Product Description

The druid Getafix is running short of rock oil - an essential ingredient in the magic potion that gives the Gaulish villagers superhuman strength to fight Julius Caesar's Roman legions. But the Phoenician merchant Ekonomikrisis has forgotten the druid's order, and Asterix and Obelix set off to prospect for black gold in the Middle Eastern desert. Their mission is complicated by the Roman secret agent Dubbelosix and his amazing folding chariot, which is equipped with all the latest spy gadgets. Although they finally come home empty-handed, all is not lost - Getafix has discovered that beetroot juice works just as well in the potion ...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155122 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780752847139
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Reviewed with Albert Uderzo's Asterix and Son and Asterix and the Great Divide.

Gr. 4-8. The comic-book alternate history adventures of Asterix and his buddy Obelix, begun in France in 1961, has continued through 31 volumes. These books (from 1983, 1981, and 1980, respectively) are new to American publication, though they have been available in Britain. Each story is filled with broad physical humor and puns that work in English as well as in the original French, and virtually no indigenous or ethnic group escapes Uderzo's wit (at one point, the heroes are invited to bed down in a Bethlehem cowshed.). In Asterix and Son, Asterix and Obelix become guardians of a kidnapped baby who takes a potion and develops superhuman strength. In Black Gold, the heroes travel to Mesopotamia in search of more potion. In the Great Divide, competition between two village chieftains gives the Romans an opportunity to conquer. The cartoons are playfully round and brightly colored, and the architectural and martial details go beyond simple stereotypes. Asterix already has lots of fans; here are three new-to-America episodes that will please devotees as well as gather uninitiated readers with their mix of humor, history, and good storytelling. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Rene Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, and spent most of his childhood in Argentina, before eventually moving to Paris in 1951. He died in 1977. Albert Uderzo was born in 1927 in a small village in Marne, France. He met Rene Goscinny in 1951 and on 29 October 1959 their most famous creation, Asterix, made his first appearance on page 20 of Pilote. Asterix the Gaul, their first album, was published in 1961 and there have now been 33 Asterix albums. Rene Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, and spent most of his childhood in Argentina, before eventually moving to Paris in 1951. He died in 1977.

Customer Reviews

What Do Tintin and Asterix Have in Common? Black Gold
If you read Tintin, you will be aware of one adventure titled 'The Land of Black Gold'. Asterix also has to travel to the land of black gold - oil - so Getafix can continue to make his magic potion. One of the few adventures where we get to know what goes into that fabled magic potion - at least one ingredient!
This adventure is also well worth a read (no, multiple reads) for its send up of 007 and Sean Connery! Seriously, read it to believe it.
There is not much action with the romans, at least not the ones in Gaul - you get so used to them being pummelled in every adventure that when it doesn't happen you actually miss it!

Funny
Asterix and Obelix set out on another adventure, this time to Mesopotamia, to bring an essential ingredient- rock oil, for the druid Getafix's magic potion. Their journey is fraught with danger from the Romans and loads of double crossing.

Asterix and Obelix Hunt go prospecting!
Albert Uderzo, Asterix and the Black Gold (Dargaud, 1981)

Ekonomikrisis the merchant has landed at the indomitable Gaulish village, but he's fresh out of rock oil, which Getafix needs to make his magic potion. Asterix and Obelix to another globe-trotting rescue! This time the pair are headed for Mesopotamia, along with the help of Roman-Agent-disguised-as-a-druid Dubbelosix (who bears a remarkable resemblance to a young Sean Connery. These artists are crazy!). There's a great deal of Biblical messing-about, some James Bond punnery, and a good time is had by all (save, of course, the Romans). ***