Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Mad Cave Studios | Tagged: asterix, Tour de France

Asterix Collector Vol 5: Asterix And The Banquet Comes To America

Papercutz has announced Asterix Collector Vol. 5: Asterix and the Banquet, in a larger format, with new archival illustrations and scans.

Papercutz, the kids' comic imprint of Mad Cave Studios, has announced Asterix Collector Vol. 5: Asterix and the Banquet, re-releasing the classic comic series, one of the biggest-selling comic books in the world, in a larger format, with new archival illustrations and scans. Asterix and the Banquet by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, originally Le Tour de Gaule d'Astérix, originally a parody of the Tour De France bicycle race, has been newly translated from French into American English. It is the fifth story in the Asterix comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for Pilote magazine in 1963, before later being released as a comic album in 1965.

The story focuses on ancient Gauls holding out against Roman occupation, Asterix and Obelix, travelling around Gaul to find and secure various delicacies in order to win a bet against a Roman Prefect in an attempt to keep their village isolated from the rest of the world. Much of the plot features notable parodies and cultural references surrounding France, including its history and society, which were liberally translated into English when first translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, and it was the first to introduce the character of Dogmatix, who stuck around after Goscinny and Uderzo found him to be popular with readers.

The plot of the comic was deeply inspired by the Tour de France bicycle race, which saw the yellow sack carried by Obelix in reference to the race leader's jersey colour. Travelling through backalleys of Lugdunum, references the secret passageways of Lyon that were used by the French Resistance during World War II. And so in the comic, the tunnels are home to the "Gaulish Resistance". The comic made many references to the filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, director of Marius (1931), Fanny (1932) and César (1936). He was so appreciative of the parodies as he believed that this, rather than his films, would ensure his immortality. And a scene in the sweet shop that Asterix and Obelix visit is a parody of the 16th-century British stage play Patient Grissel, by Thomas Dekker, Henry Chettle, and William Haughton, a take on Patient Griselda, as told in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It contains Dekker's poem Golden Slumbers, which inspired Paul McCartney's Beatles song of the same name in 1969. How much of that will make the translation, well, that's in the hands of the gods…

Asterix Collector Vol. 5: Asterix and the Banquet
Creators: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
Format: 9.5 x 12.5 in
Page count: 72
Price: $19.99
Ages: Middle Grade
ISBN: 9781545823026
On-sale Date: Jan 6, 2025
Asterix makes a bet with a Roman Prefect to maintain the villages' independence and isolation. Now he must travel around Gaul, collecting various delicacies–with the help of his trusty pal, Obelix. Can they get the food in time for their bet? And can Asterix once again win and protect the village? Plus: Introducing the iconic tree-loving terrier, Dogmatix!

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