Asterix and Obelix are already 62, but not a bit tired or dusty. The latest volume, “Asterix und der Greif”, has just been published, with a circulation of five million, translated into 17 languages. What is immediately noticeable: the two were rarely so contemporary. Now it’s about the social position of women. And it’s high!
The story is quickly told. It is set in the Russian ice steppe, in the so-called Barbaricum, where the Sarmatians live. The stupid Romans suddenly turn on them, want to catch their bird sanctuary: the eponymous griffin. And Asterix and Obelix rush to the aid of the Sarmatians with the druid Miraculix and dog Idefix.
The Sarmatians really existed more than 2000 years ago. With them the women went into battle with the men. This is now making itself felt in comic history. On the second page, the Romans show their boss Caesar a Sarmatian warrior: Kalashnikova. With big breasts, a blond mane almost to the floor, the name says it all. The warrior is just the beginning. Matriarchy prevails among the steppe people. The women fight the Romans on horseback with bows and arrows. “War is now a woman’s business,” says Matryoshkova, the leader, to Asterix. And what about the men? They are at home at the stove, lovingly taking care of the children.
The copywriter Jean-Yves Ferri (62) and the draftsman Didier Conrad (62) keep up with the times without appearing artificial. Asterix and Obelix do not lose their core – even if their creators, the copywriter René Goscinny (1926–1977) and the draftsman and subsequent author Albert Uderzo (1927–2020), are dead. Now a Netflix series and another movie with real actors are also planned. The title: «The Middle Kingdom».