- English Title: The
First Asterix Frieze
- Illustrated by: Albert
Uderzo
- First Published in English:
1985 Hodder & Stoughton
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According to dictionary.com a Frieze, among
other things, is a "a narrow strip around the walls
of a room, building etc near the top, usually decorated with
pictures, carving etc". While you'd be silly to try
and stick this beautiful book up on your wall, it does make
a frieze of sorts. You can fold out the page in the book to
reveal a long, horizontal, continuous image (or "frieze"
) that measures approximately 2.58 metres. There are six scenes
making up the frieze. The below composite image is of the
frieze completely folded out:
The illustrations for the book are credited
soley to Uderzo, and it seems he drew the nice cover especially
for the book. The background frieze images are completely
original (but it is unknown if they were drawn by Uderzo).
However, all the characters on the frieze are "cut and
pasted" from the existing Asterix albums (in much the
same way as the illustrations for Find
Asterix or the Alea
Jacta Est Game Book series are created). There is text
beside the character's name indicating their name (and the
odd object as well - just in case you don't know what a "catapult"
is, it is helpfully displayed besides its image).
This book is quite the curiousity. As far
as I've been able to gather it has not been published in any
other language and appears to soley have been created for
the english market. Its been out of print for decades and
is extremely hard to find. On some editions of the backcovers
of the Asterix Books they ask "Have you read all the
ASTERIX books?". And there was The First Asterix
Frieze with its very interesting and orginal cover tormenting
me with the fact that I hadn't read it and hadn't been able
to find it in the library or anywhere else. So for many years,
that cover staring out at me was all I knew of the book.
Now I finally have The First Asterix Frieze
in my possesion I see that the question "Have you
read all the ASTERIX books?" isn't accurate at all.
The only text in the book (apart from the character's names
next to the images) is the following introduction on the inside
front cover:
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"The year is 50 B.C... and
Ancient Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well,
not entirely... one small village of indomitable Gauls
still holds out against the invaders. The warrior Asterix
lives there, along with his friends Obelix the menhir
delivery-man, Chief Vitalstatistix, Cacofonix the bard
and Getafix the druid, who brews magic potion that gives
anyone who drinks it superhuman strength... for a limited
period of time.
With the aid of his potion and his
own quick wits, Asterix can always get better of the
Romans... and not just in Gaul either. Follow the indomitable
little warrior as he and Obelix, not forgetting their
faithful hound Dogmatix, have exciting adventures at
sea and visit the great city of Rome itself. Meet a
host of characters from all over the Ancient World:
Greece; Spain; Egypt; Britain and even a New World on
the far side of the ocean. And then come back with Asterix
and Obelix to their own village and the great banquet
(with lots of roast boar) that is held to welcome them
home."
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The First Asterix Frieze would also prove
the Last Asterix Frieze. Its name suggests they were planning
a followup, but to date we haven't seen one, and we probably
never will.
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