Asterix is back in the land of Gaul in his latest adventure, Asterix and the Missing Scroll. The French comic book series, which began in 1959, was the original creation of writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. After an eight year hiatus, Asterix returned with full force in 2013 under the guidance of creative duo Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad.
Now, with the publication of the second book from the capable hands of the new writer-illustrator team, it seems this French treasure is going from strength to strength. We caught up with the creative duo to discuss new characters, old formulas and the pressure of continuing the great legacy of Asterix.
In your new album, Asterix and the Missing Scroll, you’ve decided to change the setting back to Gaul. Why did you make this change?
It was a rule we imposed on ourselves from the start: we’d set the first album somewhere abroad [the first album at their creative helm, Asterix and the Picts, is set in the lochs of Scotland], and bring our second album back home to Gaul.
Are there any themes you’re exploring in the Missing Scroll that are new to the series?
Interestingly, we’re revisiting something from an old album, Asterix and the Goths. The Druids and sacred Forest of the Carnutes from that work features in the Missing Scroll, so we’re actually including some old aspects of Asterix.
Libellus Blockbustus (Caesar’s spindoctor) sounds like an exciting addition to the Asterix family - was it fun to create and explore an evil new character?
It’s always fun to create new characters, because through the process of creating them we can come up with other new ideas. Also, it’s no surprise for the reader when it’s always the same.
Are there any other interesting characters we can expect?
There is a new character who is actually based loosely on Julian Assange, and then there’s the servant of Blockbustus...but we can’t really reveal more beyond that.
You kept in line with the old formula last time - would you say it’s the same with this work?
No, actually, it’s very different. Our previous album was based on travel, but with Asterix and the Missing Scroll we’re delving into a more societal topic. It’s definitely more ambitious and topical. The last album was to assure the readers and publishers, but this one’s been done to worry them.
Did you find the process of creating this book any more or less challenging than your last work, Asterix and the Picts?
It’s difficult to say - the conditions were very different. With the last album, Conrad arrived after the script was finished. With this one, however, we’ve worked together from the start, so it was a much more natural scriptwriting process.
Did you feel there was as much pressure this time around?
Given the successful sales of the last one, the pressure did go down to be honest. And this time there was less pressure in terms of timeframe and people checking our work. We’d say that the pressure in demand was the same, though. But the pressure will vary with every album.
You did say that Uderzo (original creator of Asterix) acted as something of a teacher last time - was this still the case?
[Laughs] No, this time, Uderzo acted in more of a wiseman’s role. It’s pleasing to get his consent - there is more pressure there as he’s our most important reader, of course. But he did give us more space this time.
Do you believe you’ve found your feet now in your roles as creators of Asterix?
We’re more at ease, but still learning!
You mentioned earlier that there was a positive response to Asterix and the Picts - do you think this will receive similar response?
We hope it will be even better!
What did Asterix mean to you growing up?
Ferri: The series was monumental in the comic book world. It was a complete universe for us. But we never tried to imitate it in our work before, so it’s funny how we’ve ended up working on it now.
Conrad: It was groundbreaking when we were children. It was a classic. There was nothing like it before and it remains a classic to this day.
It’s clear that Asterix continues to appeal to a wide range of ages to this day - are you surprised by its relentless popularity?
During the promotional work for Asterix and the Picts, we realised how emotional the reaction was to it. It was impressive, and strange. Asterix is seen as a part of the French heritage. But for us, it was always an underground series. We’ve tried to maintain that sense of how we perceived it.
