Description

Just about every aspect of Caledonian life is gently lampooned – Nessie, whisky, kilts, caber tossing – in this loving continuation of the series, which cleaves so faithfully to the template that you would hardly know it was the work of others. Appealing to all age groups, the latest Asterix comic book is a return to form as Albert Uderzo hands over the reins of the million-selling series to a new creative team. This 35th volume sees the French warriors transplanted to the Scottish Highlands, having taken on the task of escorting a lost Pictish warrior, MacAroon, back to his homeland. Pirates, the Loch Ness Monster and caber-tossing all feature along the way in a book to introduce the Gauls and their jokes – and Anthea Bell's superb translations – to yet another generation. If there's anyone who can simply transcend age altogether it's my first choice, the little Gaulish warrior called Asterix. I've been reading him for three decades, and every new appearance is a pleasure. This latest album comes to us from a new writer-illustrator team (the first time he's been written by anyone other than Goscinny and Uderzo), and despite the burden of expectations they don't disappoint. Asterix and the Picts sends Asterix and Obelix away from their familiar village to travel to Scotland, where they meet Nessie, Obelix tries his hand at tossing a caber, and they fight some Romans, before returning to Gaul for their traditional end-of-adventure banquet with all their – our – old friends. It's a delight. And while the creative team in France has changed, we can be grateful that the English version remains in the incomparably skilled hands of Anthea Bell, who's translated the books with wit and energy since the very beginning. There are simple pleasures here for long-time fans and new recruits. The handover from Uderzo to the new duo shows few obvious joins. We are back with the characters we got to know and cherish. And, as a writer, the good news for me is that the Picts apparently respect their bards more than the Gauls do. It must be so – Asterix himself says it on page 29, by Toutatis!