Showing posts with label Asterix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asterix. Show all posts

Coming Up: "Asterix and the Griffin" set for Oct. 21 release worldwide

The latest info on the upcoming Asterix book via an interview with "new" series writers Jean-Yves Ferri.

Didier Conrad sent a drawing to Éditions Albert René. A strange and mysterious drawing… It features our two heroes - created more than 60 years ago by the genius of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo - scaling a huge tree trunk in an attempt to reach Dogmatix who seems to be trying to get away from them… Is the little Gaulish canine making a bid for freedom?

The tree trunk is very unusual because it's carved into an effigy of an enigmatic creature with impressive teeth and a raptor's beak…

But what is this creature?

Jean-Yves Ferri tells us more "For me it all started with a sculpture of the Tarasque, a terrifying creature from Celtic legends ... Did our ancestors really believe that these peculiar monsters actually existed?

It's worth mentioning that in Roman times there weren't many explorers, so the terra was mostly incognita. Even so, extraordinary animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses had already been exhibited in Rome. Having seen them, why would Romans have any reason to doubt the existence of equally improbable creatures? And hadn't some of them (medusas, centaurs, gorgons...) been described very seriously before their time by the ancient Greeks?

Now it was time look at this bestiary and choose the animal that would be at the centre of the intrigue. Half-eagle, half-lion, with horse's ears and appropriately enigmatic - I opted for a Griffin!

The Romans were bound to go for it. But what about the Gauls? How would Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix, along with the Druid Getafix, get drawn into the epic, perilous quest to find this fantastical animal?

That's what you'll find out in the new album. And I'm not going to do what Wikipedia does and tell you EVERYTHING about it…"

Asterix is coming to Netflix!

Netflix actually sounds like the name of an Asterix character...

This is cool news - The long-running comics character that's a household name in nearly every nation but our own (I'm looking you 'merica!) is heading our way in an animated series.

Here are details released to the media from Netflix's Director of Original Animation Dominique Bazay:

I'm excited to announce that Netflix and France's leading publisher are teaming up to present Asterix, an iconic figure of French popular culture, to a new generation of worldwide viewers. We're partnering with Hachette's Les Editions Albert René to create the first-ever animated limited series based on the timeless classic. Renowned French auteur and playwright Alain Chabat will direct and Alain Goldman (Legende Films) will produce.

Alain Chabat is no stranger to this iconic property. He wrote and directed 2002's Mission Cléopâtre,' the most successful of Asterix's numerous appearances on screen and the third highest-grossing feature film in French history. I'm thrilled that Alain Chabat is coming back to Asterix for the first time since then, and that it's on Netflix. The series will debut in 2023.

I have been talking with Celeste Surugue at Albert Rene for years about how to bring Asterix to Netflix. We built a great relationship of trust and mutual respect around our love for these characters.

I'm French Canadian, and like most francophones around the world, I grew up with Asterix, his sidekick Obelix and loyal companion Dogmatix. I watched the animated specials and read the books religiously. If you'd told the 8-year-old me that one day I'd help bring these characters to life... I wouldn't have believed you!

Since the first Asterix graphic novel was introduced in 1961, 38 volumes have been released in 111 languages and dialects, with the 39th due later this year. (And there have also been 15 feature films dating back to 1967.) These stories tell the saga of the pugnacious warrior and his irreverent village companions who keep a tiny corner of ancient Gaul free from bumbling Roman invaders. Each new volume and movie is eagerly awaited by fans, especially in France, Italy, Germany and Canada. I've always felt the unique tone of Goscinny and Uderzo's humor is timeless. It's why Asterix is so special - it appeals to all ages and crosses all borders.

Our series will be adapted from one of the classic volumes, Asterix and the Big Fight, where the Romans, after being constantly embarrassed by Asterix and his village cohorts, organize a brawl between rival Gaulish chiefs and try to fix the result by kidnapping a druid along with his much-needed magic potion. I'm not giving anything away when I tell you, it doesn't go as planned.

I'm excited to introduce Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix to a whole new generation of fans around the world.

See a page from the new Asterix adventure - out in October

The "new" Asterix team of writer Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad is back with their fourth installment in the long-running comics series this year with a new adventure for Asterix, Obelix and friends. You can see a page from the upcoming book below. The title hasn't been revealed.

