Asterix Marathon #33 - Asterix and the Falling Sky

Aliens? Really? I can see where Kingdom of the Crystal Skull got it from. A lot of folks thought this was going to be the finale, with the cover being a mirror image of the first album, and the reference to the falling sky. This recurring line in the series is based on a quote from Gallic chieftains telling Alexander the Great that the only thing they feared was the sky falling on their heads. Anyway, let's take a look. I've procrastinated enough.

The Indomitable Village is visited by the Tadsilweny, a race of aliens from "a galaxy of fifty stars". Led by Toon, they have come to the village to confiscate their magic potion in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of their feared rivals, the Nagma. Soon enough, the Nagma arrive, and their Cyberats battle Toon's Superclones. Until they declare a truce and both decide they want the magic potion.

I think Uderzo was using this story to establish Asterix's position in the competition between the American and Japanese comic industries. The Tadsilweny represent the Americans, with the name being an anagram of Walt Disney. Toon's design bears a resemblance to Mickey Mouse while the Superclones look like Arnold Schwarzenegger dressed as Superman, with a mention of Bat and Spider forms. Uderzo is obviously throwing his hat with them, as there's a dedication to Walt Disney at the end of the album. That said, he does take the opportunity to take a stab at Bush; Toon's mission to confiscate the potion is similar to the pretext surrounding the Iraq War. On the other side of the coin, the Nagma represent the Japanese manga industry. I don't think Uderzo was keen on manga.

To be fair, I think Uderzo really wanted to explore this matter, but there wasn't really a good way to incorporate it into Asterix. He's already been to America, and I don't know what stories he could be involved in to go to Japan for, so using extra-terrestrials to illustrate it would seem like the best course of action. As I've said already, when you have a long-running series, you have to experiment.

Unfortunately, I don't think it paid off. There seems to be more emphasis on the conflict between the two alien races, so the Gauls often feel like bystanders. And there's not much really done which advances the story or the characters, because Toon erases their memories at the end.

This would be the last album of the Solo Period, or at least the last full story. Uderzo would return to work four years later to commemorate the character's 50th birthday. I'll talk about that one tomorrow.