Classic Collection The Adventures of Asterix (French: Asterix or Asterix le Gaulois) is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo (Uderzo also took over the writing work of the series after Goscinny's death in 1977). The series first appeared in French in Pilote magazine on October 29, 1959. As of 2008, 33 comics of the series have been published.
The series follows the exploits of a village of ancient Gauls as they resist Roman occupation. They do this by means of a magic potion, brewed by their druid, which gives the recipient superhuman strength. The protagonist, the titular character, Asterix, as well as his friend Obelix experience various adventures. In many cases, this takes them to travel to various countries around the world, although other books are set in and around their village. For much of the series' history (volumes 4–29), settings in Gaul and abroad alternated, with even volumes abroad and odd volumes in Gaul, mostly in the village.
The Asterix series is one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world, with the series being translated into over 100 languages, and it is popular in most European countries.
The success of the series led to several books being adapted into 11 films; eight animated and three with live actors. There have also been a number of character-based games, and a theme park near Paris, Parc Astérix, is themed around the series. To date, 325 million copies of the 33 Asterix books have been sold worldwide, making co-creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo the best-selling authors overseas.