Details:

Following Asterix and the Picts in 2013, Asterix and the Missing Scroll in 2015, Asterix and the Chariot Race in 2017 and Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter in 2019, the double-act of writer Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad will start 2021 perfecting their fifth collaboration, continuing the series that the sorely missed René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo started 60 years ago.

And even now the creators can give us a peek at one page as an appetiser before the banquet they'll be serving us in October!


 

Papercutz to publish newly translated Asterix books for U.S. market


The beloved (by me, especially, and, I imagine, many of you) Asterix series has long been in print in English and relatively easily available in the U.S., but it looks like we'll soon be seeing much more of the feisty little Gaul and his friends stateside.

Papercutz, has announced plans to publish the first 38 books in the series in newly translated editions starting in May.

Via The New York Times:
Terry Nantier, the publisher of Papercutz, said the translations were a chance to revise the text for an American audience. He noted that previous English versions — printed and distributed in Britain by Orion Books, a division of Hachette, and sold in the United States — were “very good translations,” but were more British. 
The United States editions will be released in May with Asterix Omnibus 1 and 2 — each reprints of three volumes of the original French comics. The 160-page omnibuses will be available in hardcover ($22.99, list price) and softcover ($14.99, list price). At the same time, Papercutz will also release a 48-page translated edition of Asterix Volume 38: The Chieftain’s Daughter in a hardcover ($9.99) edition. 
...When Volume 39 is set to publish — sometime in 2021 — Papercutz will release its English translation simultaneously.
I'm not sure how I feel about new translations. I'm fond of the "British" versions I grew up with. But, if they're done well and they expose more people to these great comics, that's fine - I guess. I am hopeful there won't be any changes to content, however, for the sake of modernizing or political correctness. The original works should be presented without change, apart from translating the text from French into English. Needless to say, I'm holding onto my originals!

"Asterix and the Chariot Race" - out today

The third Asterix album by Jean Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad is out today. You can order it now from Amazon.

Details:

And they're off! The action-packed chariot race is off to a flying start in all the best bookshops, with 48 pages of adventures, jokes and scrapes right across the Italian peninsula.

To reinforce Rome's prestige and the unity of the people of the Italian peninsula, Julius Caesar authorises a race open to all the peoples of the Known World, with the aim of demonstrating the excellence of Roman roads in spectacular fashion.

Caesar gives the event organisers a sine qua non condition: the Roman chariot MUST cross the finish line in first position (it would seem that even in those days, sports, politics and showbiz were already closely intertwined...)!

Unfortunately for Caesar, he hadn't counted on our two Gaul champions signing up for the race and threatening to shatter his dreams of grandeur... Especially Obelix, who is determined to become a great charioteer (chariot driver) and finally be a star!






The new Asterix book is ... Asterix and the Race Through Italy!

Out Oct. 19 in hardcover, and also in two "art book" editions.

This marks the third Asterix adventure by "new" team Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, who seem to have hit their stride.

While I found their first release, Asterix and the Picts a little uneven (understandable, considering the size of Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny's shoes), it's followup  "Asterix and the Missing Scroll" was beautifully illustrated and very funny, to boot. I'm looking forward to this new one.


Here's the first blurb:
Famous for their extensive travels around the Known World, this time Asterix and Obelix are going to meet the people of the Italian peninsula: the Italics!
To Obelix's delight, the inhabitants of Ancient Italy are not all Romans! Far from it! The Italics want to keep their independence and take a dim view of Julius Caesar and his Legions' plans for total domination.

