While searching for oysters, Asterix and Obelix encounter a man encased in ice washed up on the beach. Getafix determines from the man's attire and tattoos that he's a Pict from the land of Caledonia (present-day Scotland). The Pict is thawed out, but has lost his voice and struggles to express himself through sign language, yet carves a map to his homeland on a menhir. An elixir brewed by Getafix allows him to communicate through Scottish folk song lyrics. Eventually, he is able to speak normally long enough to introduce himself as Macaroon, and explain that he needs to get him to reunite with his love, Camomilla, daughter of the late king. Unfortunately, his rival Maccabaeus had him cast out, and plans to wed Camomilla to secure his claim to the throne, enlisting the aid of the Romans. It's up to our heroes to save the day.
I have to admit that I'm impressed at how well Didier Conrad has managed to replicate Uderzo's drawing style. Sure, there maybe a few subtle differences here and there - everyone seems to have more "puppydog" eyes - but the character designs are pretty much the same. I also like how Ferri's writing style is closer to Goscinny's wit. The story is a rather simple one, but that's not really an issue.
My favourite scene has to be the exposition scene which happens when our heroes encounter the pirates during the voyage to Caledonia. It's this point when Macaroon regains his voice and introduces himself, right as their boat is alongside the pirate ship. Obelix wants to fight the pirates before he hears Macaroon's story, while the pirates vehemently protest that they want to hear the story first. The Pict gives his info-dump while they're fighting, prompting the pirate he has in a headlock to blow his nose on the Jolly Roger, claiming "soppy love stories churn me up". To top it all off, Obelix claims in the aftermath that he doesn't understand and wants him to repeat everything. This in turn prompts the pirate captain to ask for a quick summary, thinking he'll get beaten up again.
In the vein of the series stereotyping, the Picts toss cabers (which Obelix is eager to try), drink "malted water of life" (Scotch whisky), and have their names prefixed with "Mac". The Loch Ness Monster also appears, which Obelix thinks is a giant otter after Macaroon describes its behaviour.
I'd be bold enough to say that I enjoyed this one, and am looking forward to reading more of Ferri and Conrad's stories in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment