Asterix and the Banquet was first published in 1965.
This is one of the few Asterix comic’s that I actually own and as a child I read it many many times, over and over.
In the story Inspector General Overanxius is on a special mission from Julius Caesar. He is going to lead the troops at Compendium to defeat the Gauls in the nearby village of Asterix.
Well, we all know this is impossible since the Gauls have their magic potion. The Romans are annihilated quickly. Plan two of Inspector General Overanxius is to isolate the village by surrounding it with a barrier of logs.
In order to prove that the Gauls in the village are completely free to go wherever they like Asterix makes a bet with Inspector General Overanxius. The bet is to break through the barrier and to travel all over Gaul. Asterix will prove all of this by bringing back regional food/drink from all over Gaul.
The reason why I like this story so much is that we are taken all over Gaul. The scenery changes but the people all over Gaul are very supportive of Asterix and his partner Obelix. The pace of the story is very fast. They rush from one city to another. They encounter resistance from the Romans and also from some unpatriotic Gauls. In this story, we realize that Obelix is very sensitive about his weight.
It’s nice to be reminded that wherever you go in countries, each area has some kind of product that’s unique. As a child I never really noticed these kind of things growing up in Vancouver. Vancouver’s a multicultural city with a relatively short history and there really isn’t any kind of product that defines the city. Most tourist who visit Vancouver buy maple syrup or miniature totem poles...
I did a lot of traveling while in Japan and I would make sure to buy souvenirs for people back in Sapporo. I would spend about $50 on souvenirs (I’m a cheap guy...) and it was always nice when people enjoyed what I bought. I’d often buy booze for the jazz bar and the sake that I bought from Nikko last year was a hit with all of the regular customers.
Well, I’m getting side tracked from my review on Asterix and the Banquet.
I guess children who read this book may get interested in traveling in their own country. Kids are usually stuck in their hometowns because parents can be cheap when it comes to traveling (I can understand since it’s expensive). Also, I think young people can learn about supporting their own countrymen from this story. Wherever the Gauls go there are people supporting A and O’s cause.
Side note... Dogmatix makes his debut in this story!
