Asterix and the Big Fight

Rating:
Summary: Druid amnesia, Romans, and traitors, where will all this end
Review: As a child, I read all of the "classic" Asterix books in Swedish. As an adult and now living in the U.S., I am reading them again to my children, but this time in English. This is an old good classic.

Asterix and Obelix live in a village in Gaul that the Romans failed to conquer. The reason for this is that the village druid knows how make a magic potion that that endows the villagers with super human strength. The Romans attempts to conquer the village by using a Gaulish tenet that states that one Gaulish chief can challenge another chief and who ever wins, rules. The Romans find their Gallo-Roman to do the work for them, and to make things worse Obelix knocks out the druid with a menhir who subsequently loses his memory, a bad start for the Gaulish village, but the continuation is exciting and hilarious. All ends well of course.

In general I find that, children the age 5-13 really enjoy these books, and so do my children. Adults can enjoy these books as well. The Asterix comic books are a great way to teach children ancient history. Naturally, the adult needs to help with the differentiation between fiction and history. From these books, my kids have learned about the Roman Empire, the ancient Greeks, the Vikings, the Goths, the Phoenicians, ancient Gaul, ancient Egypt, and the ancient Mediterranean world in general.

My ten year old started loving these books at the age of eight and he cannot get enough of them. My six year old started liking them at the age of five. Even though many Asterix puns may be a little bit above his head, my younger son still loves these stories.

In my opinion the best Asterix albums are: Asterix and the Normans; Asterix in Corsica; Obelix and company; Asterix the Gladiator; Asterix the Legionary; Asterix and Cleopatra; Asterix and the Goths; Asterix in Belgium; Asterix and the big fight; and Asterix all around Gaul. The last title is a translation from Swedish and might be wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Too good to be true!!!
Review: As with all of the Asterix comics, which I have been reading since I was nine, this is a colorful, funny comic with witty, double-entendre dialogue and a point. The illustrations are vivid and colorful, and the story flows rapidly. This one pokes fun at competitive sports, and especially at boxing and wrestling. Or, it could be viewed as making fun of petty political squabbles, like the friction between the Walloons and Flemish in Belgium, or the arguments over almost-meaningless "differences" between political parties in some countries. If you're collecting Asterix comics, this is a must; if you're collecting esoteric comics, this one is a must; if you're unfamiliar with Asterix comics, this one is probably the best starting point for familiarizing yourself with what this series is all about. I wish that more Asterix comics were more readily available, as I've lost some of mine.

Rating:
Summary: Gallo Romans vs Authentic Gauls
Review: Initially published in French in 1966 as Le combat des chefs , Asterix and the big fight was first published in English in 1971.
After yet another humiliating beating of Roman Legionaries , loudmouthed Roman centurion , Nebulus Nimbus , and his cunning right hand man , Felonius Caucus , decide to enlist the help of Roman puppet chief , Cassius Ceramix , a fashionable sycophantic brute who loves everything Roman , to challenge Vitalstatistix of the tribe of indomitable Gauls , to a fight.

Whoever wins the fight , in terms of an ancient Gaullish custom , will determine who takes over the tribe.
But first the Romans need to deal with Getafix the Druid , who makes the magic potion that gives the Gauls invincibility.
With the unwitting help of Obelix , the Druid receives a knock that makes him lose his memory . Now Asterix and his friends need to make other plans to defeat the Romans and their quisling , Cassius Ceramix.
Some really interesting features in this one including some really weird and wonderful potions , an ancient day Freud by the name of Psychoanalytix and a fun fair set up by nomadic barbarians.
The contrast between the traditional , brave ,tough and indomitable Gauls of Asterix' tribe and the fashionable Gallo-Romans is very interesting in this day of conflict , between the traditional and honest folk who love their culture , and those who are prepared to lose their identity to a fashionable and politically correct radical chic.
Remember this conflict was already present when the album was written during the 1960's.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Excellently drawn, Must Have
Review: The Romans are upto no good, this time seeking the help of a rival (but loyal to the romans) Gaulish chief to challenge our indominatble chief Vitalstatistix to a fight. The winner becomes chief of both the tribes. The romans take it upon themselves to take the druid Getafix out of commission. they succeed, to some degree. And herein lies the story. One of the all-time favs with Asterix readers, the dialog is funny, the drawings funnier - a must have, must read, must buy... Pity these comics are not very popular in the USofA. In India it is possible to find Asterix comics in almost every decent bookstore :)