Asterix's 39th album, which comes out on October 21,
Asterix and the Griffon
, is a journey for the Gauls who set out to meet a little-known people of Antiquity, the Sarmatians.
These nomadic people lived in a region that stretched from present-day Ukraine to the foothills of the Caucasus and the steppes of Central Asia.
And in this album, their totem is the griffin, half eagle, half lion.
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“Asterix's travels already represent a lot of countries (...). There it is a cold country. It's new, it sets the tone for this album which takes place mainly in the snow ”
, underlined Monday Jean-Yves Ferri, the screenwriter since 2011 of the saga, during a press conference in Vanves at the headquarters of Hachette Livre, the group that owns the Albert René editions.
After the death of screenwriter René Goscinny in 1977, the series was continued by designer Albert Uderzo, who himself entrusted it in 2011 to screenwriter Jean-Yves Ferri and designer Didier Conrad.
Historically, “
we don't know much about them (...).
Herodotus and Livy had spoken of the Sarmatians.
They were barbarians, but a somewhat mythical people,
”he added.
The designs borrow from a certain Russian, Kazakh or Mongolian tradition, and their names all end in -ine (for example: Cékankondine).
The scenario revolves around the confrontation between a Roman army which sets out on an expedition to capture the famous griffin, on the orders of Julius Caesar, and these elusive Sarmatians, with whom the Gauls sympathize.
Michel Houellebecq, Roman geographer
Among the curiosities: a Roman geographer, Terrinconus, who before leaving for this exploration, inquired about
"the map and the territory"
.
“We are asked for caricatures with each album! In this character, I am sure you will recognize one of our great French writers!
», Warned us the screenwriter in the press kit. Terrinconus borrows his features from the writer Michel Houellebecq.
"He is the geographer of César, the thinking head of this Roman expedition, present in this adventure for the love of Science",
specifies the Albert René editions.
The album also has an ecological tone.
“The Romans represent a little the attitude we will say Western towards nature, the way of serving oneself.
While the Sarmatians are presented as respectful of their nature, especially animals.
And the Gauls are a bit between the two, ”
detailed the screenwriter.
The album was printed in two million copies in French, and a total of five million in 17 languages.
The formula still works very well in bookstores, with releases approaching Christmas every two years, which make it one of the favorite gifts of the French.
The success has never wavered either in other countries, in particular in Germany, Spain or Italy.
Asked about the possibility of seeing Asterix drawn or reinterpreted, like other mythical comic book characters such as Lucky Luke or Corto Maltese, by a multitude of authors, the publisher replied that Asterix would continue as is.
“These tributes are quite symptomatic of series that are running out of steam (...).
I do not believe that this is the case with Asterix ”
, estimated the general manager of Editions Albert René, Céleste Surugue.
This story is the last that Uderzo was able to see born.
"He could only really know the beginnings of the script and the first sketches,"
said his daughter Sylvie Uderzo in a message read by Goscinny's daughter, Anne.