Review: Asterix & Obelix's birthday - the Golden Book

Day ten of my review marathon, and today I for once turn my spotlight on a book I didn't like...

Title: Asterix & Obelix födelsedag: Den gyllene boken
Original title: L'anniversaire d'Asterix et Obélix - le Livre d'Or
By: Albert Uderzo
Language: Swedish (French)
56 pages, color, softcover
Egmont Kärnan, 2009
ISBN:  978-91-7405-358-6








Asterix was one of my favourite comics when I grew up. I devoured each and every new album with a voracious appetite and loved them all. Then the author Goscinny died and the scripts deteriorated. I still read every new book, but with less and less interest and enthusiasm.

The last few books have been total disasters, and my immedieate reaction upon reading them has always been that nobody probably dares tell Uderzo that he is slowly killing the series Asterix with scripts ranging from the mediocre to the outright embarrassing. Still, with the gigantic media buzz following every new release and sales figures still going through the roof, who in a position close to Uderzo would dare or even want to do that...

And then there's the above, recently released, book - a celebration to commemorate the 50th birthday of the comic Asterix. Let's be frank here, this is not something I would recommend to anyone besides the most devout fans of Asterix. Or rather, they should also stay away. The non-existing story in the book is just an excuse to put together a few ideas that probabaly sounded fun at the time, but simply don't work at all. It's all rehashing the old albums and trying to be tongue-in-cheek, doing pastiches of classical paintings etc. Honestly, it's mostly embarrassing and not funny at all.

There are two forewords, one "by Asterix", the other by Anne Goscinny - daughter of René, both stating over and over again that it was imperative that Asterix kept going after the death of René Goscinny. Methinks they dost protest too much.

Avoid!