Asterix Marathon #26 - Asterix and the Black Gold

One thing which can be said about the Solo Period is that Uderzo's stories are a lot more experimental than Goscinny's. For example, his next piece ended up combining a biblical epic with a spy thriller.

Caesar is still reeling over his failure to conquer The Indomitable Village, and calls upon the aid of his spymaster Devius Surreptitius. The chief of MIVI has determined that the secrets of the druids are verbally passed down, and sends in a Gallo-Roman druid named Dubbelosix to obtain the recipe of the magic potion. Meanwhile, Getafix is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Phoenician merchant Ekonomikrisis (from Asterix the Gladiator) in the hopes of obtaining some rock oil, known in Latin as Petra Oleam (That's not a clever pun, it's the actual etymology). When the merchant doesn't have any, the druid has a stroke, and is cured by Dubbelosix. He then reveals that he needs the rock oil to make the magic potion, so Asterix and Obelix travel to Mesopotamia with Ekonomikrisis to find some. Dubbelosix also goes with them, planning to sabotage the mission.

The whole journey is essentially a series of incidents. The Romans blockade all the Mediterranean ports, so our heroes are taken to Judea, which is a Roman protectorate rather than a province. Because the garrison in Jerusalem is on alert, they spend the night in a stable in Bethlehem while waiting for some local traders to sneak them into the city. Once inside, they learn that the Romans have burned the local supplies of rock oil, so they have to trek through the Syrian Desert towards Babylon. In the process, they encounter numerous Mesopotamian peoples who mistake them for other Mesopotamian peoples they are fighting against, a satire on the contemporary conflicts in the Middle East. One of the main reasons for this setting was so Uderzo could pay tribute to Goscinny, who was Jewish. In fact, Goscinny himself makes an appearance in the form of Saul Ben Ephishul, who guides our heroes to the edge of the Syrian Desert.

Of course, he's not the only person who bears a certain resemblance. It's obvious that Dubbelosix is modelled after Sean Connery, and is an obvious reference to James Bond. He has a folding chariot with numerous hidden weapons, and relays information with a carrier fly who is attracted to him. Obvious reference or not, I think it's interesting that they made such a character as an antagonist.

My favourite joke involves Asterix and Obelix encountering the Sumerians in the desert who shoot arrows at them and then apologise for mistaking them for Akkadians, with Obelix saying his usual catchphrase. This is then repeated with the Akkadians, the Hittites, and the Assyrians. Asterix is thoroughly fed up at this point, asking the Assyrians who they were mistaken for, with the leader sheepishly answering that they're after the Medes. They then encounter the Medes, who are lost and ask them for the way out, with Asterix yelling "Nothing easier! Just follow the arrows!". I also love the scene before that, in which they pass the Dead Sea and Obelix decides he wants to go for a dip. There's also the underlying irony about people questioning the use of rock oil because of the nasty smell.

I think this is one of the strongest of the Uderzo stories so far, but I'm not too sure about the anti-climactic ending.

I'll be back tomorrow where I'll look at Asterix and Son and Asterix and the Magic Carpet. Somewhat appropriate, considering this recent heatwave we've been having.