Asterix (Astérix le Gaulois) | |||
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Publication information | |||
Publisher | Dargaud, Éditions Albert René, Hachette for canonical volumes in French; others for non-canonical volumes (1976–1996) in French; Hodder, Hachette and others for non-canonical volumes (1976–1996) in English | ||
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Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the comics anthology(s) Pilote. | ||
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Publication date | 29 October 1959 – present (original); 1969–present (English translation) | ||
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Asterix (French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois [asteʁiks lə ɡolwa], "Asterix the Gaul") (also known as Asterix and Obelix in some adaptations or The Adventures of Asterix) is a French comic album series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors (including the titular hero Asterix) who adventure around the world and fight the odds of the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars.
The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette; he died in 2020. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri (script) and Didier Conrad (artwork) took over. As of 2023[update], 40 volumes have been released; the most recent was penned by new writer Fabcaro and released on 26 October 2023.
By that year, the volumes in total had sold 393 million copies,[1] making them the best-selling European comic book series, and the second best-selling comic book series in history after One Piece.