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 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.