Asterix Marathon #32 - Asterix and the Class Act

This one is slightly different, as it's not actually a single story but an anthology of shorter stories which appeared in Pilote and other magazines inbetween the main albums. Since it appears in the omnibus editions I've been reading, I might as well look at it.

The stories are as follows:

1. Asterix and the Class Act (written in 1966) - It's the beginning of the school year, and Getafix recruits Asterix and Obelix to round up the village children. However, Obelix's ignorance of current events means he has to attend as well. This would later be used as a story element in Asterix and the Secret Weapon.
2. The Birth of Asterix (1994) - To celebrate 35 years of Asterix, Uderzo released a story depicting the birth of our heroes. It shows most of the main characters as children, with young Vitalstatistix and Fulliautomatix getting into a fight. When their fathers confront each other, it triggers a fish fight which soon attracts Astronomix and Obeliscoidix, who have been sent away while their wives are in labour. There's not much to it, but it's funny to see how the Gauls' love of a punch-up is passed through the generations.
3. In 50 BC (1977) - A short world-building piece published in National Geographic to introduce the series to the American market. Again, there's not really much to it, but I do like the idea that they advertise Fulliautomatix as the ancestor to most music critics.
4. Chanticleerix (2003) - The village rooster gets into a fight with an eagle, and Dogmatix borrows a gourd of magic potion to help the national bird of France defeat the symbol of Rome. Alright then. The animals can communicate with each other perfectly, and it's revealed that Obelix can understand them as well.
5. For Gaul Lang Syne (1967) - Obelix tries to use a New Year custom of kissing under the mistletoe to steal a kiss from Panacea. That's...creepy. They play the custom for laughs as the Gauls have to kiss everybody who passes under the mistletoe, regardless of gender. Could this mean that Goscinny and Uderzo could claim the invention of 'shipping'?
6. Mini Midi Maxi (1971) - A commission made for the women's magazine Elle, in which Mrs Geriatrix showcases Gaulish fashion. Except Impedimenta is angry that she wasn't chosen as the "First Lady of the Village", provoking a fish fight. She makes the remark "I'm a celebrity! Get me back in there!". This could be a reference to the reality show, I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, suggesting that the story was first translated in 2003 when this anthology was released. I wonder what she said in the original French.
7. Asterix as You've Never Seen Him Before (1969) - Uderzo experiments with different drawing styles based on fan critiques. I especially like how he satirises the content of the fan letters with his responses. For example, a professor from the University of Nantes sent a telegram saying the stories were too long, there was too much dialogue, and not enough simplicity in the drawing. Uderzo responds with an eight-panel comic imitating the style of Peanuts. And everyone says "stop" all the time. I wonder what Uderzo would say if he read these reviews. I'm sure there are plenty of typos he could make fun of.
8. The Lutetia Olympics (1986) - Uderzo was commissioned by the mayor of Paris to do a poster and a short comic as part of the city's bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Asterix and Obelix are recruited to protect the head of the Olympic Comittee as he visits Lutetia, after it is decided that the Olympics are to be held outside of Greece, which angers Caesar. I love the committee member's monosyllabic diagolue, and he looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. Until our heroes thwart a kidnapping attempt by Roman agents. Unfortunately, Paris lost the bid to Barcelona.
9. Springtime in Gaul (1966) - Asterix and Obelix meet an anthropomorphic personification of Spring, and give him the magic potion to defeat his Winter counterpart. It's an unusual concept for something like Asterix, but considering the winter we had this year, I can really relate to it.
10. The Mascot (1968) - A group of legionaries kidnap Dogmatix to use him as a mascot. There's not much to it, but it does establish how much Obelix loves his dog. Do not separate them if you value your legs.
11. Latinomania (1973) - In response to the rise of English slang in French language (Franglais), Goscinny and Uderzo produced a single-page comic in which the Gauls start using Latin words in everyday conversation, until Getafix chastises them and gives them the dictionary definitions which don't roll of the tongue as well. Also known as Etcetera.
12. The Obelix Family Tree (1963) - This one might be my favourite of these stories. Goscinny and Uderzo are travelling in Brittany and have a chance encounter with a modern-day descendant of Obelix. After making conversation, they invite him back to Paris to the offices of Pilote. But the menhir causes problems.
13. The Birth of an Idea (1962) - A single-page comic in which Goscinny and Uderzo are sitting outside a cafe and trying to deal with writer's block, when they have ideas for fight scenes. The dialogue is comprised entirely of unintelligible whispering and laughter, but their body language conveys the ideas going through their heads really well.

Phew, that took a while. Well, when you have a long-running series, there's always room for experimentation. Sometimes it will pay off, sometimes it won't. But there's nothing wrong with that.

What will they think of next? The village gets invaded by aliens?