Asterix and Obelix

My mother in law, going through some things left behind at her place, found several of my Asterix And Obelix books. If you aren't familiar, these large comics are about the adventures of two Gaulish warriors whose village is surrounded by the Roman legions who are only kept at bay through the village Druid's secret recipe for a strength potion.

They are some of the oddest, funniest comics ever written. Even re-reading them as an adult, I found many things that made me laugh out loud.

Just the names of the characters are often funny: The village druid is named Getafix, the talentless bard's Cacofonix. In Asterix and Cleopatra, the architect for Julius Caesar's Palace is named Edifis. In Asterix and the Cauldron, the sly Gaulish chief is Whosemoralsarelastix.

The artwork is brilliant, the stories engaging, and there is even some good history and even some latin in among the gags. The books are much loved in Europe, having been translated into numerous languages, but have had little success here.

I started reading them to my daughter on Saturday. Her delight was a joy to watch. That is the best critical review I could hope for, and perhaps I can use the books to stave off the time when I won't be needed for her to read a good tale.

Perhaps I will buy more in the collection, to try and stave off that day...