Asterix Conquers Rome (Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix) | |
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Date | 1979 |
Series | Asterix |
Creative team | |
Writers | Pierre Tchernia René Goscinny Albert Uderzo |
Artists | credited to Uderzo, but also his brother Marcel Uderzo, as Marcel drew the 4th task |
Original publication | |
Date of publication | 1976 |
Language | French |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Asterix and the Great Crossing |
Followed by | Obelix and Co. |
Asterix Conquers Rome (French: Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix, literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix and "unofficially" the twenty-third Asterix volume to be published. The comic follows the movie very exactly. It has very rarely been printed and is not widely known even amongst Asterix fans. The English translation has only been printed as part of a one-off comic book annual, the Asterix Annual 1980 . It is thus often excluded from "canonical" lists of Asterix volumes with the subsequently published Obelix and Co. typically being listed as the "official" twenty-third volume. [1] An unauthorized English language digital edition in CBR format, titled The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, is also known to exist.
After a Roman centurion is continually defeated by the Village of Indomitable Gauls, he concludes that they must be gods. Julius Caesar sets twelve tasks that only gods could perform, similar to the twelve tasks of Hercules, to prove that the Gauls are mere mortals. If the Gauls succeed, he will admit defeat and let the Gauls become the rulers of Rome, but if they fail, they will become his slaves. The challenge is accepted and Asterix and Obelix are chosen to represent the village, eventually succeeding in all tasks. In the end, Caesar admits the Gauls' superiority. He is shown living in retirement married to Cleopatra, although it is explained that the ending is what it is because it's just a cartoon film, so "anything goes".
The volume is only 28 pages long compared to the typical 44. The artwork, although credited to "Uderzo" in some printings, resembles that of the film and is thought to have been the work of Albert Uderzo's brother Marcel who had previously done reconstructive illustration on Asterix the Gaul . The French language edition was published in Belgium, not France, as a marketing freebie connected to a gas station company. An English translation based on the dialogue of the English version of the film was included in the Asterix Annual 1980 published by Whitman in 1979. It has also been translated into Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian and Serbo-Croatian.
The Danish version was serialised in vol 301 and 302 of the comic book Seriemagasinet in 1983; it is in black and white. The Dutch version was a free booklet included in an issue of the magazine Eppo .
The German version was published as a serial in the magazine Comixene in issues 24–29. The German and the Serbo-Croatian versions were published in black and white. The Italian version has been printed both in a single book and serial format. The Norwegian version was serialized in vol 1 and 2 of the comic book Fantomet (The Phantom) in 1985; it has been published in colour.
Asterix Annual 1980 | |
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Series | Asterix |
Creative team | |
Writers | Pierre Tchernia René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo (for Asterix Conquers Rome); Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge (for rest of the book) |
Artists | Credited to Uderzo, but his brother Marcel Uderzo drew the 4th task |
Original publication | |
Date of publication | Should have been 1976 (only for Asterix Conquers Rome); but is 1979 (for rest of the book) |
Asterix Annual 1980 is a special Asterix book. It contains a few games, abridged versions of a few Asterix comics and Asterix Conquers Rome.
Many publishers rejected Asterix Conquers Rome, until 1979, when Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge got the idea of creating the annual by compiling a few games, abridged versions of a few Asterix comics along with Asterix Conquers Rome, thus, Asterix Conquers Rome couldn't be sold separately. [2] The Annual was published by World and Whitman, and released at a comic book convention in London in 1980.[ citation needed ]
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a bande dessinée comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette; he died in 2020. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri (script) and Didier Conrad (artwork) took over. As of 2021, 39 volumes have been released, with the most recent released in October 2021.
Asterix and the Great Divide is the twenty-fifth volume of the Asterix comic book series. First published in French in 1980, it was translated into English in 1981. It is the first Asterix adventure to be written by illustrator Albert Uderzo, following the death of Asterix co-creator and writer René Goscinny in 1977.
Asterix the Gaul is the first volume of the Asterix comic strip series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). In Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, a 1999 poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde, Asterix the Gaul was listed as the 23rd greatest book of the 20th century.
Asterix in Britain is the eighth in the Asterix comic book series. It was published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 307–334, in 1965, and in album form in 1966. It tells the story of Asterix and Obelix's journey to Roman-occupied Britain.
Dogmatix is a fictional white terrier dog who is a companion to Obelix in the Asterix comics. Dogmatix is a pun on the words dog and dogmatic. In the original French, his name is Idéfix, itself a pun on the French expression idée fixe meaning an obsession.
Asterix and the Black Gold is the twenty-sixth volume of Asterix comic book series, originally published in 1981. It is the second book to be both written and drawn by Albert Uderzo.
Asterix and the Magic Carpet is the twenty-eighth volume of the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first published in 1987, and was translated into English in 1988. It is the fourth Asterix album to be published after the death of René Goscinny in 1977 and is thus both written and drawn by Albert Uderzo alone.
Asterix the Legionary is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in Pilote magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966.
Asterix and the Normans is the ninth book in the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 340–361, in 1966. It depicts a meeting between Asterix's Gaulish village and a shipfull of Normans (Vikings).
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is a 1976 Belgian/French animated feature film based on the Asterix comic book series, and the third in the animated franchise. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the creators of the series, wrote the story and directed the film themselves; with co-direction by Pierre Watrin and the screenplay co-written by Pierre Tchernia, a friend of Goscinny and Uderzo. The film was directed, produced and animated at Goscinny and Uderzo's own animation studio, Studios Idéfix and is the only Asterix animated film that has used the Xerography Process. At the time of its release, the film received mixed reviews since its tone is more cartoony and frequently breaks the fourth wall. Nowadays its reception is more favorable, with it often being cited as one of the best Astérix films, even reaching the status of a cult classic.
Asterix in Belgium is the twenty-fourth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (story) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations).
Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations).
Asterix and the Soothsayer is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972.
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath is the eighteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 621–642, in 1971 and translated into English in 1974.
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as to the American actor Kirk Douglas.
Asterix and the Class Act is officially the thirty-second album of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo, published in 2003. Unlike the other Asterix books, it is a compilation of short stories, rather than one long story. Each story has an introductory page giving some of its original history.
All the Asterix stories, created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, have been translated into English. The vast majority of the albums were translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge. Their first volume, Asterix the Gaul, was published by Brockhampton Press in 1969. Bell retired in 2016 due to ill health and died in 2018; Hockridge died in 2013. Adriana Hunter currently serves as translator, with Asterix and the Chariot Race being her debut.