song Les Lavandières du Portugal. The song describes Portuguese washerwomen beating laundry by the river, and its famous refrain « et tap, et tap, et tap » imitates the rhythmic sound of clothes being struck against stones.
The English Song: A WWII Parody
In the English translation the lyric becomes: “We’re going to hang out our washing on the Catiline…”
This adapts the British wartime propaganda song We’re Going to Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line. Written at the beginning of World War II, the song humorously mocked Germany’s supposedly impregnable Siegfried Line by joking that the British would soon use it as a clothesline.
In the next panel we see a legionary busy doing laundry.
An Adventure That Never Gets Old
Like many of the best Asterix albums, Asterix the Legionary works on several levels at once. Children enjoy the slapstick and the endless Roman brawls, while older readers appreciate the satire of bureaucracy, conscription and military life. Add to that Obelix’s unexpectedly touching love story, and you have an album that rewards every rereading.
Published in 1967, Asterix the Legionary (French: Astérix légionnaire) is the tenth adventure of our favourite indomitable Gauls. On the surface it is a story about joining the Roman army, but beneath the helmets and marching sandals lies one of the series’ most human tales. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo combine romance, military satire, and a generous helping of bureaucratic absurdity to create an album that still feels fresh nearly sixty years later.
Obelix Falls in Love (And Falls Hard)
For once, the emotional spotlight shifts away from Asterix and lands squarely on the enormous shoulders of Obelix.
When the beautiful Falbala (Panacea) returns to the village, Obelix is instantly smitten. Unfortunately for him, she is already in love with a handsome young Gaul named Tragicomix. When Tragicomix is forcibly recruited into the Roman army, Asterix and Obelix decide to enlist themselves in order to rescue him.
What follows is one of the most revealing portraits of Obelix in the entire series. Beneath the menhir-carrying strength lies a surprisingly delicate heart. Obelix may be able to flatten entire cohorts of Romans, but a single disappointed glance from Falbala leaves him utterly devastated. Yet the story also reveals his generosity: despite his jealousy, he ultimately helps rescue Tragicomix so that Falbala can be happy. It is an unexpectedly noble moment that adds depth to a character who had previously been played mostly for laughs.
The Roman Army, Asterix Style
The Gauls’ decision to enlist provides Goscinny and Uderzo with the perfect opportunity to poke fun at military life.
At the time the album appeared, military service was still mandatory in France, and many readers instantly recognised the situations depicted. Endless marching under a blazing sun, terrible food, petty officers barking orders, and a general sense of organised confusion all make their appearance. The Roman army is less a fearsome war machine than a sprawling administrative maze where recruits are pushed from one officer to another with bewildering efficiency.
The legion itself is wonderfully international. Among the recruits are Egyptians, Greeks, Goths and Britons, turning the Roman camp into a miniature version of the ancient world. The famous recruitment slogan “Engage-vous! Rengagez-vous!”—well known from the French Foreign Legion—receives a delightful ancient twist. We see the quote return in the next album: Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield.
A Story Born in a Changing World
The album appeared at a moment when attitudes toward the military were shifting. By the late 1960s, the heroic image of the soldier was beginning to fade, replaced by scepticism and satire. Films, books and cartoons increasingly treated military institutions with humour rather than reverence, and Asterix the Legionary fits neatly into that cultural moment.
At the same time, the introduction of Falbala adds something new to the Asterix universe: a genuine romantic plot. Comics for young readers in France were still subject to strict publishing rules dating from 1949, so placing a love story at the centre of the album was slightly daring. Goscinny, of course, handles it with the lightest of touches.
Gags, References, and Visual Treats
As always, Albert Uderzo fills the pages with visual jokes and historical references.
Sharp-eyed readers may spot a parody of Théodore Géricault’s famous painting The Raft of the Medusa, while the Roman general Scipio Africanus appears wearing his historically noted panther skin. Caesar’s fortified camps even resemble the holiday villages of Club Méditerranée, complete with confused recruits who seem to expect a cheerful holiday organiser instead of the Roman emperor.
One of the album’s most memorable jokes involves Egyptian hieroglyphs that are solemnly “translated” by a legion interpreter—much to the amusement of the readers.
Tap, tap, tap
On page 16 in panel 6 a song appears that probably could use some explanation.
The French Song: Les lavandières du Portugal
In the original French version Asterix sings: « Les lavandières de Lusitanie, et tap, et tap, et tap… »
This is a parody of the popular French song Les Lavandières du Portugal. The song describes Portuguese washerwomen beating laundry by the river, and its famous refrain « et tap, et tap, et tap » imitates the rhythmic sound of clothes being struck against stones.
The English Song: A WWII Parody
In the English translation the lyric becomes: “We’re going to hang out our washing on the Catiline…”
This adapts the British wartime propaganda song We’re Going to Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line. Written at the beginning of World War II, the song humorously mocked Germany’s supposedly impregnable Siegfried Line by joking that the British would soon use it as a clothesline.
In the next panel we see a legionary busy doing laundry.
An Adventure That Never Gets Old
Like many of the best Asterix albums, Asterix the Legionary works on several levels at once. Children enjoy the slapstick and the endless Roman brawls, while older readers appreciate the satire of bureaucracy, conscription and military life. Add to that Obelix’s unexpectedly touching love story, and you have an album that rewards every rereading.