69 - Asterix and the Olympic Games

asterixolympics

Asterix and the Olympic Games was published in 1968.

There’s a bit of training going on in the nearby Roman camp of Aquarium. This isn’t the usual training that we would imagine... the Roman solider Gluteus Maximus is training for the Olympics.

The news gets around and the Gauls in the nearby village decide to enter the Olympics! With the magic potion, there no way they can lose!

All the men take off for Greece along with some wild boars and Asterix competes for the pride of his village. 

But the big twist in the story is, the Gauls find out that performance enhancers are strictly prohibited in these competitions (if only Ben Johnson had read this story before competing). What will Asterix do? Will he cheat and later confess on a talk show? Will he be able to win without using the magic potion? You’ll just have to read the story.

This story is amusing enough and doesn’t really hit on too many Greek stereotypes (they do have unique noses and the font for the dialogue of the Greeks is... very Greek). Some of the drawings of the buildings of Greece are quite impressive. Also, some of the characters start to take more prominent roles. The old man, Geriatrix, is a dirty ol’ man that likes looking at the younger ladies. The blacksmith, Vitalstatistix, is talking more. It’s nice to see how the villagers are evolving.

This story is entertaining enough. I suppose children who read this will realize by the end that it’s not a good idea to cheat. Cheaters will always be caught!

© Quigley Mark 2013