Very few French comic book characters have super powers. One exception is Ast\u00e9rix le Gaulois<\/i><\/b><\/a> (Ast\u00e9rix the Gaul). Like Tintin, Ast\u00e9rix is a very renowned comic book that has been translated into over one hundred languages<\/a>. Unlike Tintin, Ast\u00e9rix titles continue to be released every few years whereas the last official Tintin comic was released in the mid-1970s. In fact, the latest Ast\u00e9rix title called Ast\u00e9rix et les Pictes<\/i><\/b> (Ast\u00e9rix and the Picts) was just released in 2013.<\/p>\n Created by French writer Ren\u00e9 Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo, Ast\u00e9rix is the story of un Gaulois<\/b> (a Gaul) named Ast\u00e9rix and his friend Ob\u00e9lix who lived during the time of Julius Caesar in Gaule<\/b> (Gaul\u2014a territory of the Roman Empire that comprised the area of present-day France and beyond). The stories revolved around Roman attempts to take over the last village in Gaul that remained beyond their control. This little village was filled with irr\u00e9ductibles Gaulois<\/b> (invincible Gauls) who resisted Roman occupation. Their secret was une potion magique<\/b> (a magic potion) concocted by Panoramix, le druide v\u00e9n\u00e9rable du village <\/b>(the village\u2019s venerable druid), that temporarily gave them superhuman strength which they used to fend off the Romans. Ob\u00e9lix, l\u2019ins\u00e9parable ami d\u2019Ast\u00e9rix<\/b> (Ast\u00e9rix\u2019s inseparable friend), fell into la marmite de potion magique<\/b> (the pot of magic potion) when he was a baby and became endowed with permanent superhuman strength.<\/p>\n Ast\u00e9rix comics are highly entertaining and humorous. The names of the characters and the locations in the story are based on modern French words but contain -ix<\/i><\/b> or -um<\/i><\/b> suffixes, typical of Gallic and Roman names of the period. So for example Ast\u00e9rix comes from the word asterisk<\/i>; Ob\u00e9lix from obelisk<\/i>; Panoramix from panorama<\/i>, etc. You get the idea. The surrounding Roman garrisons are aptly named Aquarium<\/i> (aquarium), Babaorum<\/i> (Baba au Rhum\u2014a tasty dessert made with rum), Laudanum<\/i> (a form of opium), and Petibonum<\/i> (from the words petit bonhomme<\/i>, meaning little guy<\/i>). Many of the names were changed when the books were translated but retain a characteristic comic element.<\/p>\n Pick up one of the Ast\u00e9rix titles in either French or English if you get a chance. They can be found in many large bookstores, online, and sometimes dans les grandes surfaces<\/b> (in supermarkets). Like Tintin adventures, Ast\u00e9rix adventures appeal to people of all ages and make learning French fun<\/a>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lisez-vous des bandes dessin\u00e9es (Do you read comics)? I\u2019m not referring to classic American comics with superheroes fighting les forces du mal (the forces of evil). Everybody has heard of Superman, Batman and X-men. The popularity of these characters, once confined to the pages of paperback comic books, has soared in recent years thanks to…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/03\/j_philipp-256x350.jpg\")