Well, here we go again.
Asterix and the Black Gold was published in 1982.
Caesar is angry because there’s one small Gaulish village that still can’t be taken over... that would be Asterix’s village. So, Caesar decides to send in a secret agent druid who’ll figure out how the “secret potion” that gives super powers is made. With this knowledge, Caesar will be able to take over the rest of the world. This druid is definitely an oddball... he’s got a James Bond type of cart and a thin mustache...
Meanwhile in the Gaulish village of Asterix, there seems to be a crisis. Getafix, who is in a “fix”, desperately needs an ingredient that is used to make the magic potion. The problem is, this ingredients is rock oil and it can only be acquired in... Egypt/the Middle East.
The adventure starts with Asterix, Obelix and this bizarre druid... they travel far away and they meet people who are always against the Roman Empire. The story has a small female fly that travels back and forth to relay the messages of the “villain” druid.
I thought the story had a lot of good puns and some great illustrations of “Middle Eastern” cities but the story really doesn’t have that many striking qualities about it.
One of the stereotypes that this story makes is that there are small tribes all over the place in these areas and they’re always at war with each other.
Maybe the villain in this story just wasn’t smart enough for me. By the middle of the story, I found him to be a bit of a dull character. I wonder why Asterix and Obelix would allow this imbecile to tag along from the get-go.
I can’t really think of what I got out of reading this story. There are far better Asterix comics than this one. Usually at the end of my reviews I mention what children can gain from reading these books... for this one, it seems like the same old. Try your best for your friends and there will always be friends for you if you support a cause.
