Customer Reviews

Asterix in Britain

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Thinking that I was buying an Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge translation, I was in for a disappointment. Thought the translation is adequate, the humor is lost. If you can buy a British version of this comic(or any other Asterix for that matter), do so by all means. In the Brit version Bell and Hockridge do a superb job of translating (and punning) and have enough literary and contemporary references to keep even grown ups amused. This American version like it says, IS strictly for 9-12 year olds.

I agree with the reviews above-the translation in this one is horrible. The name changes are universally poor, the jokes have been forcibly removed, and it feels like a skeleton of the original. Getafix will always be Getafix, Vitalstatistix the same. Beg or plead for an earlier English translation, it would be worth twice what you pay for this one.

Not only is the translation disappointing, the key characters around Asterix and Obelix have "NEW" names! (example - Druid Getafix's name is 'Magigimix' in this book! ). However the illustration is exactly as the original. I found 2 more books with the same translation problem - Asterix and the Great Crossing and the Olympic games (both paperback). If you are serious fan do not buy these books.

A particularly amusing Asterix album , it was first published in 1966 ,in French , as Astérix chez les Bretons and in English in 1970.
After the Roman conquest of Britain ( veni vidi vici and all that...) , a small village of Britons holds out against the Roman invaders just like their counterparts in Gaul.
British chief Mykingdomforanos -aided by his right hand man the Hibernian (Irishman) Overoptimistix and the Caledonian (Scotsman) McAnix- asks one of his favourite men , Aticlimax , to visit his cousin Asterix in Gaul , to seek help.

The result is that he returns to Britain with Asterix , Obelix and a barrel of magic potion. The Romans have however got wind of the news , and they do everything in their power to make sure that the barrel of magic potion does not reach it's destination.

Jam packed with all things British , there are guest appearances by the Beatles ( this book was written when Beatlemania was at its height) and Boadicea. The adventure takes place in such places as the governor's palace in Londinium (Buckingham Palace) , London Bridge , the Tower of London and the Thames.
Our friends are introduced to Rugby and British food (which both the authors and Obelix do not hide their contempt very well) as well as tea (which unbeknown to our heroes plays a large part in the resolution of the story).
There is even a reference to the Channel Tunnel (even though this was written in 1966 , 21 years before construction of the Chunnel begun-the idea was only being talked about then!).

As a former history teacher at the high school level, and a lifelong Asterix reader, this is a recommendation that can be made without any reservation whatsoever. I aced, yes aced, my art history tests in college because of my childhood immersion in this usually amazing series (especially the earlier volumes). It's not just for kids, but the familiarity it breeds between younger readers and the ancient world is priceless. The series definitely starts getting a bit more fairy-tale-ish with the loss of Goscinny's writing, but as many have attested, Asterix in Britain (an earlier Goscinny/Uderzo collaboration) is one of the wittiest.

`Asterix in Britain' is yet another delightful book in the Asterix series and if you are familiar with the other books you will know the general style and format of the book. Basically Asterix and his friend Obelix are recruited to help their British cousins fight the Romans and escort a barrel of magic potion back to Britain. It gets mislaid on the way and they have to track it down before the Romans do. This leads eventually to the usual ending with much Roman bashing and fighting. There is slightly more to the story than that, but you should read it yourself to see what unfolds. This has the typical play on words and pun jokes Asterix is famous for, as well as the wonderful touches in the animation that really bring the scenes to life. There are also numerous comments and jokes on British society and culture (warm beer, tea drinking, rugby matches, British cooking, British emotional reserve etc etc) and it is all very funny and tongue in cheek. If you a fan of Asterix you will know what to expect and this is as good as they come and if you are new to Asterix then you can't go far wrong than if you start here. Great animation, simple but fun story and more Gaulish adventures, what more could you ask for.

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The book was smaller than I expected(after all, a movie was made that was based on it), but, after all, it is a comic book and there is plenty of content in it(a picture is worth half a page from a normal book). Anyway, a thing worth bying.

The Romans turn elsewhere for some invasion fun, Britain. These leaves Obelix very bored. Things perk up when Anticlimax, Asterix's British cousin, comes to visit. His village is the lone holdout in Britain.

Getafix makes him a barrel of magic potion, and the boys offer to help him transport it. They also take with them a strange new herb Getafix has discovered.

Great adventure for a great character as Asterix! Include it in your collection, it will be worth!

"Asterix in Britain" is the eighth Asterix adventure, first published in 1966, and later made into an animated movie in 1986. This is the original comic, and I really enjoy this one.

Caesar has taken over Britain, by only fighting during teatime and weekends, when the British are drinking cups of hot water and milk on their breaks from battle. All the Romans have gone over to make it part of the empire, while back in Gaul Asterix and Obelix are bored in their village. They have no legionaires to hassle, that is until a British relative of Asterix's comes and asks for their village's help. They have heard of the magic potion that gives the Gaulish village strength against the Romans, and they would like some to drive Caesar away. He gets the potion, a whole barrel, and Asterix and Obelix come with him to carry it. They dodge legions, lose the barrel, get captured, and even get caught up in a rugby match. Will the English village be able to push away the Roman armies.

It's great fun, like the Asterix's are, and shows Britain in a warm but funny and colourful way, which is interesting for a French comic. You can tell the two guys who write/illustrate the series (Rene Goscinny and Albert Udzero) love the place, and say so in the earlier prints of the comic to English fans. It's worth picking up, fan or newcomer to the series.