Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield was published in 1968.
I decided to look up the word Alesia on the Internet and it seems there was a major battle fought there a long long time ago. This book is actually based on a true event!
In the first box we have a scene of a surrender. Caesar has officially taken over all of Gaul and we have the shield of Gaul leader Vercingetorix on the ground in front of Caesar. First an archer takes it... then it’s lost in a card game to another legionnaire... then it’s passed onto a centurion... and finally it’s exchanged in a bar for some wine.
Next we are brought to the village of Asterix. There are a lot of people gathering outside of Chief Vitalstatistix’s house because he’s in pain. He’s examined by the druid Getafix who pushes his liver, causing incredible pain to Vitalstatistix. It looks like Chief Vitalstatistix has been eating and drinking a little bit too much and has to go to the Arvernian area for treatment (southeast France).
Asterix and Obelix accompany Vitalstatisix and while he is receiving treatment A and O decide to explore Gergovia. In Gergovia, the people despise the Roman conquerers but life goes on. Soon, A and O learn that there’s something that Julius Caesar wants. It’s that shield from the beginning of the story. He wants to stand on that shield to show the people of Gergovia who their conquerer is.
The actual plot of this story isn’t actually that interesting. Caesar wants to stand on a shield. A and O look for it. Of course, they find the thing and that’s the end of the story. The story really isn’t as hilly as the hills of Gergovia...
Ho hum. Also, the story doesn’t really give us any details about the people of Gergovia. Who are they exactly? Are these people really interesting and unique?
In this story, A and O’s relationship is tested more as they have one of their biggest arguments yet.
Obelix’s foolishness and stubbornness is featured much more than before (I find this quite entertaining) and there seems to be more “fat” jokes about him compared to earlier stories.
Children can learn that one object can represent certain things for a group of people (in this story it’s a shield). One example of a things that symbolized pride among its people (sometimes) is a flag. In the movie Pulp Fiction, Butch has a watch. Is there something in your house like this?
