ASTERIX & OBELIX'S BIRTHDAY

The eagerly awaited new Asterix book – the first in four years – will be released in New Zealand this week, on 26 November 2009.
The 34th album – Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday – is the highlight of Asterix’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2009. (Publisher Orion - NZ $39.99

Albert Uderzo has produced a wonderful tribute to his heroes and their millions of readers from around the world. Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday will contain a collection of 12 brand-new, never-before-published cartoons – all linked by the theme of Asterix’s anniversary celebration.
The book is huge fun, I especially enjoyed the piece early in the book when author/illustrator Albert Uderzo himself makes a brief appearance, much to his regret!
I have never understood how they make all the marvellous puns work in English when the original text is in French? A brilliant piece of translation.

Background
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo created Asterix for the first issue of Pilote magazine on 29 October 1959. It was an instant success with over 200,000 copies sold. Asterix first appeared in book form in 1961 as Asterix the Gaul. It was with Asterix in Britain, however, that copies of the books sold in France broke the one million mark for the first time and the little Gaul became an international sensation.
The Asterix books have now been translated into 104 languages and sold over 320 million copies worldwide. There is an Asterix leisure park and ten films have been made, including the live action features with Gérard Depardieu as Obelix.
When Goscinny died in 1977, Uderzo decided to carry on the great adventure of Asterix and in 1979 he created the publishing company Les Editions Albert René, which he runs today with his daughter Sylvie.

www.asterix.com

The full list:

1: Asterix the Gaul
2: Asterix and the Golden Sickle
3: Asterix and the Goths
4: Asterix the Gladiator
5: Asterix and the Banquet
6: Asterix and Cleopatra
7: Asterix and the Big Fight
8: Asterix in Britain
9: Asterix and the Normans
10: Asterix the Legionary
11: Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield
12: Asterix AT the Olympic Games
13: Asterix and the Cauldron
14: Asterix in Spain
15: Asterix and the Roman Agent
16: Asterix in Switzerland
17: Mansions of the Gods
18: Asterix and the Laurel Wreath
19: Asterix and the Soothsayer
20: Asterix in Corsica
21: Asterix and Caesar’s Gift
22: Asterix and the Great Crossing
23: Obelix and Co.
24: Asterix in Belgium
25: Asterix and the Great Divide
26: Asterix and the Black Gold
27: Asterix and Son
28: Asterix and the Magic carpet
29: Asterix and the Secret Weapon
30: Asterix and Obelix All At sea
31: Asterix and the Actress
32: Asterix and the Class Act
33: Asterix and the Falling Sky

FOOTNOTE:
The Bookman has been collecting these for many years and thought he had them all but on checking his shelvesfinds there are only 29.

Publisher Orion - NZ $39.99