Asterix and Obelix head to Italy
October 19, 2017
News from Gaul: Volume 37 of the Asterix comic series hits the bookstores on October 19, worldwide and in 20 languages! In "Asterix and the Chariot Race," shrewd Asterix and his superhumanly strong buddy, Obelix, travel to ancient Italy.
Along the way, they meet proud locals all over the country who want nothing to do with Rome – just like the two Gallic travelers.
"All of Italy is occupied by the Romans. All of Italy? No! While Caesar dreams of a united Italy, many of the peninsula's regions value their independence and make life difficult for his Roman legionaries" is the motto that revives the famous introduction beginning every Asterix comic book.
The new comic is the third volume created by authors Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, who continued in the footsteps of Asterix creators Albert Uderzo and the late Rene Goscinny.
The very first Asterix comic was published in 1959 in the French "Pilote" youth magazine – decades later, more than 370 million Asterix comic books have been sold worldwide, and the stories have been translated into 110 languages and dialects.
2017 is a special anniversary year for the founding fathers of the Asterix and Obelix comics: Uderzo, the artist, turned 90 in April, and writer Goscinny died 40 years ago on November 5.
Perhaps Uderzo is particularly pleased to see the two indomitable Gauls travel across Italy: he is the son of Italian immigrants.