009 #BLOGJUNE 2020 - Asterix Conquers all*

009 #blogjune 2020

"These Romans are crazy!"
- Obelix


Song of the Blog:
"Commercialism has just wrecked
The only Frenchman I respect
Oh, sh*te - For that was Asterix the Gaul…."
 - Phil Alexander

In 1976, the year I turned nine, there a great animated Asterix movie that I went to see at the cinema, probably with my dad. 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix' - or as per Dutch translated title: Asterix conquers Rome. It was an original story and I absolutely LOVED it - the scenes with the skeleton soldiers AND the sudden appearance of a metro station stood out for me - as I think of it now, it makes me want to watch it again soon.
(( you can here!!))



EPPO magazine released a special edition comic book version of the movie in 1979 (#40). It's a smaller edition than the normal standard Asterix books, but it was a fun reminder of the animated film.  There was a big ASTERIX competition in the actual comic book; with prizes like the complete works of Asterix, Asterix watches, Asterix puzzles and the 'latest' book 'Asterix in Belgium'. The Eppo Asterix book was a real bonus - but for me the most exciting thing was the new short story of FRANKA!

The Asterix film adaptation even has a cool cameo of the Indian Hoempa Pa (Oumpah-pah), another well-made comic series by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. There were some free 'Hoempa pa' black and white booklets with the EPPO in 1978 and 1979.  The 70s was a great decade for FREE extra bits with the Eppo magazine. I also still have a whole bunch of small green and orange Asterix mini-figures from the 70s, I am pretty sure I used to replay the comic book stories with them in my room.

The 70s was also the decade that comic book characters could still walk around as 'Black Pete' and no one was aware of what was to come many years later in the public zeitgeist.