Asterix and the Magic Carpet
by Albert Uderzo; trans. Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge (Hodder, 1988)
A breezy if inconsequential adventure. Uderzo sends his heroes on a tour of the ancient world and depicts India for the first time, his illustrations proving less cluttered and less exotically Eastern than those of Jean Tabary’s Iznogoud (which gets a shout-out).
Asterix and the Chariot Race
by Jean-Yves Ferri; ill. Didier Conrad; trans. Adriana Hunter (Orion, 2017)
Having survived the transition to new writer and illustrator, Asterix now leaps the last hurdle (in English at least) by finding someone to succeed translator par excellence Anthea Bell. The Chariot Race is the usual good fun—visually expressive, witty and layered.
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath
by Goscinny & Uderzo; trans. Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge (Orion, 1974); from Les Lauriers de César (Pilote, 1971)
One of Goscinny’s more droll stories (a critique of Imperial Rome as witnessed when Asterix and Obelix sell themselves as slaves) done full justice by Uderzo’s distinctive illustration—exquisite attention to background detail coupled with colourful, caricatured portrayals of action and emotions.
Lucky Luke: Billy the Kid
by Morris & Goscinny, trans. Luke Spear (Cinebook Ltd, 2006) [Original French language version published in Spirou magazine, 1962]
Morris’ illustrations are as playful as ever but Goscinny’s script lacks the usual sparkle, overmuch being made of the central conceit (ie. that notorious outlaw Billy the Kid is an actual child) and in-story repetitions similar to those in Goscinny’s Asterix stories.
Asterix & Obelix’s Birthday
by Albert Uderzo (Orion, 2009)
An exuberant but indulgent celebration of Asterix’s 50th anniversary, longer than other albums and yet overburdened with filler. Though Uderzo has clearly enjoyed himself drawing a mélange of vignettes and objets d’art, these pieces mostly emphasise the dearth of storytelling sans Goscinny.
Asterix and Obelix All At Sea
by Albert Uderzo (Orion, 2002)
Harmless fun, though there’s an overabundance of punning and without Goscinny the story lacks any real direction. That said, Uderzo’s illustrations remain exemplary. Along with the familiar Asterix motifs, we are presented with a whimsical Atlantis and see Obelix revert to childhood.
Asterix and the Class Act
by Goscinny & Uderzo; trans. Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge (Orion, 2003)
A tantalising collection of Asterix curios that — if nothing else — makes one appreciate how much work must go into creating a full album. In the shorter form Goscinny and Uderzo push both delightfully and delightedly at the boundaries of their famous creations.
Asterix and the Missing Scroll
by Jean-Yves Ferri; Ill. Didier Conrad; trans. Anthea Bell (Orion, 2015)
Apart from somehow not packing quite as much into each story, the new Asterix adventures of Ferri and Conrad are superb in capturing the spirit of Goscinny and Uderzo. Our heroes must reinstate to posterity a chapter excised from Caesar’s Gallic memoirs.
The Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud
by Goscinny & Tabary (Cinebook, 2008)
[first published as “Les complots d’Iznogoud”, Dargaud Editeur Paris, 1967]
Six pun-filled tales from ancient Baghdad as the wicked protagonist Iznogoud (think Dick Dastardly) is repeatedly thwarted in his nefarious plans to depose the caliph. Goscinny’s imagination is clearly in evidence but the stories lack the scope of his writing for Asterix.
The Daltons Redeem Themselves
by Morris & Goscinny, trans. Erica Jeffrey (Cinebook Ltd, 2012) [from Les Dalton se rachétent, Dargaud Editeur Paris, 1971]
For Asterix junkies who’ve been in withdrawal since René Goscinny’s death in 1977, a retrospective fix now exists in the translation of his collaborations with artist Morris on the American wild west Lucky Luke series: different characters but the same potent humour.