Sunday, April 13, 2008
Resting On Caesar's Laurels
Imagine the scene. Well-to-do head of a Roman household showing off newly purchased "works of art", the wife's worried about the expense, in walks the son clearly suffering from a hangover. At about the same time, two adventuring companions arrive in the household bringing all kinds of upheaval with them. Yes, of course, it's Asterix And The Laurel Wreath, by Goscinny and Uderzo. The "works of art" are Asterix and Obelix themselves and not the TARDIS. It's also fair to point out, it's only a book and therefore can't boast the spectacular CGI of The Fires Of Pompeii, but it's fun and I recommend it thoroughly. As soon as Doctor Who introduced us to its Roman family template, I remembered the scene with fondness after a great many years. Nuff zed.
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11 comments:
lol - I love Asterix and Obelix (and now you've gone and mentioned them I feel a period of eBay hunting coming on so that I can buy them all up again:)
:)
They are great. I've got many of the books myself, but I don't suppose I actually have them all and I seem to have lost my Asterix In Britain.
Never loved Tintin, never got the appeal, but huge Asterix fan, I've got most of the English ones, several French ones (not to mention a German and Spanish one). The translating of puns is instructive, generally an equivalent joke is found, or if it can't be made to work a liberty taken and an alternative joke that fits the visual offered (he's serving a half pint of mild and bitter, most character names), and sometimes the piratical Classical allusions change to allow better pay offs.
The British translators Hockridge and Bell are geniuses (Bell is Martin "White Suit" Bell's sister BTW).
Sadly, when Uderzo starts working on his own they're having to insert jokes rather than produce substitutes. La Grande Fosse is so much worse than The Great Divide that your heart breaks (the standard issue Uderzo hot chick Fanzine with her lover Comix is about the only joke they can't manage a good replacement for).
Right now I think my favourites are Cleopatra, Mansion of the Gods (that brochure double page spread) and Great Crossing, but there are so many great ones.
Worth noting the recent reissues with recoloured art do also tweak the way the black pirate speaks to take some of the Gone With the Windism out of his bubbles, which given the casual racial stereotyping throughout the art seems slightly odd.
Damn, damn - I have to have these now!
And I'm supposed to be economising for the Miami trip next month, as well...
izp: "Right now I think my favourites are Cleopatra, Mansion of the Gods (that brochure double page spread) and Great Crossing"
That's a great triumvirate. ;) Mansions and Cleo would certainly be among my favourites, and for that double page brochure bit, and I have a great fondness for The Goths, but as you so rightly say:
"there are so many great ones."
Oh yes, Goths is good for the big battle diagram, and some of the earliest comedy calligraphy (isn't it the one with the wanted poster too?). Generally you're on safest territory with most stories where Asterix goes somewhere else and is bemused by their peculiar customs I reckon (we go to them), sometimes Caesar's latest plan to sown discord in the village gets a bit samey for me (they come to us), and as much as I love Mansions and Normans you can overplay the Cacofonix ex machina (over-using the sonic).
izp: "(isn't it the one with the wanted poster too?)"
Oh yes, absolutely. Brilliant little sketch of the suspects. :)
izp: "Cacofonix ex machina (over-using the sonic)."
They use that in Gladiator too, but Gladiator is also great, and there's plenty of duffing up Romans by way of supplementing it with action :)
I remember my favourite as being '... and the Roman Agent', but I haven't read them in ages.
SK: "I remember my favourite as being '... and the Roman Agent'"
Ah yes, I like that one too - it has that great little weasel of a character - Convoluvulus? And "psychological warfare".
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