Odius Asparagus, the Prefect of Gaul, is being recalled to Rome and is required by tradition to present a gift to Julius Caesar. Wanting something special, he recruits the garrison stationed at Compendium to capture Cacofonix, the village bard who often wanders the forests to hone his (non-existent) musical talent. After learning of his capture, Asterix and Obelix travel to Rome to rescue their comrade. Upon arrival, they learn from the Gaulish restaurateur Instantmix that Caesar has ordered the bard to be fed to the lions at the Circus Maximus. On top of that, they're being sought after by Caius Fatuous the Lanista; the man in charge of recruiting (or kidnapping) and training gladiators for the games. Our friends casually fend off the Lanista's press gangs, but later seek him out in order to become gladiators and gain access to the circus.
In addition to the dramatic irony provided by the press gangs, another recurring joke is Cacofonix's singing, first introduced in this album. Living up to the name he has in the English translation, his voice scares the Romans away during their initial capture attempt, so they get around it by stuffing their ears with parsley...and then the squad leader captures the bard on his own because the other men didn't hear him give the order.
This album also introduces two other recurring elements to the series: The helmet game, and the pirates.
The Helmet Game is one of Obelix's quirks, in which he collects the helmets of the legionaries he beats up. He often challenges the other Gauls to this contest, but he's the only one who really takes part.
The pirates are encountered by our heroes while travelling to Rome on a Phoenician merchant ship. They fend them off, and repeatedly encounter the crew on their subsequent adventures, but they never pose a genuine threat to the Gauls. The pirates are actually characters from a Belgian comic series called Redbeard, which also debuted in Pilote alongside Asterix. Redbeard writer Jean-Michel Charlier co-founded Pilote with Rene Goscinny, but most people only know about Redbeard from their cameo in Asterix.
If there's anything I do have to criticise, it's the change of antagonists. Odius Asparagus sets the plot in motion when he orders the capture of Cacofonix, but after delivering the bard to Caesar, he doesn't appear again. The main antagonist for the rest of the story is Caius Fatuous, and he's the one who gets his just desserts. After all, a Lanista always pays his dues (sorry).
Other than that, this is one I do recommend.
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