In Asterix and the Race through Italy, Asterix and Obelix embark upon a great adventure in the extraordinary world of Ancient Italy!
And here is info on the art books:
Deluxe Edition
This large-format edition (26 x 36.5 cm) of the new album will include 128 pages with a square canvas spine and headband. Two different types of paper will be used to provide the most beautiful design for a wide variety of graphic creations.
On the agenda:
  • The album in colour
  • All Didier Conrad's original drawings
  • A 32-page feature to give you exclusive insight into how the album was created, with many previously unseen drawings and working documents by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad.
ArtBook Edition
Calling all collectors! Discover the definitive edition of Asterix and the Race through Italy in a set that includes:
  • A large format (290 x 370 mm), 112-page album printed on Munken Print White 150 g paper, featuring 44 drawn illustrations and 44 inked illustrations by Didier Conrad, and a 16-page graphic notebook with previously unseen drawings, character studies, sketches, and storyboard excerpts by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad. Square canvas spine, headband, 3 mm-thick card
  • A folder containing bookplates, in 295 x 375 mm format, printed on 250 g paper and including one signed by Jean-Yves Ferri and one signed by Didier Conrad.
Numbered limited edition

The next Asterix album is ... Obelix the Gaul!

The official Asterix Facebook page has posted a new cartoon teasing the series' next album: "Obelix the Gaul," out worldwide in November.

This will be the third Asterix book from new creative team of Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad. You can read my review of the most recent volume, "Asterix and the Missing Scroll," here.




Cool! Dogmatix toy from Steiff

The German toymaker has produced a limited edition of Asterix and Obelix's adorable canine friend. Bad news is that it's obscenely expensive: $155 via this seller.


Coming Soon: Asterix and the Missing Scroll



The 36th Asterix book, and the second by new creative team Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, is set for release Oct. 22.

No plot details yet, but you can pre-order a copy now from Amazon.


New stills from Asterix: Mansion of the Gods CGI film

From Germany, some pics from the upcoming Asterix animated film, which adapts "Mansion of the Gods."















Asterix artist pays tribute to Charlie Hebdo

"Asterix" artist Alberto Uderzo has come out of retirement to pay tribute to cartoonists slain earlier this week in a terrorist attack on the offices of the French satirical newpaper Charlie Hebdo.

Two Uderzo sketches referencing the incident were posted on the official Asterix Twitter feed.

Uderzo, who retired from Asterix in 2011 told Le Figaro:
Charlie and Asterix have nothing to do with each other obviously. I simply want to express my affection for those designers who have paid with their lives. 
Here are the sketches:


Four teaser posters for the new Asterix animated film

Here are four posters teasing the French release of "Asterix: Mansion of the Gods." I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we need these films, and the live-action Asterix flicks, in America.





Pop stuff: All is Lost; Asterix and the Picts!

What I'm watching, reading, hearing, etc. ...


All Is Lost. Apart from a few lines of dialogue at the very beginning and a well-justified expletive a little more than halfway through, there is no speech in this remarkable, riveting film.

The lead character, played by a haggard-but-still-handsome Robert Redford, isn't identified by name.

We don't know his background. All we know he's making a voyage on a sailboat when things go
terribly wrong. The boat strikes an abandoned shipping container floating in the sea and is badly damaged. The boat starts taking on water, but "our man," (as he's listed in the credits) manages to patch the hole and pump out the water. Then the storm hits, and it's one thing after another.

The use of music is very subtle. Mainly what we hear is wind and water and, as we watch Redford in action -- discouraged, but never stopping in his efforts to stay afloat and alive -- we're left to  consider our own efforts to overcome challenges and survive.

Thematically, the film is nearly identical to the excellent "Gravity" from earlier this year, where Sandra Bullock, also essentially carrying a film solo, fights for survival in outer space. But the quietness, and the primal challenges presented in "All is Lost" prove less-distracting than all the space hardware and mind-boggling special effects of the other film, allowing us a little more room to do our own thinking about what the film means, and how the character's struggles mirror our own.

Near the end, things don't look so good for Our Man. We're left wondering if those opening words at the start of the film will be his last. He's left having done everything he possibly could, but isn't sure if it's enough.

It's a place where any of us get to in our daily efforts just to survive, to stay positive and to keep trying. What can we do when we can do nothing more?


Asterix and the Picts. This is the 35th Asterix book (or "album," as the French like to say) and the first billed to a new creative team: writer Jean-Yves Ferri and artist Didier Conrad.

Original artist Alberto Uderzo, who created the feisty Gaul with writer Rene Goscinny in the late 1950s had stated in the past that he didn't want the Asterix series to continue after his death, but had a change of heart, selling the rights to the characters in 2006 and paving the way for a new team to take over (Goscinny died in 1977).

Ferri and Conrad follow in some daunting footsteps, to be sure. Asterix, his hefty pal Obelix, and the rest of the cast of irreverent, super-powered, Roman-baiting Gauls are beloved the world over. The U.S. seems to be one of the few nations where people just didn't "get" the characters, though the books are now finally widely available here. Back in the 70s, when I was growing up, you couldn't find an Asterix book outside of big city bookstores that carried the imports. I was introduced to the series by overseas relatives and relied on them for my supply.

Along with many fans, I have great affection and nostalgia for the characters and no real issue with seeing the series continue -- though that doesn't mean I won't complain about the new guys and make perhaps unreasonable comparisons to the series' glory years.

This isn't a bad book, by any means. I'll say right off the bat that it looks great.

Conrad is up to the challenge of following Uderzo, who is one of the greatest comics artists of all time. His comic pacing is strong and he brings warmth and expression to characters' expressions.

Without sitting down with older volumes and making direct comparisons, it's tough to distinguish his art from Uderzo's. To me, his line if a bit sharper, maybe, but it's very difficult to tell. I suppose, given time, Conrad eventually will make his own mark on the series, gently inserting more of his own style.

Ferri also has a tough job, as Uderzo knew when he himself took on the job of writing Asterix scripts following Goscinny's death. At their best, the Asterix tales were fast-paced and antic in their humor and action. Goscinny would build up a head of steam, and humor would boil over in a mad chaos of activity on the page, providing Uderzo opportunity to go wild with characters' expressions and actions. At times, things could reach Looney Tunes levels of zaniness.

But "Asterix and the Picts" never comes close to reaching that level. Instead, it strolls merrily along with some fun scenes here and there and the expected puns and the gentle poking-of-fun at national foibles (in this story, it's the Scots who get sent up). A runnning joke involving a census taker who visits the Gaul's village falls flat.

The new team's challenge is so great, and my love of Asterix is so strong, I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did.

Not by any stretch did the team fail, or "ruin" Asterix, but  they needed a stronger entry out of the gate. I was hoping for a splash, something that would highlight the beginning of a new era.

This book is much quieter than that -- the new team sheepishly knocks at the door instead of kicking it open. But, now that they've got the first one out of the way, let's hope they loosen up and go wild next time around.

Asterix and the Picts: First non-Uderzo and Goscinny Asterix album due out in October

"Asterix and the Picts," the first Asterix story not illustrated by Albert Uderzo, is set for release this fall.

Uderzo, who created Asterix with writer René Goscinny in 1956, carried on creating Asterix stories on his own when Goscinny passed away in 1977, but announced his retirement in 2011 at age 84.

Publisher Hachette Livre has since hired a new creative team, Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, to create the 35th Asterix book, due out Oct. 24.

No details as to the story, but you can peek at some images and learn about the new creative team here.




Movie trailer: Asterix and Obelix - God Save Brittania

A look at the latest live-action French Asterix film, which are sadly unavailable here in the U.S.


Poster for latest Asterix live action film

Here's the poster for the new Asterix film, the fourth, starring Edouard Baer and Gerard Deparidieu as Asterix and Obelix.

The Asterix comics are beloved worldwide, so this is the German language version of the film, which in its native French, is titled "Astérix et Obélix: Au Service de Sa Majesté" and seems to draw on the "Asterix in Britain" volume of the diminutive-but-strong Gaul's adventures.

It's a pity the U.S. just doesn't seem to get Asterix, although if you try and look hard enough, you can find these films. I've watched only "Asterix: Mission Cleopatra," which was a blast.


Asterix artist Albert Uderzo stepping down

Co-creator of Asterix, Albert Uderzo says he is retiring from illustrating the dimunitive-but-powerful Gaul's adventures, reports the Australian.

Uderzo has been creating occasional Asterix books solo since the series' writer Rene Goscinny passed away in 1977.
At 84, Uderzo said that he would let his successor pen the 35th album, due out next year.

"I'm tired. The years have gone by and these years weigh heavily," he said. "I have decided to leave this to young authors who certainly have enough talent to do it."

But with a flourish worthy of Asterix, Uderzo refused to name his successor, setting the Parisian rumor-mill into overdrive. "It's an artist who has followed us for a long time in the bosom of the studio," he said.